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I've heard the fishing is usually best on the days right before and after a full moon, so it makes sense to me. Any time the fishing is slow, it's bottling day.

Next time I would add pectic enzyme before fermentation. Don't think it will be as effective now, but you can try. There may be other fining agents you can use, but I don't have any experience with them and have never bothered to use them. I would try cold crashing again, but it may need longer...

Sure, you can air layer trees, but I think grafting is the preferred method of cloning. Rootstocks are specifically chosen for their disease resistance and more often than not, will have a dwarfing effect, resulting in trees of smaller, more manageable size.

Not sure how well some yeasts would ferment together in the same vessel, but it is worth a try. If it were me, I would do separate trial batches with different yeasts and taste them after fermentation is complete to see how they taste, then try blending the separate batches together in different...

I did a batch both 2019 and 2020 using Premier Cuvee champagne yeast. 2019 I did it in the fall inside my house and the temperature was probably around 72 F. 2020 batch was fermented inside my garage in winter, which probably averaged 52 F, and left it there for over a month before I didn't...

No experience making cider with WLP648, but would be interesting to hear how it turns out. What temperature are you fermenting at? Google says WLP648 should be 70-85 degrees F. Maybe move it somewhere warmer?

Tell your cousin Eddie it is Skeeter Pee. If you want to impress your more sophisticated friends, say it is lemon wine, or maybe vino de limón if you want it to sound more exotic or something.

A little bit of oxygen is inevitable, but here are some tips from my experience. Use small samples to taste and figure out your desired blend ratios beforehand and have a plan, that way you don't end up leaving it sitting out or in half full containers for too long. Don't pour it together. Blend...

Never had any myself, but what I've heard most say is they're storing apples. Flavor peaks after at least 30 days in storage, not that great right off the tree. Not sure how much that transfers to cider, but I think I'd store them for a while before pressing. Otherwise yeah, unless you can go...

My stayman tree was the only one that had apples this year due to a late spring freeze and mine were about the same with a refractometer. I wouldn't add water to the juice though, ferment it first and see how it turns out, then worry about the abv... after you've drank a few...

Curious if you have used Harrison before to confirm its status as a bittersweet? Most descriptions I see of it just say something like dark viscous juice or something. Cummins nursery places it in the bittersweet category, but then I look at WSU cultivar database and their data would classify it...

Are you using only two from the list or will you be blending them with other apples/juice? I would definitely use Harrison. Some say it is the best of the American cider apples. I have a young Harrison tree myself but it will be a few more years before it starts fruiting, but I understand it is...

Right, I don't really know that either, but I would expect to see some change in a total acidity test before and after MLF. That is my hypothesis, anyway. Don't know for sure, but at least I think ph would change. I have a ph meter, maybe I will check when I get around to making cider this year...

There are tests specifically designed for MLF. They are usually used by winemakers, but I don't see why they wouldn't work with cider. Some tell you malic acid levels with test strip, so you would expect to see it decrease over time. Chromatography tests might show spots on a test paper that...

Well, MLF is usually slower than primary fermentation, but you may be able to see tiny bubbles rising in the cider if you look closely. Not sure if it is enough for airlock activity or not. But I think the only sure way to know would be to take samples and do some kind of malic acid test. I have...

Don't overthink it. And don't be afraid to blend different batches together before bottling. You can take small samples of each and taste and mix. It's part of the fun. If some comes out too sharp, let it age and it may become much better later. Some people don't drink last year's cider till...

Lucky to have so many different cider apples available to you without having to grow them yourself! Depending on how many fermenters you have and how much juice you end up with, I'd try fermenting them all as single varietals so you can see what each apple contributes and then blend from there...

I have never added anything when drying fruit as the process itself actually preserves them, no Camden tablets should be necessary. But I read somewhere that Camden tablets were originally developed for this purpose actually, so I don't see why it wouldn't work. No idea how much is needed. I...

I don't know much about pixie crunch apples and how they would do in cider, but wouldn't hurt to try. Might end up liking it. But most really good ciders are a blend of apples. Not many are really great on their own, but there are a few. Do your apples have a lot of sugar? If so, might make a...

A little different from what you are thinking, but Big fish cider co makes a cider called "fireside" where they boil the juice down a bit over a fire to concentrate it before fermenting for a product that sounds similar to ice cider. Never tried it so let us know how it tastes if you do.