Bottle Conditioning with S-04

[Lammyrock]

I've used S-04 for my last two batches of cider. I like the flavor I'm getting and it seems to be stopping around 1.016-1.018.

I added plain sugar to the cider in order to condition (raised sugar level .03) but I'm getting little to no "fizz." My sugar levels are not changing much after two weeks of conditioning.

I've used champagne yeasts that have conditioned well (but they strip all the flavor too -in my opinion). So, what am I doing wrong? Or do ale yeasts have too low of an attenuation level to condition?

Thanks,

 

[jerrodm]

No it should be fine. Give it a little longer. What temp are you storing the bottles at? I've noticed that S-04 tends to slow way down for me below about 60F, so if your cellar or beer closet gets colder than that it might take a while before their properly conditioned. But they'll get there eventually.

 

[zachattack]

I'll say give it a LOT longer, not a little longer. Depending on the ABV and temperature, ciders can take 3-6 months to carb. Because cider is always better with some age on it, this is a good thing, it forces you to let it age!

 

[jerrodm]

I'll say give it a LOT longer, not a little longer. Depending on the ABV and temperature, ciders can take 3-6 months to carb. Because cider is always better with some age on it, this is a good thing, it forces you to let it age!

That's a good point as well. I tend to drink my ciders as they start to carb up, but I also find that they're better about six months after fermenting...just hard to wait that long!

 

[zachattack]

Tell me about it. My first batch of cider took a good 3 months to carb (my house was on the cooler side). It tasted good, but another 5-7 months and it was fantastic. I just need to hide the bottles somewhere so I'm not tempted to drink them...

 

[Lammyrock]

Thanks this has been very helpful and informative. My house, during the winter, tends to hover around 60 (I like the cold). I will just have to leave it in my basement (where it's usually warmer in the winter) for a while.

 

[Psych]

How are your ciders stopping at 1.016? I've never had a cider (anything with 70% or more pure store bought apple juice) stop above 1.000...that's in maybe 5-6 batches of cider, so not a huge sample, but...it's all sugar.

I'd be interested to see your 'grainbill' of sorts for a cider you've done, I'd like to get a sweeter cider going without backsweetening or stopping the yeast purposefully.

 

[Lammyrock]

Psych,
Yeah, I thought this was strange at first too. Perhaps it's old yeast or just cold conditions (as I mentioned earlier, I keep my house pretty cool).
My reciepe is pretty simple. Store bought cider (from a local orchard) and enough light brown sugar to raise the content up to 1.06 (and once 1.07, but they both stopped at around the same point).