Clear Vs. Cloudy

Problem: I have had some trouble getting my cider to "clear".

I've tried multiple rackings and aging.

Someone in a local brew shop said: "...because your cider was pasteurized it will NEVER clear."

Is that a true statement, or will pasteurized ciders clear as well?

Thanks for any input/advice.

I brew with pasteurized juice all the time, and it clears as long as I remember to put in pectic enzyme. The one time I forgot, there was no clearing it.

ByCandleLightWinery said:

I brew with pasteurized juice all the time, and it clears as long as I remember to put in pectic enzyme. The one time I forgot, there was no clearing it.

Click to expand...

Ahhh, so that's the secret. Thank you for responding so quickly and enlightening me on the subject. I'll be out tomorrow to purchase a bottle.

It is a powder, not a liquid. Also, you may not have very good luck adding it this late in the game. It is one of those things that you add 12 hours before the yeast. I wrote a blog about it here: http://bycandlelightwinery.blogspot.com/2009/12/adding-pectic-enzyme.html

It also comes as a liquid.

My test batches that I did w/ wholefoods apple juice all cleared after time. My big batches were with unpast. cider and they also all cleared well, they were cold crashed however

It also depends on the pasteurization method. Heat will set pectins if the temperature is raised high enough, but some places will now UV pasteurize. I've never heard of UV pasteurized juice having pectin haze. Aside from using enzyme you can also use clarifiers like Sparkolloid, Super Clear KC, etc.

Also, don't use the carboy as a judge for clarity. Pour some into a glass and look through it.

sethga said:

My test batches that I did w/ wholefoods apple juice all cleared after time. My big batches were with unpast. cider and they also all cleared well, they were cold crashed however

Click to expand...

Whole Foods is exactly what I've been using. Get a glass jug out of the deal. Not the most ideal blend for cider, but it works.

Most ciders I've made out turn out real cloudy, but I didn't really worry about it, they still tasted OK. I have no trouble in getting a beer to clear up, but the cider is stubborn.

ByCandleLightWinery said:

Whole Foods is exactly what I've been using. Get a glass jug out of the deal. Not the most ideal blend for cider, but it works.

Click to expand...

Ok then.. I did not cold crash the whole foods juice, they just sat -- time is your friend, they will clear

This was just juice (tree top, which I'm pretty sure is pastuerized) and S-04 yeast.

The only cider I ever had that was stubbornly cloudy was graff.

skyzo said:

Most ciders I've made out turn out real cloudy, but I didn't really worry about it, they still tasted OK. I have no trouble in getting a beer to clear up, but the cider is stubborn.

Click to expand...

If I remember to put in enzyme, it clears. I've read some books talking about how Americans are finicky about clear cider and that scrumpy doesn't do so well. Those same books also indicate that the taste really doesn't change. I wouldn't worry.