Hello,
I've read quite a bit about the process and am aware of most differences, which is why I am buying 5 gallons of preservative free apple cider UV-pasteurized. I'm planning on taking 2 gallons each and using nottingham with one and safcider with the other to see how they compare. As usual, I'm looking for a sweeter cider. As long as it isn't Apfelwein dry, I'll be happy (still figuring out if I actually like it-it's growing on me). The other gallon will use the wild yeast present. I'm curious to see how it'll go. I've read the cider experimentation post. Please don't direct me to it. I'm more curious about this:
1. Should I use sulfates before I ferment? and after? There seems to be great disparity on this. If I can go without and not result in vinegar a year later, I'd prefer not to. I'm especially curious about the wild fermented one. Will it be okay if I let it be and bottle? I mean; it is UV-past, right? That should kill all bacterial. As long as I don't neglect my sanitation, I'm golden?
2. I plan on tasting the resulting hard cider and see how I like em. If they stop sweet enough, I'll naturally bottle carb it, if not, I'll sulfate/sorbate then backsweeten. What are your thoughts on this approach? Backsweeten with frozen concentrate is most typical?
3. acetobacter needs oxygen to vinegar ferment, so even if there's a tiny bit in once I bottle, it'll be a mostly anaerobic environment, so it'll maybe vinegar ferment it a bit then stop and it'll be mostly contained in the instance that there's some in there, right?
I like to use sulfates as a tool, but to avoid it as much as possible.
I've read quite a bit about the process and am aware of most differences, which is why I am buying 5 gallons of preservative free apple cider UV-pasteurized. I'm planning on taking 2 gallons each and using nottingham with one and safcider with the other to see how they compare. As usual, I'm looking for a sweeter cider. As long as it isn't Apfelwein dry, I'll be happy (still figuring out if I actually like it-it's growing on me). The other gallon will use the wild yeast present. I'm curious to see how it'll go. I've read the cider experimentation post. Please don't direct me to it. I'm more curious about this:
1. Should I use sulfates before I ferment? and after? There seems to be great disparity on this. If I can go without and not result in vinegar a year later, I'd prefer not to. I'm especially curious about the wild fermented one. Will it be okay if I let it be and bottle? I mean; it is UV-past, right? That should kill all bacterial. As long as I don't neglect my sanitation, I'm golden?
2. I plan on tasting the resulting hard cider and see how I like em. If they stop sweet enough, I'll naturally bottle carb it, if not, I'll sulfate/sorbate then backsweeten. What are your thoughts on this approach? Backsweeten with frozen concentrate is most typical?
3. acetobacter needs oxygen to vinegar ferment, so even if there's a tiny bit in once I bottle, it'll be a mostly anaerobic environment, so it'll maybe vinegar ferment it a bit then stop and it'll be mostly contained in the instance that there's some in there, right?
I like to use sulfates as a tool, but to avoid it as much as possible.