Thunder_Chicken
Well-Known Member
I've read a bunch of cider posts where people have talked about ciders "throwing lees". My understanding is that "the lees" are the various solids produced by the fermentation and flocculating yeasts that form sediment at the bottom of the fermenter (i.e. similar to trub in beer).
But I have read people say that bottling cider too soon after primary fermentation ends is bad as the cider will "throw lees" and cause lots of sediment in the bottle. Is this analagous to the bit of suspended yeast in beer falling out of suspension after carbonation, or is this some special/weird cider thing?
I'm normally a beer brewer, and my instinct is to ferment cider like beer, perhaps with a longer primary that I will monitor with gravity readings, but otherwise the same general routine and issues. I don't secondary but I do tend to let my primaries sit for several weeks well after fermentation has ended and have been getting nice clear beers. I have a batch of filtered apple juice and Nottingham going now.
But I have read people say that bottling cider too soon after primary fermentation ends is bad as the cider will "throw lees" and cause lots of sediment in the bottle. Is this analagous to the bit of suspended yeast in beer falling out of suspension after carbonation, or is this some special/weird cider thing?
I'm normally a beer brewer, and my instinct is to ferment cider like beer, perhaps with a longer primary that I will monitor with gravity readings, but otherwise the same general routine and issues. I don't secondary but I do tend to let my primaries sit for several weeks well after fermentation has ended and have been getting nice clear beers. I have a batch of filtered apple juice and Nottingham going now.