First batch of cider - opinions wanted

[MandK]

Hi all.

We've brewed three batches of beer so far and have just started out first small batch of cider.

We are using 2 one gallon glass jugs of organic, pasteurized, no additives Apple juice. To each we added 1/4 cup honey to help bump up the resulting ABV. Our OG was around 1,055. To one jug we added 1/2 tsp Nottingham yeast, and to the other we added 1/2 tsp Lalvin EC-1118 yeast (both amounts then reconstituted).

We have been informed to try the cider throughout the fermentation process to see if more sweetener or yeast is needed.

We are also currently planning on not transferring it to a secondary fermenter. And have been told that once we are happy with the product to cold crash it in order to stop the fermentation.

Opinions wanted on the amount of yeast and sweetener used/adviced to use in one gallon cider (we would like a final to be on the drier side with an ABV of 6%).

Also, what is the best/safest way to prime and carbonate the cider in bottles?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Yooper]

Cold crashing is not a reliable way to stop fermentation, especially with EC1118 yeast. It might work, but might not.

There tends to be a lot of lees in primary, so I always transfer when the lees are 1/4" thick or more, but if you don't have a problem with a flavor impact then you don't have to transfer of course.

The amount is sweetener is really a matter of personal taste. I don't have a a sweet tooth at all, so I might find something cloyingly sweet that you don't find sweet at all. It's easiest to sweeten in the glass, and when you find a level you like, take the SG of that sample and then sweeten the whole batch to that SG.

A huge issue will occur with trying to carbonate a sweet batch of cider. The yeast don't know when to quit, as sugar is sugar to them. If you want to have a sweetened carbonated cider, it's important to pasteurize at the right time. There is a "sticky" thread for the how to on that.