NOOB WARNING - Need basic cider help

[DD2000GT]

I am a 15 year all-grain beer homebrewer - so I know all the basics. However, SWMBO does not like beer at all. She does have a fondness for Pear Cider though. She likes the Woodchucks Pear Cider she discovered. I would like to make her a batch knowing full well my first tries will not be the best

I am not looking to make 5 gallons or anything, she does not drink that much, I would like to see if I could make like a 2 liter bottle to try my hand. Remember - I know NOTHING about making wine/cider - but know a lot about fermentation/sanitation/etc. In my simplistic mind I figure why can't you buy some pear juice, add some yeast, and poof - pear cider. Now, I am also smart enough to know it probably is not quite that easy.

With that in mind - I am open to any pointers on how to make a batch this small and any suggestions from you pros on where I could improve my chances of reasonable success such as what type of yeast works best, fermentation methods, time frames, ect.

Come on all you pros - help a fellow brewer out here.

Thanks guys,
Dan

 

[jamesnsw]

Biggest issue is keeping it sweet & carbonated. If you have a kegging set up, this isn't hard- just kill off the yeast & carb when it's the right sweetness, or let it ferment, kill the yeast, and backsweeten. But if you bottle, you'll need to add an unfermentable sugar if you want it sweet.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Pear juice ain't cheap & is often hard to find, here's a source: http://www.knudsenjuice.com/products/organic_juices/organic_pear
I think I'd use either 71B-1112 or D-47 yeast, or maybe Montrachet. Regards, GF.

 

[DD2000GT]

Thanks guys. I ordered the suggested yeast, but what is a good unfermentable sugar to use?

Also, can this be done in a two liter bottle or something similar. I do have a cornelius keg setup - but would hate to use that much CO2 for such a small amount in a 5 gallon keg...

 

[Sk84BeeR]

For unfermentable a lot of people use Lactose or Splenda

Yes a 2-Liter works just fine

-You CAN use a fermentable sugar if you don't bottle (keg or still) I just wrote a thread about using apple juice concentrate to backsweeten. If you use a fermentable to backsweeten you'll just need to add campden and sorbate beforehand for safety. This could be a good route for you to get that Pear flavor.

Interesting tidbit: I serve guests still cider quite a bit and they LOVE it. Do that with beer and they'd puke. With a sweet drink, people tend to care less about carbonation.