Help! Naturally fermenting cider / vinegar experiment
 

Hello,

I have started a bit of an experiment, originally with the idea of making
Cider Vinegar, and creating a mother. I have taken a couple of sealed jars,
and filled them each with separate "musts". I did this roughly three weeks
ago. Being new to wine / cider making, I'm unaware of some of the steps of
natural fermentation. I know that the apple naturally contain all the
bacteria and yeast required for fermentation, but I also know it's hit or
miss, successfully fermenting naturally, given all of the other natural
factors (bad bacteria) involved. Currently, one of the jars still contains
it's original cloudy "cider" appearance. The other jar however, has
settled, and the majority of the liquid is almost absolutely clear. My
question is this, is the clear jar a good sign? If so, is a good sign of
alcoholic fermentation or vinegar fermentation? ;) I'd like to know before
"the taste test" as I'm not planning "the taste test" for a while yet, I
expect about another two and a half months.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. You can email me at hemmingway at
shaw dot ca or remove the capitals and underscores if replying to this
message.

Thanks!
Rick