Sour Cider

So I want to make a sour cider. I'm thinking about just getting two 1 gallon jugs of apple juice, adding a little sugar to each to get to 1.060 or so and then adding the lacto and letting it work for 3-5 days. I'll let it sit in the beer closet at about 78* and then I'll pitch my cider yeast (ec-1118) and let it go to town. I'll prolly add some tart cherries or tart cherry juice to one of them when I add the yeast. From there, I'll just let it ferment out, throw it in some bottles, let it carb for a few days and fridge. Sound like a good plan?

Sounds good to me! That cider sounds like something I could get into.

I found ec-1118 strips apple juice of all character, may I recommend D-47 or 71B-1122, 71B is the choice I would make. Use a NON concentrated apple juice as well, I make one gal batches of cider every two weeks, trust me, You want to make sure its NON Concentrated. If your looking for that apple flavour to come through consider spending the cash on actual cider apple juice, normal apple juice just doesn't hold up. 78 seams to me a bit high of a temp, are you getting fusel alcohols ? I suggest pitching at 60 and keeping it at around 65. Nutrients, nutrients, nutrients, your going to need to add em. I found cane sugar/fructose to offer the best flavour.

Smart to start with the lacto, but I'd guess that after 3 days there wouldn't be much sugar left for the yeast. Cider doesn't have the complex sugars of wort. I did a long aged cider with a variety of microbes and it is slightly tart with a rustic funk, but nothing too crazy.

Oldsock said:

Smart to start with the lacto, but I'd guess that after 3 days there wouldn't be much sugar left for the yeast. Cider doesn't have the complex sugars of wort. I did a long aged cider with a variety of microbes and it is slightly tart with a rustic funk, but nothing too crazy.

Click to expand...

I saw your post on that on your blog. I'm hoping that using only lacto will really bring the sour. Would you recommend leaving it for less time, maybe just a day or two or until I see some activity and then pitching the yeast? Or maybe using only lacto to ferment it? Also, would the 78* temps be ok for lacto? it seems to like high temps from what I read. Thanks!!

aceparadis said:

I found ec-1118 strips apple juice of all character, may I recommend D-47 or 71B-1122, 71B is the choice I would make. Use a NON concentrated apple juice as well, I make one gal batches of cider every two weeks, trust me, You want to make sure its NON Concentrated. If your looking for that apple flavour to come through consider spending the cash on actual cider apple juice, normal apple juice just doesn't hold up. 78 seams to me a bit high of a temp, are you getting fusel alcohols ? I suggest pitching at 60 and keeping it at around 65. Nutrients, nutrients, nutrients, your going to need to add em. I found cane sugar/fructose to offer the best flavour.

Click to expand...

I'll have some d-47 left over from my cherry cider that's fermenting now. I could wash it and use that. I think the AJ is non-concentrated, I'll have to check. I did my last cider at 68* and haven't tried it yet but didn't get any fusels. 78* would be out of range for the d47 but it would be ok for ec1118. I'll just make room in the fermentation fridge!

78 Degrees for lacto is fine. It can sour up to 120.

Pogopunx82 said:

78 Degrees for lacto is fine. It can sour up to 120.

Click to expand...

Agreed, although you may run into trouble if you use White Labs Lacto which contains 10% yeast. Oddly my 100% Lacto beer using their strain has very little sourness after 6 weeks. Very strange.

awesome, thanks for all the help guys. I'm just gonna do a straight lacto cider and let it run!! I do plan to carb it so I'll use some neutral ale yeast and backsweeten at bottling.

Any updates on how this turned out?