Cider and Cyser not clearing

[1GallonNoob]

Hi Forum,

A little advice is appreciated here.

I have two 1 gallon batches that have been in the secondary for 4-5 months without clearing.

Both based on cloudy store bought cider. One is just adjusted with a bit of brown sugar, the other with 400g honey and some gooseberry juice to make a gooseberry cyser.
When it was still cold in Denmark, I tried to put them outside for a few hours a couple of times to see if that would cold chrash them, but it didn't help. I don't have a fridge with space for indoor cold chrashing, and didn't want to leave them overnight out of fear for freezing. Now spring has arrived and using outdooors for a fridge is out of the question.

I dont really need the result to be clear, I just dont want them to clear after bottling and have the residue float around in the bottle like it happened last year.
I guess I can leave them for a few extra months, but I also want to bottle carbonate it - so I want some yeast to be alive.

What would you do?
- Buy a clearing agent now?
- Give it 1-2 months more, then add clearing agents if not cleared - so the yeast is still a live and I can have them carbonated for summer consumption as planned.
- Leave it for as long as it takes and bottle, counting on the yeast to be alive for bottle carbonation?
- Give up on carbonation?
- Add new yeast for carbonation? And can I be sure the new yeast will have the same appetite as the old, so I am sure the measured priming sugar will be correct?

Thanks!

 

[ncguire]

Next time I would add pectic enzyme before fermentation. Don't think it will be as effective now, but you can try. There may be other fining agents you can use, but I don't have any experience with them and have never bothered to use them. I would try cold crashing again, but it may need longer than just a few hours, more like 24 hours. If it is too warm outside and you have no room in the fridge, maybe you can make an ice bath in your sink or a cooler and let the jugs sit in there? Otherwise, some ciders just never fully clear... And if you are bottle carbing you are going to have residue in the bottom anyway, just let it settle and pour carefully, leaving the dregs on the bottom with the last ounce or two of cider if necessary.

 

[1GallonNoob]

Thanks for the reply.

To be honest, I forgot to write a log on the two batches. So I don't remember 100% if I added pectic enzyme, and I am not sure If I racked them in October or November. But I cant imagine that I didn't add pectic enzyme to at least one of the batches, since I have it available.

The batch I made from my neighbours spare apples cleared up nicely after just a few months. It has residue, but heavy compacted residue that doesn't swirl around but stays in the bottom. Last year I experienced the same: The Cider made from home-juiced apples cleared up nicely, the one from store-bought juice didn't. I lost patience and bottled the cloudy cider, only to discover that it cleared up in the bottle, leaving light residue that swirls around. I don't want that to happen again.

I could try the ice bath, but I will see if there are other suggestions out there.

 

[DaveC73]

Have you tried degassing? I've found that dissolved CO2 can keep yeast/solids in suspension for a long, long time. Sometimes gently rocking those 1 gallon jugs is enough.

 

[1GallonNoob]

I was not aware of this procedure, I am definately going to try this!

Considering how soon after bottling last years batch cleared up, it might have been the siphoning degassing it that triggered it.

I just tried to rock the jugs, a lot of gas was released. Now Ill give it a few weeks and see if it helped!

Thanks!

 

[DaveC73]

Could also be that the yeast is just taking it's sweet time to do the job as well. I'm currently doing some yeast trials (M02, S04, D47 and Nottingham) to see which I like the best. All were racked into secondary on Dec 19, 2020. After about 3 weeks, the M02 was crystal clear while the rest were still milky/cloudy. Once or twice a week I give them a swirl and lots of bubble come out, indicating to me that the fermentation is still active. Only last week did the D47 stop giving bubbles so now I'm going to stop swirling that one and let it settle. The S04 and Nott are still chugging away, only bubbling when I swirl the jug.

 

[CKuhns]

From experience - Pectin Enzyme will most often work (Not always) even after fermentation is complete. I do add a little more than required just to help. Probably doesn't make a difference but makes me feel better. Give it 3 - 5 days and cold crash if you can.

 

[Maylar]

For ciders I use pectic enzyme in primary and it works very well. You can add it afterward but it takes longer.
Honey haze is tough though. With a cyser (apples and honey) The pectic enzyme works on the pectins but not on the honey. And bentonite works on honey but not on pectin. And you can't use both together. So usually I'll use the enzyme in primary then Super Kleer afterward for the honey.