Perry - recommended yeast

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orac69

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Hi all ,

Im a noob to this forum and cider / perry making :)

Im just about to start my first Perry with this years bumper pear crop in the UK.

Anyone have any recommendations as to the best yeast to use?

thanks
 
Any of the common dry ale yeasts work well for ciders and perrys. The sugars are 100% fermentable, so attenuation isn't a consideration. High focculation is probably the main consideration, as people like clear ciders. Nottingham or Safale04 & 56 are good choices.

I've never bothered using a cider yeast, but it might make a difference.
 
What type of pears do you grow? I'd have to try at least a 5 gallon batch of naturally fermented Perry if I had a lot of pears.

Will this be fermented in one barrel or several carboys? If the latter, you could experiment with several different yeasts and see which you prefer.

Ciders turn out well with a cider yeast or sweet mead yeast. Stay away from champagne yeast as these will dry out anything, and Perrys are said to be notorious for turning out dry.
 
Thanks for the replies..

I believe the Pears are "conference" not 100% as the mini-orchard was already planted when I moved in..

Good idea ALPS - I will split the batch in 2 and try different yeasts.

I was planning on using a champagne yeast but now you say it will dry it out I will avoid it..

I'll report back in a few months!
 
OK, my first 2 Perry batches are in the primaries..

Batch 1;

Conference pears - 1 gallon demijohn
1 tsp Pectolase
1 crushed campden
OG 1042
PH 3.1
Left for 3 days then pitched: Gervin Ale Yeast s.cerevisore

Batch 2;
Unknown pears - seemed very ripe, the juice appeared very yellow and "thick" compred to batch 1. Put in 1 Gallon demijohn.
2 tsp Pectolase
1 crushed campden
OG 1028
PH 3.8.
Tasted very bitter and not quite "right" so I added 5 tbsp Glucose (not sure if that was right, but hey this is an experiment!)
This raised the SG to 1042
Left for 3 days then pitched: Youngs cider yeast.


Will keep you posted..
 
orac69 said:
OK, my first 2 Perry batches are in the primaries..

Batch 1;

Conference pears - 1 gallon demijohn
1 tsp Pectolase
1 crushed campden
OG 1042
PH 3.1
Left for 3 days then pitched: Gervin Ale Yeast s.cerevisore

Batch 2;
Unknown pears - seemed very ripe, the juice appeared very yellow and "thick" compred to batch 1. Put in 1 Gallon demijohn.
2 tsp Pectolase
1 crushed campden
OG 1028
PH 3.8.
Tasted very bitter and not quite "right" so I added 5 tbsp Glucose (not sure if that was right, but hey this is an experiment!)
This raised the SG to 1042
Left for 3 days then pitched: Youngs cider yeast.


Will keep you posted..
Definately keep us updated! :)
Batch 2 interests me but it's a shame you didn't have more demijohns/juice to try more combos with the different yeasts!
 
I wish I had more demi's too..

I managed to get hold of 6 demijohns in total, 3 now contain my first cider (again each one different trying different yeast / apple combinations) and the last one is about to hold my first mead....

There arent any brew shops where I live - and most mailorder firms wont ship glass now - too heavy and easily broken..

Wow im getting into this home brewing..
 
orac69 said:
I wish I had more demi's too..

I managed to get hold of 6 demijohns in total, 3 now contain my first cider (again each one different trying different yeast / apple combinations) and the last one is about to hold my first mead....

There arent any brew shops where I live - and most mailorder firms wont ship glass now - too heavy and easily broken..

Wow im getting into this home brewing..
Thats the real trouble! I live 15 miles from my nearest home brew shop - but luckily it's ownly a few minutes from where I work in the week so I pick up glassware in my lunch time. Try looking on ebay.co.uk for 'local pick up only' deals - within your area you'll find 'job lots' of demijohns that'll suit your needs.
 
Trouble is i live in Jersey, Channel Islands.. a 9 x 5 mile island in the middle of no where !
 
After a few days the Perry and Cider brews which have the "Cider yeast" are bubbling like mad - every few seconds - but the ones with the Gervin Ale Yeast seem to be foamy, but no bubbles.

Should I just pitch a bit more yeast?
Will it affect the final flavour?
How much is "too much" yeast - or isnt there such a thing?

thanks!
 
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