Apfelwein with creme yeast

[awizz94]

I'm new to homebrewing. I've been making Apfelwein for about a year now. I've always used champagne yeast to ferment the juice, but I've recently been wondering if I could use a creme yeast instead to provide a smoother, more creme-like flavor. Has anyone done this before? How did the cider turn out?

On a related note, my local homebrew store doesn't have inexpensive (< $4/pack) creme yeast. From what I've read, creme yeast is essentially ale and lager yeasts mixed together. Rather than buying expensive creme yeast, could I simply mix equal parts of dry ale and lager yeasts?

 

[Yooper]

I have no idea what creme yeast is. Can you provide a description, or a link to it?

I often use ale yeast, like a dry S04, in my apple cider and it's quite good.

 

[awizz94]

http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp080-cream-ale-yeast-blend

 

[Yooper]

Oh! That would be fine- but so are any other ale yeast strains and some are much cheaper. I'd go with So4 which is a dry yeast, as it ferments well and leaves a very clear cider behind with a hint of sweetness (not totally dry).

That yeast would be fine if you want to buy it, but it wouldn't make that much of a difference. It will ferment the cider about as dry as So4 or So5.

Cream ale yeast is great in a cream ale, but not really noticeable in a cider.

 

[awizz94]

Awesome! Thank you I can't wait to try it. I've got some So5 I can use. Do you think it'll be more different than So4 with the cider?

 

[Yooper]

Awesome! Thank you I can't wait to try it. I've got some So5 I can use. Do you think it'll be more different than So4 with the cider?

Yes, a bit. I'm not a huge fan of S05, as it takes forever to clear, but it does a good job if you're patient.

 

[awizz94]

OK. I might order the So5, then.

Out of curiosity, what is the longest you have left cider this ale-cider conditioning in a bottle before it develops unusual flavors? I've heard there's an optimum drinking-window of sorts for various types of homebrew.

 

[modelafish]

Excuse me if I butt in on this thread, but I've been looking at the Apfelwein recipe, and it'll be my next brew or two. If I bottle carbonate it, does it leave a yeast residue like beer does? The reason I ask, is that I want to bottle in little 6-7 oz Coke bottles that will go in my old Coke machine, where they lay horizontally. Any residue would likely accumulate on the side, and get mixed in more when the bottle drops out of the machine. My original plan was to bottle a porter or other dark beer that looks more "authentic".

 

[awizz94]

I'm relatively new to this, but I feel comfortable saying that yes, it will leave a residue. It decreases the amount if you cold crash the Äpfelwein for a week or so.

 

[phug]

Excuse me if I butt in on this thread, but I've been looking at the Apfelwein recipe, and it'll be my next brew or two. If I bottle carbonate it, does it leave a yeast residue like beer does? The reason I ask, is that I want to bottle in little 6-7 oz Coke bottles that will go in my old Coke machine, where they lay horizontally. Any residue would likely accumulate on the side, and get mixed in more when the bottle drops out of the machine. My original plan was to bottle a porter or other dark beer that looks more "authentic".

Yes, you will get residue. And for what it's worth, in my experience cider just looks weird in those bottles because of the greenish tint of the glass and the big red coke label. I've done it, and it's great for small bottles, but I still can't wrap my head around the visuals

 

[awizz94]

How long does the cider stay good in the bottle, from your experience?

 

[Yooper]

How long does the cider stay good in the bottle, from your experience?

It depends on a couple of things. one is simply how it's treated- out of light and at cellar temperatures it would last longest. Other factors include how well it was treated when it was being made, like exposure to oxygen post-fermentation would mean a shorter shelf life. Alcohol level matters also, as the higher the alcohol, generally speaking, the longer it will be preserved. Also, if you use sulfites when packaging (I do), the cider will last longer on the shelf also.

So it's impossible to say how long without knowing all of those factors. I have some cider now that has been bottled for about 14 months or so, and it's really good at this point.