cider using lager yeast

I've just started a cider using a sachet of lager yeast that I had spare from a kit.
I used cheap store bought juice, no added sugar or anything else. The brand of lager yeast is unknown.
1 day in and it's fermenting nicely. I was thinking of leaving it on the lees for longer than I usually do, say 3 months +, as an experiment with the lager yeast.
Any thoughts on this?

Go for it and report back the results. My guess is that the clean fermentation will not add much to the cheap store bought juice and it might come out thin and a bit sour/tart. My question to add is if lager yeasts are any more sensitive to ph since cider will likely get a lower ph than a non-soured beer? I am going the other direction and plan on doing my next cider batch with a saison yeast. I hear the fruit/spicy thing can add a lot to a cider.

Mr.FP, that's an interesting point. My basic thinking is that possibly some diacetyl might be produced, which might balance out the thin/sour/tartness with some buttery flavours? Not sure if lager yeast in a cider can produce diacetyl as it can in lager itself?
A cider made with Saison yeast sounds fine! I've read some good results here with that.
Will post my result here as & when.

MrFancyPlants said:

Go for it and report back the results. My guess is that the clean fermentation will not add much to the cheap store bought juice and it might come out thin and a bit sour/tart. My question to add is if lager yeasts are any more sensitive to ph since cider will likely get a lower ph than a non-soured beer? I am going the other direction and plan on doing my next cider batch with a saison yeast. I hear the fruit/spicy thing can add a lot to a cider.

Click to expand...

Well, I couldn't leave it as long as I'd planned.
Due to my supplies running low, I bottled this cider last week straight from the primary, as it was clear. Just tried a bottle, yeah, a bit early I know. It was good enough. Clean, fresh and with a surprising amount of appley fruitiness considering that I used cheap store bought juice.
Just shows that fast and cheap can be ok sometimes!

When I started this thread back last September, I split a packet of an unknown brand lager yeast between two 1 gallon batches of cider. The 1st was just with cheap store bought apple juice. I posted the result last November.
The 2nd batch was made with 3.5L store bought AJ and 1L of (out of date) cranberry juice. It had lost it's red colour but I wanted to use it rather than pour it away. I left it 'sur lees' for 3+ months as originally intended and bottled it from primary at the start of this month.
Well last night I cracked a couple open. Wow - it was tart, but with a softness and a kind of peach- like flavour!
I was amazed that with cheap, surplus and out of date ingredients the result could be that good!
Waste not, want not indeed!