Nottingham Yeast in Cider

I was just at the LHBS buying stuff for my next beer, and I picked up some Nottingham for a cider I want to make. The guys there were telling me that I shouldn't use Nottingham though, and recommended a few White Labs yeasts like sweet mead or cider yeast. But I've seen people on here say the Nottingham is okay. So, just for the record, is it worth it to spend the extra five bucks on a special liquid yeast, or will I be fine with my good ol' dry packet?

Do you want a dry cider? The Nottingham is a great choice. A Cider yeast will leave a little sweetness.

Cool thanks. I think I want to try something dry first, as I'm often bothered by the stickiness of most ciders. I like them to be crisp and light. It's so cheap and easy to make, I'm not worried if it's not perfect the first time around. The time/energy/money commitment is a joke compared to brewing a batch of beer.

I just made a batch of EdWort's Apfelwein and it is very dry, as it should be. It is great and very tasty but isn't a session cider so I am looking for something a little lighter (mostly for friends).

I was thinking about using 5 gallons of juice and Nottingham yeast, possibly some other flavorings. I think that will give a pretty good cider that won't knock you out after a couple glasses.

That is, in fact, exactly what I'm making. About as simple as it could be. I plan on trying it with cinnamon and perhaps some other stuff the next time, but for now, I want to taste the basic flavor.

Let me know how it goes. I plan to get this going in a few weeks.

You have 1,453 posts here and are worried about what the guys at the LHBS say? I must say, I've been to several homebrew stores where the people were pretty uninformed. Nottingham will be great.

(not that I've made more than five gallons of cider in my life)

Probably don't want you to buy Nottingham since their profit on that is like $.49 and its at least a couple bucks with liquid.

GoatFarmersInternational said:

You have 1,453 posts here and are worried about what the guys at the LHBS say? I must say, I've been to several homebrew stores where the people were pretty uninformed. Nottingham will be great.

(not that I've made more than five gallons of cider in my life)

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Well, exactly. They're pretty clueless, but it gave me a half second of pause, and I just wanted to reaffirm what I already figured was okay. They have disappointed me with their knowledge on a number of occasions. And I was definitely thinking they were going for an upsell too.

I normally just do straight juice, apple or apple & blackberry. No extra sugar. I have to buy apple juice, the deer & elk eat all of my apples. If the blackberry crop is good this year, I may just do a pure blackberry batch. They're free (except for the blood).

Beerrific said:

I just made a batch of EdWort's Apfelwein and it is very dry, as it should be. It is great and very tasty but isn't a session cider so I am looking for something a little lighter (mostly for friends). .

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Just don't add the dextrose and you'll have a nice session Apfelwein.

EdWort said:

Just don't add the dextrose and you'll have a nice session Apfelwein.

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Yeah I had actually planned on this at first. My LHBS doesn't carry any dry yeast except Nottingham. I had got the Montrachet yeast when I had order from AHS.

I think they should have about the same attenuation without the dextrose.

Cool. I hope it turns out to your liking!

What exactly is a session cider?

pfranco81 said:

What exactly is a session cider?

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Similar to a session beer.

A cider with a moderate ABV that you can a quite a few of in one "session."

I don't think EdWort's Apfelwein qualifies.

david_42 said:

I normally just do straight juice, apple or apple & blackberry. No extra sugar. I have to buy apple juice, the deer & elk eat all of my apples. If the blackberry crop is good this year, I may just do a pure blackberry batch. They're free (except for the blood).

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Sounds like Grilled Elk backstrap is in order .

The diamondback moths got some of my apples this year. I dusted with DE, and it seems to help...grrrrr..

Fortunately come harvest time I can get 'cider' apples from the orchards.

I was thinking of taking the weed wacker to the blackberry patch this coming year to increase yields and plus to make some paths to get into the middle lol. Haven't thought about a 'blackberry' cider...sounds like it would be nice.

So has anyone ever used any of the "fancy" liquid yeasts for ciders? I'm just curious if anyone has done a side by side comparison of the taste with different strains of yeast in cider.