portjeffbrew

Recipes 

I have had great outcomes using a store cider with P-sorbate as long as I add about 2lbs of brown sugar to a 5 gallon batch. I hit it with camden tabs and pectin tabs. Let it roll in primary fermentation for about 3 weeks then drop in some P-sorbate to stop fermentation and rack to 2nd after about a day. I believe the key is getting it off the yeast before they stress. Let it dwell in 2nd for about two weeks then keg (you will not be able to bottle carb it with all that p-sorb). I typically end up with a cider that's about 6-7%with a great finish. Most of the original apple taste from the cider stays in tact without any sulfuric off taste. I would always opt to use un treated cider to start but we all know out of season it is rough to find. Try it! you'll like it!
PJB

portjeffbrew

Recipes 

use Cote des Blancs yeast from Fermentis (no starter just re-hydrate).

saxarocks

Recipes 

I have been carbonating cider like soda for a few months, Before I knew that the preservatives were supposed to stop this from happening.

At first, I blamed the funky smell on the preservatives, but then I got better yeast and it went away.

I recently accidentally left a gallon of Ziegler's cider out for a week. I am not into brewing anything other than soda, but I decided to taste it. It did not taste good, a little too sour and alcohol-y, but it did not taste at all like the yeast was stressed or dying. I am starting to think that the preservatives really only work to stop things already in the cider from reproducing, but they cannot stop large amounts of yeast from fermenting.

akreider

Recipes 

I was successfully brewing with Zeiglers for a couple years. But recently, starting around September 2011 I have had trouble fermenting it. 90% of my batches have turned into vinegar.

I emailed Zeiglers to see if they had changed the recipe, but they wrote that they had not changed it. I suspect they might have increased the amount of potassium sorbate.

I'm now planning on using Trader Joes Apple Cider which does not have any preservatives. My first gallon started fermenting strongly right away.

akreider

Recipes 

My Trader Joes cider ferments 2-3 times faster than the best times I've had with Zeiglers.