sour cider

This is my forth year making hard cider or what I think is really apple wine because I add sugar.

This year I used Nottingham yeast instead of Red Star Champagne and about 2 lbs sugar per 5 gallons instead of the usual 5 lbs.

Fermentation has really been slow by design hence the reason I tried Nottingham yeast.

In years past I would ferment to dry and get just about 13% ABV in 2 months. This year I wanted to try and cut harshness by cutting sugar and slowing the ferment.

This batch has been fermenting 4 1/2 months, and has more of a sour taste. My suspicion is oxygenation from the permeable 5 gallon plastic carboys from Walmart I'm using.

I know you are suppose to use glass, but got away with it in years past.....thoughts?

Try backsweetening a glass with a little sugar and see how it tastes. I've found that some of my ho-hum ciders really perk up by tweaking with a little sugar. Just remember if you choose to backsweeten and bottle to use campden and sorbate on your yeasties to prevent bottle bombs or pasteurize.

With a sour taste, there's always the possibility of a wild yeast or bacteria in your cider.

so, yeast or bacteria contamination is more likely rather than O2. I will try a little back sweetening.

What kinda juice do you use? I have fought a sour note in my cider. I'm going to pay more attention to ripeness and ph this fall.

I didn't know there were different kinds of juice. I try to get at least 3 varieties of apples from a local orchard. This year I did have it pressed at a local Amish press, which didnt look as sanitary as what I used in years past. Bacterial or wide yeasts could have been picked up there.

Did you use acid blend? Did you sulphate? You may have used to much and that can give a sour taste. If you didn't i couldn't rule out an infection. The plastic carboys certainly don't help but I'm not sure that it would give a sour taste. If you used glass you maybe could have spotted an infection. I'm guessing a low ph or to many sour/green apples like granny smiths.

Give it some time to age. While sourness probably wont dissapear it will mellow with time.

I never used any additives. In years past, the champaign yeast appeared to have over whelmed the wilds and with all the sugar, I got a high alcohol content. I feel an infection of some kind is likely.