Slow Going with Cote des Blanc

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Beerthoven

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I'm using Cote des Blanc ( http://morewinemaking.com/view_product/16451/102731 ) to ferment a batch of hard cider.

It took nearly a week for it to get going, but its going well now (its extra stinky too...yum).

The description says its a "slow and steady" fermenter. Anyone use this yeast before? How long do you think it will take to finish from an OG of 1.054 at 75*?
 
I made a batch of Ed Worts Apfelwein with Cotes des Blanc. It is definitely slow going. Took around 6 week til it finished and I think i even let it sit for another week or two on the lees. I didnt notice any stinky smell (something that is associated with the yeast Ed uses, Montrachet) Did you use any yeast nutrient or energizer? I think I used energizer with mine.
 
I didn't use any nutrient or energizer. I'm fermenting apple cider, not juice, so that might be contributing to the smell.
 
I am also using cotes de blanc yeast for my hard cider. I pitched on monday afternoon and by friday morning I had a specific gravity of 1.000. There is still some slow activity in the airlock as of friday afternoon and it tasts pretty good, I may add another cup of so of dextrose and a cinnamon stick, I just can't decide. Good luck with yours. Also mine did have some strange odors, but that is normal with cider/ apple juice even with nutrient sometimes. Paul
 
I use cote des blanc for alot of fruit wines. It's not the slowest fermenter I've used, but it isn't very quick. It will fully attenuate eventually and should leave some fruitiness behind.
 
Since I posted on 10/5, airlock bubbling has decreased from about 60/min to 2-3/min. I'll check the gravity in a few days. It smells good now. I think this is going to turn out nice.
 
SG = 0.998 on 10/11, so I think fermentation is done. I'll leave it for 4-6 weeks, then bottle.

Tastes dry and alcoholic, but there is a lot of apple flavor and aroma remaining.
 
Just thought I would update this thread, for the sake of completeness.

I'm just now starting to drink the cider I made with Cote des Blanc yeast, about 9 months after making it. IMO, it has taken this long for it to lose a certain "green" taste and seem finished to me.

The cider turned out delicious. It is crisp and dry and has a lot of apple flavor and aroma. The carbonation is perfect. It is smooth and very easy drinking, with no harsh alcoholic bite that I often find in immature cider. It seems more wine-like and refined than the cider I made with White Labs English Cider Yeast - but that one still has a few months to go before it catches up to this one.

I'm amazed by the color, which is pale yellow and crystal clear. I started with orchard fresh cider that was dark brown and thick with apple pulp.

I'm looking forward to drinking this cider as a refreshing alternative to beer in the long hot summer ahead of us.
 
I'm amazed by the color, which is pale yellow and crystal clear. I started with orchard fresh cider that was dark brown and thick with apple pulp.

I'm looking forward to drinking this cider as a refreshing alternative to beer in the long hot summer ahead of us.

Good deal, that's how I do it. I plan on buying some Bittersharp to blend with my Spitzenburg that I started this year.
 
Just thought I would update this thread, for the sake of completeness.

I'm just now starting to drink the cider I made with Cote des Blanc yeast, about 9 months after making it. IMO, it has taken this long for it to lose a certain "green" taste and seem finished to me.

The cider turned out delicious. It is crisp and dry and has a lot of apple flavor and aroma. The carbonation is perfect. It is smooth and very easy drinking, with no harsh alcoholic bite that I often find in immature cider. It seems more wine-like and refined than the cider I made with White Labs English Cider Yeast - but that one still has a few months to go before it catches up to this one.

I'm amazed by the color, which is pale yellow and crystal clear. I started with orchard fresh cider that was dark brown and thick with apple pulp.

I'm looking forward to drinking this cider as a refreshing alternative to beer in the long hot summer ahead of us.

Did you use pectic enzyme? I did, and I used the WL English Cider strain on some local unpasteurized cider...and my cider turned out very dry, crisp, tart and crystal clear. It really is amazing how clear it gets after being so cloudy and dark.
 
Did you use pectic enzyme? I did, and I used the WL English Cider strain on some local unpasteurized cider...and my cider turned out very dry, crisp, tart and crystal clear. It really is amazing how clear it gets after being so cloudy and dark.

I did not use pectic enzyme. It really is amazing how clear it has become. I watched the color changed gradually as I sampled a bottle every few months. There is a fair amount of sediment in the bottles even though I used a secondary.

I used WL English Cider yeast on some store-bought cider and it is really nice, too. It has more of a classic cider taste to it, you know, what you would expect if someone told you that you were drinking hard cider. The Cote des Blanc really does seem more wine-like and less cidery to me. The difference is subtle, but I think it is there.
 
I know this is an old thread but it seemed to address the topic I wanted to touch on so I thought I'd my questions here. Hope someone sees them and can help me out!

I pressed about 13-gallons of apple juice last night. Most of the juice came from an early-ripening "Yellow Transparent" variety that was specifically developed for growing conditions here on the east side of the Great Divide. The juice seems to have less sugar and is more tart. I also mixed in about 4-5 gallons of sweet crab apple juice.

I've got the juice partitioned into two large 6-gallon carboys. The specific gravity pre-fermentation is 1.044. So I think I want to add sugar to the juice to increase the potential alcohol content.

I plan to use Cote des Blanc in one fermenting vessel and Champagne yeast in the other. (Since I'm using both carboy's I'll be looking for another or something else to rack it into later).

I'm relatively new to cider making. I've made cider in small 1-gallon batches before with mixed results but I want these two ciders to turn out well and as strong as possible.

So far I've sterilized all equipment, filled the carboys with juice, added pectin enzyme (12-hours), then added campden to each.

1) Is it too late to add sugar now that I've already added the campden?

2) If I can still add sugar, what's the best way to do it and how much? I'd like to get a 7%+ ABV cider if possible.

I need to wrap everything up by 6 a.m. tomorrow so any advice ya'll can give me now would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!
 
I wouldn't hesitate to add sugar. A 1.044 cider fermented to dry will give you about 6% ABV. In rough numbers, 2 3/4 oz of sugar per gallon will raise ABV by 1%. Just do a little math to account for volume and how high you want to raise ABV. If you don't have a scale, a cup of sugar weighs 6-7 oz.

Just pouring the sugar into the carboy wouldn't be my first choice because it won't dissolve, but the yeast will still find it. Stirring, swirling, shaking, etc will help dissolve the sugar. You could also heat a small amount of water and dissolve the sugar in that. The added water does dilute your cider a bit, but you don't need much sugar or water if you are only raising ABV a couple points.
 
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