has my drum of apple cider vinegar to be gone bad?

[Gardener77]

15 months ago I pressed about 50 gallons of cider and put it in my garage in a plastic 55 gallon drum to make vinegar. I just poured up a gallon and it looks very light and smells a bit funny. I can imagine that the light color is from it being very settled. But what about it needing more time if it was very cold during the winters? Would that make it smell and taste a bit like alcohol?
Any thoughts?

 

[~gd]

15 months ago I pressed about 50 gallons of cider and put it in my garage in a plastic 55 gallon drum to make vinegar. I just poured up a gallon and it looks very light and smells a bit funny. I can imagine that the light color is from it being very settled. But what about it needing more time if it was very cold during the winters? Would that make it smell and taste a bit like alcohol?
Any thoughts?

DARN right I do! cider needs oxygen to convert to vinegar.Wooden barrels will let in small amounts and it can easily take a year. Yhe old Germans of my boyhood used to set them upriight and cover with cheesecloth to keep the bugs and varments out.some would stir the contents every week. When I worked in a vinegar plant we had mixers and a rig that would inject air to the bottom of a tank. by sealing your batch in plastic you may have killed the Mother. I think you may be able to save it with a new culture and lots of air.GOOD LUCK~gd

 

[Marianne]

Ditto. Get some air stirred into it and you'll probably notice a difference in the smell soon.
My vinegar had an acetone type smell. A bit more juice and regular stirring took care of it. Good luck.

 

[~gd]

Ditto. Get some air stirred into it and you'll probably notice a difference in the smell soon.
My vinegar had an acetone type smell. A bit more juice and regular stirring took care of it. Good luck.

That acetone smell could really be acetone but is more likely to be higher ketones[acetone is the smallest ketone.] these are the chemicalls that produce the top notes in wine [also a sealed fermented alcohol product] they are the reasons that some wines should be allowed to breath before serving. assuming that the ketones haven't become to large to excape they will evaporate and leave a sweetish smell. If it smells foul I would not use it for food but it is a good organic weed killer.

 

[Wannabefree]

Mine did well with just stirring, but I only made a gallon or so...can't even imagine 55 gallons, and how long that would take!

 

[nelson castro]

Cider needs oxygen to convert to vinegar. Wooden barrels will let in small amounts and it can easily take a year. Yhe old Germans of my boyhood used to set them upright and cover with cheesecloth to keep the bugs and varments out.some would stir the contents every week. When I worked in a vinegar plant we had mixers and a rig that would inject air to the bottom of a tank. by sealing your batch in plastic you may have killed the Mother. I think you may be able to save it with a new culture and lots of air.

Definitely a great idea as well as explaining it.

 

[~gd]

Mine did well with just stirring, but I only made a gallon or so...can't even imagine 55 gallons, and how long that would take!

The old germans that worked on the drum scale would have last falls' cider converted to vinegar to do this summer's pickles.