Hey all. I've been brewing for about 9 months now, and with fall rolling around, thought it would be the perfect time to experiment with a cider. I've tried my best to read up on it, but haven't found a whole lot of good information. That is I still have a few unanswered questions that are pretty basic. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
First, during primary fermentation, do you need to leave head space like you do in regular beers? I wasn't sure if ciders did the krausen thing or not.
My second question has to do with cold crashing. I've read a little bit about it. My understanding is that you stick the cider someplace cold for a while to get the yeast to go dormant. So that's what it is, as far as I can tell. However, I don't exactly understand why it's done. Do you only cold crash if you're racking to a secondary, or do you do it every time? How does it affect the flavor, aroma, clarity, etc.?
Lastly, what should my FG be on a cider?
First, during primary fermentation, do you need to leave head space like you do in regular beers? I wasn't sure if ciders did the krausen thing or not.
My second question has to do with cold crashing. I've read a little bit about it. My understanding is that you stick the cider someplace cold for a while to get the yeast to go dormant. So that's what it is, as far as I can tell. However, I don't exactly understand why it's done. Do you only cold crash if you're racking to a secondary, or do you do it every time? How does it affect the flavor, aroma, clarity, etc.?
Lastly, what should my FG be on a cider?