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I used this yeast last year on several batches and liked the results. I kicked each batch off at about 65 deg then immediately moved it to a cellar at 45 deg to slow it down. About 3 months later it had worked its way down to 1.015 from 1.060. Very satisfying result with full flavor.

I'm pressing this morning and the must is pretty cloudy. I measured an SG of 1.0625 with my hydrometer and 1.056 with my refractometer.

The density of apple juice is a function of everything that is in solution, not just sugar. Clear fruit juice is less dense than cloudy juice. You will get more accurate results with a refractometer before you start fermenting. The refractometer becomes less accurate as the alcohol content of...

Give it another month and it will probably clear. Gelatin and other fining agents will strip some color and flavor so you might sacrifice flavor for cosmetics. Nothing wrong with drinking cloudy cider. If you do use gelatin, be sure you get it from a wine supply store. Buy some kieselsol to...

In June I had 70 gal on hand that I pressed in 2015 and fermented over the winter. Now that bottling the '15 harvest is over, I'm ready to press again next month. I figure my 731 lbs of apples on hand will make just about 50 gal which should be fermenting by Dec 1 and ready to bottle next...

Jolicoeur's book indicates 2.4 atmospheres would be at the top end of Petilant (pg 272).

I had an Etekcity pH meter and quickly found it to be a POS as well. With the advice of my son who is a chemist, I upgraded to a temperature compensated Hanna Instruments meter, bought buffered reference solutions of pH 4, 7, and 10, and storage, and cleaning solutions. I now get consistent...

Pectic enzyme deteriorates with age. Refrigeration between seasons is essential. Even under those conditions, you would up your dose by 20% to get the same effect as fresh pectinase. Gelatin will probably clear your cider but it will also strip color and flavor (removal of tannins). If you...

Manzanita cider! Whodathunkit? I'm guessing that there is not a lot of experience with this unless prisoners in SoCal are using it to make Pruno. So here is my take on your issues. First, even though your beverage is not strongly carbonated, it still has CO2 in solution. Grinding up tablets...

That's right, by expelling the lees from a clear cider that has completed secondary fermentation in the bottle the added sugar will sweeten the cider without fermenting and raising the pressure. I can be pretty confident that nearly all of the yeast is dead and any live yeast cells are embedded...

Sounds like everything is going well now. Every batch is a learning experience. Free apples are good. The Granny's may have had a bit of pectin in them. There is a simple test. Mix a little of your must with rubbing alcohol in a small narrow glass or test tube. Any pectin will form...

Hi Kiwi-brew, I settled on 3 atmospheres because it is just enough to reliably expel the frozen plug but leave some carbonation. Three atmospheres probably drops to two atmospheres when you get the cap back on your bottle. Some loss of cider and CO2 are inevitable and can vary widely from...

I just finished a cider using a champagne like technique. The original must was a mix of local apples picked from neighborhood yards. It was fermented to a FG of 1.002 over the winter at about 45 deg. At bottling, I added 25 ppm sulfite, champagne yeast, and 12g/l dextrose to a five gallon...

Was the clarity of your pressed juice different from the jug of farm pressed juice? Did the cloudy layer develop when you blended them? Was the farm pressed juice as sour as your home pressed juice? The apples you pressed could be more sour than your previous apples because they are more...

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Nice test bottle Maylar! I suspect your seal is more reliable than mine. I appreciate your detailed materials list. I will make one or two of these and try them out. When I first started this I thought it was better to be able to use one gauge on numerous bottles with valves since I have 70...

I'm sure that will help. Reducing the temperature reduces the pressure. Thanks for reading and responding to my post.

I just joined the forum and see numerous questions regarding carbonation issues when bottling. I faced this issue when I first started and got the idea for a means of monitoring the pressure inside my bottles somewhere on the web but I don't remember where. In any case here are two variations on...

A leg of mutton was used to provide the nitrogen that yeast needs in addition to sugar. We're not cavemen anymore so we use DAP or some other chemical yeast nutrient.

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