Clarify Cider AND Natural Bottle carbination?

[bwittman]

I currently have 10 gallons of cider bubbling away in the basement. It's very very cloudy, said the farmer "best color i've seen in years". I'm wondering if it's possible to use a fining agent and not strip so much yeast that i won't be able to carbonate in the bottle? Or do I have to just wait patiently and hope that everything in suspension falls out? I'm a noob and would love the help. Thanks guys!

 

[GinKings]

My suggestion would be to wait patiently. If it doesn't clarify in a few months, then start considering a fining agent.

 

[Kula]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/results-juice-yeast-sugar-experiments-83060/index42.html

check out the above thread, the entire thing should be required reading for new cider makers, like myself, but the last page in particular explores the option of using certain cold crash resistant yeast strains before bottling. The idea is that once your brew gets close to your target gravity (before all the sugar has run out) rack it and move it into a cold spot, like a fridge. This will help it clear. Once cleared, bottle. Hopefully, a bit of the yeast will have remained in suspension and will carbonate your cider with the residual sugars.

I think this is possible but might be tricky. You could still end up with bottle bombs (maybe stove top pasteurize after to be sure) Or, you might drop so much yeast that there's nothing left to create carbonation.

I'm moving on to this technique myself. But check out the thread, there's a lot of good stuff in there!

 

[bwittman]

Thanks for the responses!

My main concern now is i want a lighter Normandy style of cider. Being a first timer I didn't want to mess around with keeving so after talking with the guys at my LHBS, the recommended using Redstar Cotes Des Blanc yeast which they said will preserve much of the apple flavors. it's fermenting in two 5 gallon car boys and i don't have any fridge space to cold crash them. From my readings on the forum it seems like I should have thrown the pectin additive in there to help clear it as well. The juice I used was straight off the press from a local orchard and very very very cloudy.

How cold and for how long do you have to cold crash to help pull the yeast out of suspension? I was the HUGE thread on stove top pasteurization and there is a great deal of knowledge in there but I’m afraid since it will be bottled in champagne bottles that it will really cook the flavor.

It really is starting to taste great I just don’t want it to go too far past where I want the residual sugars to be waiting for it to clarify.

 

[Mr_fleabite]

If you didn't boil the cider you don't really need to worry about pectin. I was going to suggest that you leave the cider outside if you want to try to cold crash, but then I saw you were in CA and it's probably not cold enough at night...

So you could try an ice bath in your tub/sink/camping cooler. Temps below 40 will start to clarify but the lower the temp the less solids can be held in suspension. If the taste is where you want it cold crash with an ice bath (12, 24, 48 hrs just use your eye). Crush 5 camden tablets in a secondary, siphon from primary to secondary avoid the lees/crud of course.

If that’s still not were you want it after it's in the secondary, you could try another cold crash for a longer period or use bentonite. Just note that clarifiers tend not only to clear it up they can strip out color, smell, and flavor. I'd use bentonite before going to something like "ployclar". If you use bentonite you'll need to let it sit for a week or more and it may make another lees type of layer at the bottom of you secondary depending on how cloudy it was after your cold crash.

You can also try a product called hydroclar 30 or 45, but I'm not sure if that’s on the homebrew market or how expensive it is (you wouldn't need much). I'd avoid any clarifying carbons at all costs they will strip the cider for sure.

IMHO go for the cold crash (use your tub and a lot of ice, like you've just stolen someone's organs), but don't sweat it, clarifying agents waste valuable drinking time. Cheers

 

[bwittman]

yea... it's "freezing cold" out here in the 40s.

Sounds like cold crashing is the way to go. we're going to try to bring them over to the walk-in at my roomie's restaurant. If we cold crash it and rack it twice, will there be enough yeast left to bottle carb? or would we have to add yeast + priming sugar to get them to kick? I'm assuming that stove top pasteurization is going to be a must to stop the bottle bomb effect.

another n00b question. I want to bottle in champagne bottles, i have to test carbonation with champagne bottles as the carbonation would be different if I test with a smaller bottle, correct?

Thanks again for the help guys, this forum has been a great resource.