Panty Dropper

1 G Martinellis
Guava Strawberry Beverage Frozen Concentrate, 12 fl oz
1 campden tablet
Wyeast nutrient blend
Safale-04
Pectic enzyme
Thoughts?

Guava sounds good, I have had great results mixing apricot and peach as well

Yeah went looking for frozen peach juice for my wife, they didnt have it or frozen peaches, this is a one gallon experiment. I'll let you know how it turns out.

kbrophillips87 said:

1 G Martinellis
Guava Strawberry Beverage Frozen Concentrate, 12 fl oz
1 campden tablet
Wyeast nutrient blend
Safale-04
Pectic enzyme
Thoughts?

Click to expand...

Why Wyeast and not a white wine yeast?

It seems like some people i have talked to are screwing up there ciders and the only thing i notice that they do different then the guys that are successful is adding ale yeast.... Or so it seems

Wyeast is a beer or ale yeast? I'm I correct?
(I'm kinda new at this though so if I'm ill informed please let me know)

Yeah safale s-04 is an ale yeast. It makes for a sweeter cider and won't "dry" out the cider. The guys at my LHBS suggested it. From reading a lot of these forums contamination and improper monitoring are causing "messed" up batches, not the yeast. My next project I am using a cuvée yeast for a much drier product.

kbrophillips87 said:

Yeah safale s-04 is an ale yeast. It makes for a sweeter cider and won't "dry" out the cider. The guys at my LHBS suggested it. From reading a lot of these forums contamination and improper monitoring are causing "messed" up batches, not the yeast. My next project I am using a cuvée yeast for a much drier product.

Click to expand...

Great info! Thank you..

But one more question - Improper monitoring?
What is that?

Sounds to me like they get anxious and open up the carboy a lot, which could potentially cause contamination from things floating around in the air that could come in contact with the cider. Also improper sterilization of the things they are dipping in there. Off smells from "bases" that haven't been properly pasteurized which may or may not contain contaminated bits or wild yeasts.

kbrophillips87 said:

Off smells from "bases" that haven't been properly pasteurized which may or may not contain contaminated bits or wild yeasts.

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Can you explain this more... Smells? Bases?
And is pasteurizing just sterilizing?

Yeah, flash pasteurizing any fruits or juices just ensures everything that could have been "alive" is now dead and won't effect your brewing. Proper sterilization is key. Making sure everything is washed and re- washed if there is any doubt.
It also sounds like new brewers freak out about the smell from the campden tablets. That slightly sulphuric egg fart smell is normal and will lessen as the weeks go by unless you add more fermentables.

When I refer to bases I'm talking about apple cider or the base juice you use and then add your fermentables too. I'm working on a recipe for a ginger "wort" that I plan on possibly adding cascade hops to. I plan on using a champagne yeast for this as I want the abv higher and for it to be quite dry.