FINALLY Making Great Cider - Stuff I Wish I'd Known 4 Years Ago

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so what would have happened if you had cold-crashed at 1.020?

The cider would have been much, much better, though that would have been because of the residual sugar. It's not clear to me that this is any different from backsweetening and pasteurizing, though.
 
Let me run this by y'all (lol)since everyone here seems to know something .
Just a guy with 20 apple trees and looking for good uses.

6 gal apple cider -added camden tablets-waited 30hrs
moved to carboy and added lalvin ec-1118 yeast, 3 tsp yeast energizer
OG-1032@72 put away for 24 days then racked-SG reading 1002
no-lol should it have a taste ?

:confused:

Hey ciderman, 1.032 is very low for cider juice. Next time pick them as late as you can and wait at least two weeks for the starches to convert to sugars. I had apples go from 1.045 to 1.058 in three weeks of starch conversion!
 
Hey ciderman, 1.032 is very low for cider juice. Next time pick them as late as you can and wait at least two weeks for the starches to convert to sugars. I had apples go from 1.045 to 1.058 in three weeks of starch conversion!

Thanks
will do

Started this as a new thread didn't know if i was doing it right
 
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Very useful post oljimmy - I'd really appreciate any comments on my efforts.
I press juice from a mix of local eating/cooking apples after storing for a month to maximise ripening. SG is consistently around 1.055. I don't pasturise or sulfite and immediately pitch with a champagne yeast. I let the fermentation go to completion and the yeast to clear and the transfer to 10gal beer kegs for 4-5 months over the winter. In spring I bottle and carb with 1tsp sugar/500ml and leave for 1-2 yrs. The result is dry but not overly so, v appley and lightly gassed and everyone has given it the thumbs- up.
I would like to try for a slightly sweeter finish this year. This means not fermenting to completion but I'm not sure how to alter my protocol to achieve this. Will a long prebottling maturation gradually ferment out the residual sugar, if not will it self- carb when I bottle later or if I add more sugar at this point will it over-carb?
Any comments gratefully received. Thanks
StewGil
 
What is the highest starting gravity without having a thick final product that feels almost syrupy in the mouth?
 
What is the highest starting gravity without having a thick final product that feels almost syrupy in the mouth?

I don't think there is any natural apple juice that couldn't be fermented dry by commonly used yeast. Anything below 1.100 should go dry.

FAJC on the other hand will cause all yeasts to stall at a high, syrupy, final SG.
 
Hey Stew,

I'm a big believer in backsweetening and bottle-pasteurization. Technically you can do multiple rackings to slow down fermentation and stop anywhere between 1.000-1.020, but the result is highly unpredictable in my experience, and there is always the risk of re-starting fermentation unwittingly. Ferment as you normally do, get some fresh apple juice, add enough to bring the cider up to the desired gravity, pasteurize (see sticky in this thread for Pappers' method). Add 2 points of gravity if you want to naturally carbonate before pasteurizing, though you'll have to monitor fermentation closely.







Very useful post oljimmy - I'd really appreciate any comments on my efforts.
I press juice from a mix of local eating/cooking apples after storing for a month to maximise ripening. SG is consistently around 1.055. I don't pasturise or sulfite and immediately pitch with a champagne yeast. I let the fermentation go to completion and the yeast to clear and the transfer to 10gal beer kegs for 4-5 months over the winter. In spring I bottle and carb with 1tsp sugar/500ml and leave for 1-2 yrs. The result is dry but not overly so, v appley and lightly gassed and everyone has given it the thumbs- up.
I would like to try for a slightly sweeter finish this year. This means not fermenting to completion but I'm not sure how to alter my protocol to achieve this. Will a long prebottling maturation gradually ferment out the residual sugar, if not will it self- carb when I bottle later or if I add more sugar at this point will it over-carb?
Any comments gratefully received. Thanks
StewGil
 
Thanks that's a great help. I had another question I forgot to ask. Are there any yeasts that stop fermenting around 1.010 without racking ie are more alcohol intolerant, This would also help- the champagne yeast is pretty aggressive and alcohol resistant although it gives a nice finish.
 
Yes - this was a good read!

I need to find an orchard with cider apples now.
 
Hey, great advice you've got here!

I'm a newbie to making cider and I'd like to know.. have most juices you've tested been under the 6.5 g/L ?

I'm trying to keep my costs down for the first experiments, so I won't be buying too much equipment.
 
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