Yeast shootout

I invite others to post shootout results!

In 2014, I fermented apple cider with 3 yeasts (picture post here), and nearly a year later, my wife and I did the annual shootout. The results were:

#1 - Pasteur Red
#2 - Safale S-04
#3 - Premier Cuvee

Notes

• All my ciders were fermented to ~0.994 dryness. We tasted chilled as-is, and then back-sweetened with a little sugar
• Pre-sweetened, I had it Pasteur-Red then S-04 by a hair, and my wife had it S-04 then Pasteur-Red by a hair. With sugar added, my order didn't change, but my wife felt the Pasteur-Red improved and tied with the S-04.
• The Pasteur-Red and S-04 were nearly tied, but both were far better than the Premier Cuvee.
• On color, the Premier Cuvee was much darker than the other 2, which were equally light in color.
• On smell, the Premier Cuvee had a mild broader/richer fruity smell, the other 2 a stronger but narrower/sharper smell. The Premier Cuvee really had a nice complex aroma, but it was so mild and watery as to be moot.
• The Pasteur-Red and S-04 simply stood out as having meaningful flavor, while the Premier Cuvee was watery.
• Only a few months after bottling, the Premier Cuvee had a very pronounced sulfur burnt-orange-peel back-bite to it. Now a year out, NO nasty back-bite was detectable.

My wife and I pressed out 12 gallons of cider this weekend, and hope to press another 12-24. After splitting with a friend, we'll likely go with Pastuer-Red and S-04 again. I'm open to a recommendation on a 3rd yeast to try!

Q - what type of yeast is Pasteur-Red? Ale? Champagne?

--SiletzSpey

I had great results from the Champagne yeast.

Good luck!

siletzspey said:

Q - what type of yeast is Pasteur-Red? Ale? Champagne?

--SiletzSpey

Click to expand...

From Keller's site:
Pasteur Red : Pasteur red is also called French red. Like Champagne, it is a mixed population strain. It was developed in Bordeaux, France. It is meant for red wines because it is tolerant to heat and sulfur dioxide and hardly ever causes stuck fermentation. The red wines it is usually used for are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel. Temperature range is 64-86°F, low flocculation, and alcohol is 16%.

If you have the temp control capability to run colder fementations, I'd like to see how Assmanhausen or Steinberg work for cider.

Again, from Keller's site:
Assmannshausen : Assmannshausen is a German yeast strain. Germany leads the world in yeast isolation and production. Assmannshausen is best suited for red wines. It intensifies the color and adds a spicy aroma. It first was only meant for Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, but now Cabernet Sauvignon takes advantage of this strain. The only drawback is its ineffectiveness in a high solid content.

Steinberg : A strain developed in Germany. Like Pasteur white, Steinberg is used for white wine fermentation because it yields a lengthy fermentation process. It even tolerates the cold better than Pasteur white. Johannesburg Riesling, Gewerztraminer, Chenin Blanc and Muscat all use this strain. It gives off a tropical fruit aroma and is best used in stainless steel fermenting.

Just my 2 cents worth.
Regards, GF.

I always use Red Star Montrachet for my cider, so I have absolutely nothing to add to this conversation.

I'm going to try 4 yeasts with my first go at cider...

• Windsor British Style (Beer)
• Safale S-04
• Safale US-05
• Wyeast 3184 (Sweet Mead)

I don't want a dry cider. I want good apple flavor. I have no idea what I'm doing, so who knows what I'll end up with!

Wish me luck!

I've only used ale yeast in my ciders. I always use a healthy amount of nutrients as well.

The one's I've tried have been the following in a personal taste rating from least favorite to most:
Windsor ale yeast
S04
s05
nottingham
3711 saison yeast (liquid yest)
Belle saison (my favorite)

I greatly prefer the two saison yeasts, they add a slight complexity and leave a bit of apple flavor and seem to add a little body that the others lack. They generally ferment hard and fast, and don't mind warm temps (perfect for room temp or even hotter, no big deal to these guys). Ferment down to 1.003~ in just a couple days. I usually let it sit on the yeast for another week or two, just to finish up cleanly and then cold crash for a couple days (works wonders on the light and fluffy sediment cider produces).


Another yeast I'm looking forward to trying out is the one used in BOMM mead recipes, wlp 1388.

I wouldnt have thought the Pasteur Red would be number one on your list .. I just passed it up on my latest batch because I thought it was Montrachet until I turned it over to read the packaging. So instead I pitched a 1/4 Cotes Des Blancs and 3/4 Montrachet that I had left over in lieu of using the full package of Pasteur Red .... next time I will give it a try.

Thanks,