Apple Wine Racked off Secondary--Blech!

I'm trying to make some of the hard cider/apple wine my papaw did so well, but I think I'm missing something important.

I'm using a recipe for sparkling apple wine (from "Mary's Recipes" by Jerry Utheman). Potential alcohol was around 9%.

The flavor out of the primary was wonderful: great apple taste, cidery and a bit alcoholic, but sweet and still full of breadlike flavors from the yeast.

Left that in the secondary until s.g. dropped to 1.000, then racked off to clarify. Tasted a bit, and this was more like alcoholic gourmet rubber with notes of butt sweat and sawdust.

I doubt this was contamination, as I was using EC1118 yeast, and was neurotic about sanitation. Is this *supposed* to taste like this at this stage? Did something go dreadfully wrong? Do I start over, or let it clarify and see what happens?

Start over and use my Apfelwein recipe. Just click on one of my links below and join the elite Afpfelwein club.

Velifer said:

I doubt this was contamination, as I was using EC1118 yeast, and was neurotic about sanitation. Is this *supposed* to taste like this at this stage? Did something go dreadfully wrong? Do I start over, or let it clarify and see what happens?

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I've heard this before about EC1118. Let it sit for awhile off the yeast from the secondary. In a 3rd fermenter. Try it in a month or so.

If you have the extra carboy make Ed's recipe.

BTW - Prior to this, when was the last time you tasted buttsweat w/ sawdust? Stick to sugar sprinkles or frosting on donut holes!!

Velifer said:

Tasted a bit, and this was more like alcoholic gourmet rubber with notes of butt sweat and sawdust.

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LOL!!! Thanks for the coffee out the nose!!! I can't speak about the butt sweat and sawdust flavor, but I can tell you that when you feel the alcohol/sweetness is where you want it you can add some potassium sorbate to kill off the yeast and stop the fermentation at that point.

I've been told that when you sorbate a cider you should also add some K-meta (potassium metabisulfite), also known as campden to prevent a malic acid ferment. I'm not positive about this, but I'm sure that one of our wine/mead/cider experts will clarify what I said.

Hey, it's post number 999! You all know what that means!