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Heat pasturized. Most of my off-season ciders are blended with other fruit (typical 80/20 apple/other fruit), so the "cooked apple" flavor that some people talk about in regards to heat pasturization isn't an issue. I have also done some apple-only ciders using my pasturized juice, and while it...

I press more than I can ferment during the apple season and pasteurize/jar a bunch so that I can continue fermenting through the off season. I currently have about 80 gallons pasteurized, mostly in gallon jugs and 1/2 gallon mason jars. I expect this to last me through most of the off season...

Same for me. I do this for wild yeasts. For typical(cheap) commercial yeasts there isn't really any reason to reuse. For more expensive yeasts, this can allow you to propagate and keep it rather than having to buy more.

I wasn't saying it definitely does. I was saying that that the appearance of the pellicle that OP posted, especially in the second photo set, is very similar to the desirable pellicle that kombucha makers want, and therefore might be kombucha-like.

I suggest you take a look through the Kombucha section of the Forum. That looks a lot like what the Kombucha makers are trying to get on top of their creations. You may have accidentally brewed up an Alcoholic Kombucha-type beverage. Either way, I would say it does NOT look like mold. Mold is...

That MSDS is for undiluted Star-San. At actual usage dilution you can (practically) drink it. Those of you who are saying you are wary about using it will therefore never want to go to restaurants or bars, as star-san (and similar products) are used as no-rinse sanitizers on almost everything in...

You can toss it on the previous yeast cake and can end up with good results after doing so, but there is a lot of other stuff in that yeast cake besides yeast and can cause off flavors. It also often times is done by starting your new batch in a fermenter that has not been cleaned and sanitizied...

Ahh, the age-old question of how to get juice from apples without the use of a proper press or grinder. Freezing is a good first step. Once thawed the apples will start to leak juice right away, though you will still need further action to actually get the bulk of juice out of them. The lowest...

Typically acid is added before fermentation in order to ensure that the pH is in the proper range for desirable fermentation while preventing growth of other microbes and to achieve desired acidic profile in the finished product. Acid can be added post fermentation. At that point the first part...

Definitely a worthy investment. You can get a cheapy pH meter for around $20 (just be sure to replace the batteries when you get it. The cheap ones always seem to come with nearly dead batteries). There are a lot of apples that are acidic enough to begin with that they don't need any acid...

Another batch started: 13 Gallons Single Varietal Wild Ferment 1648+13=1661

I always forget to take a picture after pourng a glass, but I finally managed to remember. Its from last season's juice. It's a "Wild ferment recreation" using pasteurized single varietal juice, and pitched with yeast that was previously harvested from a wild ferment of that same varietal. Also...

I just bottled a batch of 100% Asian Perry. Currently bottle conditioning, so I haven't tried the finished product yet, but the taste test at bottling time was really nice. Light and refreshing. I little light on the flavor, but definitely quite nice on the palette. I did a Perry last year that...

After turning some Cider into Apple Jack (~35% ABV), I then made an Old Fashioned with it. It was quite good. Standard recipe, but with the Apple Jack instead of bourbon, and half the normal amount of simple syrup.

Standard three piece airlock. Temps definitely got down into the low 50s/high 40s. Around 15 degrees cooler than typical for this time of year. Just started a new batch of the same varietal. This time I am using seedling mats to bring up the temp. Hopefully that should remidy the problem.

Okay. The concensus has spoken. It's been dumped.

I'm definitively thinking about it and taking all suggestions and information into account. I will be very wary, and will be making careful consideration before any actual tasting. There is a good chance that I will end up dumping before tasting. I have also reached out to Sandor Katz, the Guru...

Hmmm, okay. That is definitively making me think twice.

Yeah, I do realize that. I put the chance that I will end up dumping it at around 80%, but it costs me nothing to see if the salvage attempt is successful. Worst case scenario: taste test day comes, its no good, and I end up taking a sick day from work the following day because it really wasn't...

Yep, I agree that it is mold. I figure I might as well try to salvage though. It costs me nothing other than time to attempt. I siphoned off the good-looking liquid the same day that growth was noticed, so I am hoping I avoided much in the way of toxins/allergens. I very well may end up dumping...