cold crash with Wyeast 1056

Anyone tried it?

I was going to use So5 because i heard you can cold crash well with that yeast at 1.015 or so rack, and bottle to mantain some sweetness.

I went ahead and used Wyeast 1056 anyway though, anyone tried it?

thanks

http://www.wyeastlab.com/rw_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=5

I've never tried it, but that says it's flocculation is med/low. I guess you could give it a try. The worst that'd happen is that it doesn't work, and in that case you are still where you started. I'd bet that if you'd cold crash then campden or sorbate it'd work. Then again I'm a nub.

thanks for the info.

So it's been 24 hours and almost NO activity. I'm getting maybe 1 bubble a minute or less. The beer i started at the same time is now bubbling once a second.

If it isn't doing more tomorrow i may think about adding a different packet of yeast.

Again, just make sure you use sorbate before bottling!!! You don't want any bottle bombs!!! I'd also monitor after you sorbate it to ensure that it has truly stopped fermenting!!

I havent used the 1056, but it should be about the same as US-05. Liquid yeasts often take a while to get going so I'd give it 2-3 days. Chances are, your beer wort was warmer than the cider

Sorbate is very effective, but IMHO it tastes like ass. Not everyone can taste it. Before using it, I'd recommend putting a tiny bit on your tongue and see if you can stand it.

Mr_Bigglesworth said:

thanks for the info.

So it's been 24 hours and almost NO activity. I'm getting maybe 1 bubble a minute or less. The beer i started at the same time is now bubbling once a second.

If it isn't doing more tomorrow i may think about adding a different packet of yeast.

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Cider isn't beer and airlocks bubbling are not a reliable sign of fermentation. If the gravity is dropping from the OG then it's fermenting. If it's fermenting then leave it alone to do it's thing.

As far as I'm aware 05 and 1056 are the same strain. They are certainly both quite neutral yeasts that will leave you with a higher FG than something like a wine yeast.

I'm very dubious about the idea of cold crashing then bottling. Cold sends yeast dormant, not dead. It will rouse itself up in the bottles if there's anything left to eat and that can mean explosions. Either sorbate or metabisulphite to kill the yeast (which I personally don't like) or wait till it's finished and sweeten with something like lactose.

If you use an ale or wheat yeast, it will flocculate at cold temps. If you rack before and after the crash and are careful, you can leave the yeast behind when you rack.

CvilleKevin said:

If you use an ale or wheat yeast, it will flocculate at cold temps. If you rack before and after the crash and are careful, you can leave the yeast behind when you rack.

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I'll leave that to someone who's done it. Yeast remains in suspension even after cold crashing and lagering and fining.I doubt there's any way you can be sure of leaving behind all the yeast cells you want and just leaving enough to give the right level of carbonation. The photos I've seen of glass shards embedded in ceilings are enough to put me off trying.

Obviously the above method will work perfectly for a kegger but for a bottler - at least be aware of the risk.

I've been doing this for years. mostly kegs, but also hundreds of bottles.

There is no way I know of to leave just enough yeast to give the right level of carb. Its all or nothing. when I cold crash, I bottle flat, or else keg carb first and then bottle.

yes, there is a risk. I suspect that using low nitrogen juice also helps with the crash and I use unpasteurized juice, which clears better than pasteurized. YMMV

CvilleKevin said:

I've been doing this for years. mostly kegs, but also hundreds of bottles.

There is no way I know of to leave just enough yeast to give the right level of carb. Its all or nothing. when I cold crash, I bottle flat, or else keg carb first and then bottle.

yes, there is a risk. I suspect that using low nitrogen juice also helps with the crash and I use unpasteurized juice, which clears better than pasteurized. YMMV

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With you all the way on unpasteurised and avoiding sorbate and sulfite.

I use lactose in primary ferment to hold back from being bone dry though. I can taste sulfites but lactose doesn't seem to be discernible to my palate. Not sure how different back-sweetening might be. I normally use wine yeast for my ciders although I'm thinking about having a crack with Wyeast sweet mead some day.

Thanks for the information everyone.

Good tips on the yeast taking longer to start and the fact that there will be less bubbles than beer. This morning it was up to about 1 bubble per 10 seconds, so i think it is now on its way. I will check the gravity in a day or two but i think it is going.

Good discussion on cold crashing. I may try to bottle a few after cold crashing and store them in a metal box or something in the basement, then add sorbate or metabisulphite to a few as well. I'm not going for bubbles here.

I also have a keg system. Has anyone tried kegging, force carbonating, then filling bottles from the keg and capping them quickly so as to retain a little bit of carbonation?

Quick update: I pitched the yeast on Saturday, the OG was 1.055. I just checked it today and it's sitting at 1.045. This seems pretty slow to me. I was keeping it around 63 degrees. I think I will move it to a slightly warmer part of the house (67 deg) and see how that goes.

I split my batch into two, put half in the fridge (to cold crash) and wanted to let the other half ferment down to 1.008 or so, but fermentation seems to have totally stalled out. It's been a little over 4 weeks, I'm sitting at 1.015 and it hasn't budged in 1.5 weeks. Any ideas? Do i throw more yeast in, shake it up, heat it, or just drink it and don't worry about it? I did really want to let it go a little dryier to see how it tasted.

When you split the batch, did you leave the half that is still fermenting on the trub? If so, try adding a pinch of nutrient and give it a stir.

I did. I will give that a try and let you know in a week or so, thanks!

point/pint 1. Ciders just take longer to ferment, than ales. Usually at perfect temperature, PH, nutrient level etc. It might finish in two weeks. Check the mead FAQ's for details.
point/pint 2. Sweet carbed ciders naturally is more magic/luck than science. If I want it even semi-sweet and carbed I do it via kegging and back sweetening with none ferment-able sweeteners like splenda. I don't really like that taste though. And really, it's not worth it.
point/pint 3. I either bottle still, or carb, chill, then bottle cold to retain the carbonation. Sweet and carbed just does not taste right to me, but once you enjoy a couple of dry good ciders. You will not want to drink anything else.