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Thanks! Just finally seen this and PM'd you back.

I'm in, I'm currently using your temp and humidity controllers on a homebuilt curing/fermentation chamber for charcuterie. They have been working flawlessly.

Also, what gravity are you fermenting it down to? I read (and now can attest to) that fermenting to a lower gravity (dry), strips some of the apple flavors found in the residual sugars.

A test batch I let go to .998, I back sweetened with Stevie. Out of all the sweeteners I've tried, I like Stevie the best. Clean, with no aftertaste. This cider is only a few months old, so I back sweetened on a per-sample basis until it ages a bit. I just started out with cider this year so I'm...

If you keg, I just lightly flow some Co2 from my tank into the carboy for 3 to 5 seconds. Is this still in the primary? How much headspace are we talking?

You sure it's not a sour/bitter taste? As long as your carboy was topped up, or had a nice thick Co2 blanket over it, it shouldn't be acetobacter. One of my ciders this year that was very green tasted a bit like vinegar, but it aged right out.

Why not just get something like this and just mod it to your needs? http://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=N-42066

I'll second on how much deer like my apple's. With the deer on my property, the funny thing is, they will eat every single pear within reach before they start on a single apple. I have an old unkempt orchard I purchased a few years ago with 500 or so apple and pear trees that still produce...

I understand. "its hard to pitch "to much" even if you put 5 or 10 packs in a 1 gallon jug all you would be doing is saving the yeast the trouble of reproducing" I was just letting the OP know this isn't always the case, and why sometimes it's not.

You don't want to save the yeast the trouble of reproducing, you want them to reproduce. It's detrimental by not allowing the yeast to multiply enough before the sugars are spent, so less esters are produced that change the flavor profile. Also, not going through a full life cycle, makes for...

The bitterness should age out, mine took about a month or so. Some is still there, but in a good way by my tastes. Also, after mine aged for a bit and the bitterness subsided, more of its sweetness and apple flavors were noticeable. So you may want to wait to adjust if your aging it. Just seen...

I've also heard that if your cider/wine is going through malolactic fermentation, the addition of P. sorbate alone will produce some funky geranium smells and tastes. It ruin's the batch I'm told from a wine guy I know. Sulfite added before sorbate supposedly stops that process from happening...

For a cheaper option do a google search on Inductor Tanks.

Tough without gravity readings. Also, sometimes after racking, you "stir" up some yeast and nutrients if it has already flocculated. If that's what it is, and the yeast is in suspension again, there's allot more surface area for them to consume any residual sugar in the must. You could always...

If you have or have access to a Co2 tank. Just blow some Co2 into the carboy. It will displace the room air and sink to the top of the cider forming a blanket of Co2. No worries of oxidation or Acetobacter taking over.

Should work just fine with that yeast. Lower temps will take longer to a point, but with better results. If your patient, I'll think you'll be happy. I'm still learning the cider curve as well, and have yet to be disappointed.

Really depends on the yeast. What yeast are you using? If it's a wild strain, and your local weather can get down to freezing or below, those temps shouldn't even faze it. I had some happily chugging away at 40 degrees with a local wild strain. Ambient temp had to get to 30 for that yeast to...

I thought I read somewhere that you will also make various fusel alcohols with fermenting cider at higher temp's. It might have a little rocket fuel taste to it from what I've read.

As long as the brew's ABV isn't over the yeast's alcohol tolerance, I would say yes. What yeast did you use, and what was your starting and ending gravity?

I'm still pretty inexperienced at cider, but if it were mine, I might try to add some nutrient and agitate the lee's/yeast and see where that takes it. It might go a little further, since you only have .005 to go. I'm not too familiar with lager yeasts, but that one is a bottom fermenter...