Feedback on first hard cider

[hvjackson]

Just pitched the yeast on my first cider and was hoping I could get some feedback on my process:

Picked about 350 apples from my front yard. Varietal unknown but I think probably Cortland.

Pressed into 5.5 gallons of juice, 10.6 brix (1.043 OG)


@ time=0hr:

• 1/4 rounded tsp potassium metabisulfate

@ time=18hr:

• 2.75 tsp pectic enzyme

@ time=28 hr:

• 5.5g yeast nutrient
• 1 tsp yeast energizer
• 1 drop anti-foaming agent (fermenter is pretty full)
• 60 seconds forced oxygen
• pitched 1 rehydrated packet S-04 at 62ºF

I plan on fermenting for about two weeks at 62 ºF, then raising to 70 ºF for another week.

I also have malic acid on hand and expect to add some after fermentation, since the Cortland (?) apples are pretty sweet.

Anything else I should do / not do at this point? Any tips on malic acid quantities? Anything for next time??

 

[JimRausch]

Looks like you have things well in hand. I've not added malic acid, so can't help you there. But you have plenty of time for an expert to chime in. Good Luck!

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Process sounds fine to me. I don't particularly care for s04 in cider, but it's a decent choice I just really like saison yeasts for cider.


Not sure on malic acid additions, I think the best advice you're going to get is add x amount then taste, then repeat as necessary.

I'm sure she'll see this eventually but calling @Yooper!

 

[hvjackson]

Thanks for your confirmation. I've done a ton of homebrew beer batches so I'm not really nervous, just trying to pay close attention on my first batch.

It's been about 24 hours since pitching the yeast and I'm seeing some airlock activity, although not as much as I would expect to see from a beer batch. Maybe it's the cool temp... I don't usually ferment in the low 60s but that seems to be the consensus for S-04. I've also heard that the K-meta can slow down the beginning of fermentation? And/or for beer I usually pitch a healthy-sized starter which gets things going real quick... I haven't used dry yeast in a few years.

Anyway, just gotta be patient I guess...

 

[z-bob]

I'm not so sure the yeast nutrient was a good idea. Do you want the cider bone dry, or a little sweetness left?

I'm drinking some 2 months in the bottle cider made with 71B yeast. Trying to pace myself because it is definitely getting better with age.

A batch of S04 cider is still in the fermenter. I've never used that yeast for cider before; no idea how it will turn out.

 

[nettekdl]

Process sounds fine to me. I don't particularly care for s04 in cider, but it's a decent choice I just really like saison yeasts for cider.


Not sure on malic acid additions, I think the best advice you're going to get is add x amount then taste, then repeat as necessary.

I'm sure she'll see this eventually but calling @Yooper!

I use s04 in most my ciders, it is very good and is far from a saison yeast. I followed this process for adding malic to my last honey crisp cider batch as it really is just to taste I feel.

 

[hvjackson]

I'm not so sure the yeast nutrient was a good idea. Do you want the cider bone dry, or a little sweetness left?

I guess I'm not sure the nutrient is a good idea either; I mostly did it because I always use it when making beer (although several how-to's and recipes say to add it). I seem to remember reading something about cider must not being as nutritious for yeast as beer wort, and therefore nutrients being a good idea. Now that you mention it I've done a little digging and there is a range of opinions about it.

As for the sweetness of the final product: since this is my first attempt I don't feel too strongly, but my favorite commercial ciders are medium to medium-dry. I still have a bunch of apples left that I could press and use to backsweeten at the end if the if it dried out too much, but I figure with an ale yeast it should be OK. For S-04 to get from 1.043 to 1.002 (the upper end of the BJCP definition of "dry" cider) would have to be 95% apparent attenuation.

 

[stella_tigre]

Cider can get down well below 1.000 since all is fermentable. Some ale yeasts will stop just above 1, but expecially with nutrients added you might have it get to 0.998 or less. Many ciderists don't add nutrients and deliberately go cool and slow.

 

[david_42]

Most of my ciders end up around 0.995. I like to use a K-series wine yeast without nutrient, but ciders are very forgiving. It's definitely easier to ferment out, kill the yeast and back-sweeten, than it is to try and stop the fermentation early.

 

[hvjackson]

OK interesting, I'll be really curious to see where the fermentation ends. It never occurred to me that an ale yeast might get close to 1.000 but I guess the sugars are different than in beer wort.

Fermentation is definitely going slow: temp has risen to 64 ºF with slow but steady airlock activity.

 

[SBC]

S04 generally ends around .998 for me from around 1.052 OG with no nutrients. I have used around 1 teaspoon of acid blend, but am switching to Malic Acid, since that is the acid in apples. That is for 5 gallon batches