Crispin Saint Clone

I'm attempting a clone of Crispin's The Saint cider. The juice mix in the recipe is just what I had on hand.

2 gallons Chamberlain's unfiltered apple juice
0.75 gallon Sam's Club apple juice
0.25 gallon Trader Joe's honeycrisp cider
3/8 tsp tannin, 3 tsp fermax, 1.5 tsp nutrient
25.5 fl-oz grade-B maple syrup

I pitched WLP500 monastary ale yeast on 1/18/15. OG was 1.064. This took 2 days to kick off, then went real steady for at least 3 weeks.

On 3/26, last Thursday, I added another 17oz of grade-B maple syrup and swirled the whole thing up. I didn't check SG before adding, but the taste was good and bone dry, as expected.

4 days later, and I haven't seen any renewed fermentation. I haven't checked the SG, so maybe it's doing something even if I can't see it? Is this delay normal when adding fermentables late in the game? I have a pack of montrachet and premier cuvee. Would pitching one of those change the flavor profile I was going for with the WLP500? Should I just RDWHAHB?

I would suggest that you relax don't worry and measure the gravity.. that at least would tell you if the yeast was working or not... If you sanitize properly (use K-meta) then you can return the sample to the batch if that was what was causing you any hesitation in taking out your trusty hydrometer...

I just measured the current SG at 1.008. That is to be expected. 17fl-oz of maple syrup is 1.48lb, and at 31 PPG in 3 gallons, that would put the SG before adding the maple syrup at around 0.995, which would be reasonable given how it tasted. I suspect there just isn't much sugar left to ferment, which is why I wouldn't see much action.

I'll just let this sit for a few weeks, make sure the FG is stabilized, then bottle with 1 can of apple juice concentrate. Let that carb and condition for a few months and we'll see how it is.

I recently tried the "saint" cider and really liked it, I saved the dregs from the bottle. Has anyone had luck stepping up the dregs to ferment a batch of cider?

EDIT: SWMBO really liked it, and she really isn't a cider kind of gal. Red wine, dark beer, yes. Cider, ehhh, maybe... She really does like my applejack, and I wonder what a Trappist yeast-ed applejack will taste like, maybe awesome?

Update: my dregs from the Crispin Saint cider are finally making krausen. The aroma is great, but sort of unexplainable. I started the dregs in a used small pickle jar, and I am now up to a quart in a juice bottle, and I faintly "think" I still smell dill pickles. I will wait until the krausen falls and cold crash to decant just the yeast. At this moment the starter is 75* F just like it has been for days. Since I really don't know what strain the yeast is, I am shooting from the hip here. Theoretically the Trappist yeasts attenuate at 78%, at least in beer, I don't know how a strain I am completely unfamiliar with will act in cider. It might be great, it might be crap, but I am willing to risk $5.00 on a jug of cider to find out. Should it be better than crap when done, I will try it again.

I realize I may be old and blind, but has anyone saved the dregs from the Saint successfully, and if so what was your end result?

Attenuation is a brewer's issue not a cider maker's. All the sugars in apples are 100 percent fermentable by any yeast that can burp CO2. So Attenuation , to the best of my knowledge, is not ever a category that those producing wine yeast discuss.
The kinds of issues that cider makers may be interested in include the flavors the yeast can bring to or highlight from the apples, the strain's ability to accentuate or neutralize malic acids in the apple, the vigor of the fermentation (and so whether it is likely to blow off flavors and aromas) and the like...

bernardsmith said:

Attenuation is a brewer's issue not a cider maker's. All the sugars in apples are 100 percent fermentable by any yeast that can burp CO2. So Attenuation , to the best of my knowledge, is not ever a category that those producing wine yeast discuss.
The kinds of issues that cider makers may be interested in include the flavors the yeast can bring to or highlight from the apples, the strain's ability to accentuate or neutralize malic acids in the apple, the vigor of the fermentation (and so whether it is likely to blow off flavors and aromas) and the like...

Click to expand...

When we use ale yeast, though, it's not uncommon for the FG to stop at 1.004 or even higher. With wine yeast, it's true that usually the FG will be below 1.000 but not usually as dry as .990 (although that's possible).

What is Chamberlain's? Google was not my friend.
What would be a good substitute for Chamberlain's?

Chamberlain's is just a small health/specialty food store like a Whole Foods. I just got that juice because it is high quality and it came in a glass gallon jug that I wanted for fermenting. Any quality unfiltered juice would be a fine substitute.

96 oz Apple Fruit Wine Base (Vintner's Harvest)
3/8 tsp tannin
32 oz Maple Syrup, Grade A Dark Amber (Log Cabin)

WLP500 Monastery Ale Yeast

Bottling
12 oz Maple Syrup, Grade A Dark Amber (365)

Estimated first taste 21 October 2017

SWMBO's choice. Tried to source local pressed apples for a couple of years. Chose Vintner's Harvest from Barley & Vine's going out of business sale. Syrup amount and vendor determined by whole bottles in family pantry.

Waiting for SWMBO to return from a trip for a side by side tasting, but by itself, pretty good. Both the maple and the Belgian come through.

Had the side-by-side maybe a couple of weeks ago. Maple and yeast, check. Apple not so much. Mine was blander.