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Update for April 2019. I bottled all batches 3 weeks ago. Bottle conditioning everything. For the Rose cider (#1 above), I bottled at 2.5 volumes. For the bourbon barrel cider (#6 above), bottled at 4 volumes in belgian 750s with crown caps. Bottled the small batch of M2 (#4 above) at 4...

Hey There- First off, exactly how gluten free is your friend? I believe some dry yeasts contain trace amounts of gluten that gets used in the preservation process, so maybe double check on that. Secondly, go ahead and add some fruit and spice, but time will also work wonders on bringing out...

Got this from a buddy who is the head mixologist/bar guru at Middle Fork Kitchen Bar in Lexington, KY. 1oz apple brandy, 0.5-0.75 oz pear liquer, 0.5oz lemon juice, dash of simple syrup, 2 oz dry fizzy cider float. Light stir. 10/10 would do again.

For nutrient, I just followed the dosing sheet on the Fermaid O tech sheet. I haven't checked the final SG yet. I'll have to get back to you but I'm sure it's around 1.000

Lees weren't all that compact. Not like a beer yeast. I'd compare it with other "medium" flocculators I've used. I did not cold crash. Clarity is slowly getting there. I racked to secondary and it's still fairly cloudy--less than it was when I first racked but still somewhat cloudy. It's...

For what it's worth, I decided to give M2 (scott labs product) a go. It's a high nutrient demand yeast so I followed the instructions and used fermaid O at the end of lag and again about 1/2 done with fermentation. The flavor profile is amazing compared to any of the other yeasts I used...

I think its a great idea to mix this in. Sometimes it’s helpful to know what the titratable acid and OG of the crab juice so you can make an informed decision. The whole reason for adding crabs is to add tannins and acids which it sounds like you have that based on what you’re describing...

That mini looks super cool! I've already been looking around at used corny kegs, lucky enough to be in Portland where everyone and their dog brews so lotsa used stuff!

Thats super helpful. Thank you!!

Thanks! I appreciate the help. I guess in regards to #2, I was thinking of wines I have before that come out slightly fizzy (like they weren't off gassed)--I know this is though of as a defect in wine making but just wondering if there was some way to promote this. Looks like not! Thanks for...

Update: Racked to secondary after fermentation complete. Ended up racking over 3 days due to the volume. Everything is clearing nicely with the exception of the fig, cinnamon, vanilla batch which is still fermenting a bit. It occurs to me that I don’t hav a great way of figuring out th OG of...

Yeah, I agree with Rph Guy. Ciders are like wine-- not going to taste great right after fermentation. Leave it sit in secondary for a month and I'll bet you a dollar it tastes better than it does now.

That’s good advice! I guess I’m never sure about the whole gross lees thing. I’ve seen some advise to get it off ASAP and some say it’s fine. Unfortunately no data that I can find to drive the decision making process but seems reasonable to do as you suggest.

Update: all yeasts happily fermenting. The M2 yeast in the 7 gallon batch of rosé cider took the longest to show signs of fermentation at 60 hours. However, due to the fact I was using frozen Pinot noir grapes, my must temp was 49 when I pitched. Oops. I fed the yeast with fermiad O at 48 h post...

I get it but have a look at this (it's a fortification calculator but works for calculating final abv when mixing two different abv solutions): https://www.winebusiness.com/tools/?go=winemaking.calc&sid=7 What's the gravity of the juice you're cutting with? Assuming juice at 1.04 and...

Wouldn't any added juice just restart fermentation and not reduce ABV? It seems to me the only way you can lower the ABV would be to cut with a non fermentable liquid like water which may not be that good OR use sorbate and k meta after fermentation is complete then add base juice back again...

Hey how'd the cider come out?

Of course you can ask! I have a brix refractometer: I sterilize the pipette, crack the lid or go through the stopper hole, grab a couple drops, put them on the meter and look. Quick sanitize and I'm onto the next. Plus it just takes a few drops instead of loading up a whole 150mL in a...

I typically measure brix at the start just cause it's easier with this many batches than taking an SG reading on each. Brix was coming in pretty consistently between 11-12, so that would convert to a SG of 1.044 and 1.048. The two batches I chaptalized were brix 15 after sugar, which is 1.06

Ok! Pressing day is in the books. All told we got 44 gallons of cider from 2 trees. Sulfited everything except for two gallons I’m letting go completely natural. Batches as follows: 1. 3.5 gallons Macintosh, 2.5 gallons golden delicious, 1 gallon crabapple Sulfite at hour 0, pectic at hour...