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are you doing a sweet or dry cider? Dry ciders really benefit from aging so I use a glass only system. There is just to much risk on my investment to do otherwise. I would cry if it came spring and my cider tasted like cardboard because I put it in a big pop bottle. If you were doing a...

Did you use acid blend? Did you sulphate? You may have used to much and that can give a sour taste. If you didn't i couldn't rule out an infection. The plastic carboys certainly don't help but I'm not sure that it would give a sour taste. If you used glass you maybe could have spotted an...

What kinda juice do you use? I have fought a sour note in my cider. I'm going to pay more attention to ripeness and ph this fall.

I enjoy everything you post but have to respectfully disagree with that. I love my bone dry cider more than anything I've made or tried. That being said I'd pay to sit in on one of your parties. OP. It impossible for you to get good advice like this. Nobody could tell you how to make good...

I press as they become ready. You get feel for when the need to be pressed. Some need to be pressed right away others have to wait and ripen a long time. Then I blend it all in the spring. It's quite common.

I would not put in more than 20% of Macintosh or red or gold delicious or anything similar, I also don't put more than 10 - 15% of granny smith. The more kind of apples you can put in the mix the the better I say. It looks like you have lots of choices. Shop around and get a good deal. Get...

Sash, I have no land, if I did I would take grafts from several trees around here.

It's the only yeast I've ever used and I have found no reasons to change. I also cannot compare it to another yeast. There is lots of debate on racking cider and I think it is yeast dependant, I never rack unless I'm dropping fresh juice onto a yeast cake, which works just fine also, no need...

This is all very good advice, the quality of your end product depends more on your juice than anything else. If you don't have true cider apples (which I will probably never see) crabs can make all the difference. My favorite crab tree bears 2 inch fruit with red flesh which (most impotantly)...

It really does depend on the type of crab. I would say a minimum of 10% for the most astringent varieties. I put in ~21% last year and would love it if I could hit 30% this fall.

I have had the same issues myself with the same circumstances. It seams as though a good mixing is just not enough. We mixed our 35 gallon batchs several times during bottling and still managed to make a few bombs. I like lots of fizz in much cider and I push it to close the edge of safety...

Nice write up on clairifiers. Just to pass on what I have found is that crab Apple juice clears really fast,,,, like before I add the yeast the next day after I sulphate it can be perfectly clear. I have had a few carboys that got agitated and refused to clear over the winter, come bottling day...

After I pour off the bottle I drink the lees from it. It tastes great, like the most intense Apple experience you can get.

i use this yeast for all my cider and it really doesnt make a lot of noise till you have a big yeast cake.it really doesnt like suphites and lags because of it. if it dont start in a day or 2 bring it upstairs and let it get warm. it only needs to be warm to get the fermentation going, after...

i think it probably depends on the yeast, i use white labs english cider yeast and never rack if i can help it. its just to much work, you risk infection/oxidation and the lees tastes really good. ill rack fresh juice onto the lees of a finished one, let them sit side by side all winter and cant...

i will only prime with apple juice concentrate. it ferments quickly, it adds flavor, its cheap, it never contains preservatives, and since its made in a factory its is as sterile as it needs to be.

instead of using sugar or honey to raise the sugars just use frozen apple concentrate and use it for priming too. if your already pressing apples you might as well press some crabapples if you want more flavor, just be judicious as it could make you pucker. and your cider doesnt need to be that...

ill second the apple juice concentrate in place of any other sugars. i wouldn't use anything else for priming.

sulphiting it will keep it good for longer than a week. i know from experience.

your fine, neither are required. ive never used a pectic enzyme and most here dont like sulphates.