Blending fermented out cider with slow wild.

RedRiver · 10-26-2009, 08:04 PM

Currently have
1-Five gallon Cote des Blancs (1.000)
1-One gallon wild (1.050)
OG is 1.060 for both (same original cider).

I was trying to be patient (as recommended over and over on this forum) and not test my cider early and expose it to oxygen. So, I waited a week to test the Cote des Blancs. It had already fermented out. Very dry with very little apple flavor.

I waited 6 days to test the wild and it had hardly gone down at all (maybe 0.001). So, I added 1/2t yeast nutrient to it. Four days later it is now at 1.050. Still very sweet with good apple flavor.

My question is: Is there anything wrong with just racking both to secondary and blending them together? Get the benefits of both, perhaps?

You might be wondering why I used Cote des Blancs. Before I found this forum, I found a Mother Earth News article on how to make your own hard cider. They recommended two yeasts. The Cote des Blancs is what my LHBS had out of the two. I will try other yeasts for future batches.

**RugenBrau** · 10-27-2009, 01:11 AM

I used the same the first time and was disappointed too. Try Nottingham or safale 04.

You can rack them together. If you don't like them now, you have nothing to lose.

RedRiver · 10-27-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RugenBrau

I used the same the first time and was disappointed too. Try Nottingham or safale 04.

You can rack them together. If you don't like them now, you have nothing to lose.

Yeah, it definitely had a wine taste to it, rather than a cider. But, I wasn't sure if that was because it fermented out or not.

I'll cold crash them and rack them to secondary... or maybe rack them and then cold crash them. I'll have to see what order people recommend.

**RugenBrau** · 10-27-2009, 05:10 PM

If you have another 5 gal carboy you could start a new batch and cold crash that early and blend the two. Cote de Blanc is way to dry for me

RedRiver · 10-28-2009, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RugenBrau

If you have another 5 gal carboy you could start a new batch and cold crash that early and blend the two. Cote de Blanc is way to dry for me

Nope. No spare carboys. The one I have is borrowed from my brother-in-law. I think I'll just blend what I have going. Maybe the wild will help out the Cote des Blancs.