oljimmy
Well-Known Member
Hi All,
I've read through the stickies on cider yeast and various experiments, and the problem I have is that my taste in cider differs dramatically from the ordinary American's taste. I'm addicted to dry, flat, appley ciders, not sugary or fizzy ones like (shudder) Woodchuck or Strongbow (west country name: "Wrongbow").
Here's the current plan: I'm getting 5 gals of pasteurized juice from a Rhode Island orchard and 5 campden tablets. I'm gonna add some tannin to bring the juice closer to the bittersharp apple varieties found in Somerset. Then I'm gonna bottle and cold crash it around 1.004-ish, maybe aiming for around 7% abv, and wait 2-3 months.
The major question I have is the yeast. There are many yeast varieties, but the experimenters on here tend to say things like "I liked this one better", which doesn't really help because you don't know what sort of cider they prefer. So, can anyone from the West Country, or anyone familiar with a proper westcountry cider, recommend a yeast variety? I'm considering Wp775, Safale-04, Red Star Premier Cuvee and regular old EC1118, and I can't find any info on which of these is best for this particular type of cider.
Also, any other tips on aiming for this type of cider in particular are much appreciated.
I've read through the stickies on cider yeast and various experiments, and the problem I have is that my taste in cider differs dramatically from the ordinary American's taste. I'm addicted to dry, flat, appley ciders, not sugary or fizzy ones like (shudder) Woodchuck or Strongbow (west country name: "Wrongbow").
Here's the current plan: I'm getting 5 gals of pasteurized juice from a Rhode Island orchard and 5 campden tablets. I'm gonna add some tannin to bring the juice closer to the bittersharp apple varieties found in Somerset. Then I'm gonna bottle and cold crash it around 1.004-ish, maybe aiming for around 7% abv, and wait 2-3 months.
The major question I have is the yeast. There are many yeast varieties, but the experimenters on here tend to say things like "I liked this one better", which doesn't really help because you don't know what sort of cider they prefer. So, can anyone from the West Country, or anyone familiar with a proper westcountry cider, recommend a yeast variety? I'm considering Wp775, Safale-04, Red Star Premier Cuvee and regular old EC1118, and I can't find any info on which of these is best for this particular type of cider.
Also, any other tips on aiming for this type of cider in particular are much appreciated.