Pear Cider Help

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missing

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All right gentlemen (and ladies:) . . . sorry for the long first post.

I started my first batch of cider about two weeks ago. I used a pretty simple recipe, just a gallon of pasturised, preservitive free, apple juice and a pound of cane sugar with a packet of Levan champagne yeast (can't remember the exact type). It has been going strong ever since and just this morning has started slowing down to a bubble every four seconds or so. I figure another day or two and I will rack it to secondary.

Here is my dilema. This week I decided to start a batch of pear cider . . . which I guess is technically a cyser (?) since I used a half pound of honey along with a 1/4 pound of cane sugar. I also used a packet of Red Star champagne yeast (this time I used a starter and a tsp. of yeast nutrient). It was mixed on monday, started bubbling Tuesday. By Wednesday it was bubbling like mad and now as of this morning it has stopped all together.

I have kept the carboys together at a temperature around 70. Why would the pear finish so much quicker? I realize there was less sugar and the Red Star yeast is supposed to have a lower tolerance (at least the guy at the shop told me it will quit before the Lalvin). I am wondering if it because I used a starter and nutrient. Could it be finished fermenting already or has it stalled out?

I just bottled my first batch of beer Wednesday (which came out well for a newbie) and I am not sure what to do now. Thanks for your help guys, you have already taught me a lot.

Missing
 
Pear Cider? Using Pear (from the fruit tree as opposed to prickly pear cactus - we don't get many growing wild over here! :) ) is called 'Perry' in the UK. Without testing the OG and FG gravities on your Perry it'll be hard to tell where you are as you used a champagne yeast which should ferment out dry - Temp seems ok if it's constant and doesn't drop lower at night. If you didn't take measurements with a hydrometer have you tasted it for sweetness to test how it's doing?
 
I had pear cider in San Francisco. It was delicious.

Let me know how your recipe goes, I'd forgotten all about Pear Cider, but now I want one!
 
Cheesefood said:
I had pear cider in San Francisco. It was delicious.

Perry has a dark side in the UK. it's called Country Manor :eek: But home made Perry is great!
 
I vote for starter + nutrient = fast ferment. What's the gravity?

Apples = cider
Pears = perry
Apples + honey = cider
Pears + honey = perry
Apples + lots of honey (more than 50% of the fermentables) = cyser (must be entered in mead category)
Pears + lots of honey (more than 50% of the fermentables) = cyser (must be entered in mead category) [I guess pyser sounds nasty]
 
Thanks for the responses. The starting measurement was around 1.065 (I had just gotten my hydrometer). The reading I took before transfer was 1.010. So, I went ahead and transferred it over to secondary this afternoon and managed to keep a sample to taste. It was actually pretty good though it had a "yeasty" taste to it still. I know that part of that was probably due to the transfer. I think I will let it sit for a while in secondary and then bottle. Give it a few months and we will see. I will definitely let you all know how it comes out. :)
 
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