Belgian-Trappist style cider

[GeneDaniels1963]

In a new cider book by Emma Christensen, "Modern Cider", she has a recipe for a Belgian-Trappist style cider. It calls for dried fruits and particularly the use of souring bacteria. It sounds pretty good since I have been wanting to try a sour cider for while.

So, I found some Wyeast 5223 "wild and sour" at the brew shop yesterday. Has anyone tried it before? Any suggestions about its use? How long ferment time?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[madscientist451]

Interesting, I never thought of adding dried fruit to cider.
I've never used WY 5223, does the book recommend a yeast?
I've experimented with a few dozen different yeasts in cider and my conclusion is that trying to improve the flavor of mediocre juice with yeast is a waste of time. To get decent cider you have to start with decent cider juice. With the commercial apples I can get around here, the cider usually is more acidic than I like. The difference between acceptable sour and overly acidic (unpleasant) is a fine line. I usually make a wild fermented cider every year using apples I scrounge up locally (not from commercial orchards) and its somewhat tart and funky.
Maybe get some local apple juice when the season comes around and let it kick off on its own?

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I usually add some frozen crab apples to the juice to give it more character. So far that has been closest I've come to having any "cider apples." I get some really good tasting cider that way, but I want to try some funky.

Also, I just planted two trees; an Arkansas Black Apple and a Dolgo crab apple. When those are in production I should get some really interesting cider apples.

 

[Kees]

Souring bacteria come with yeasts harvested in the wild. Or you harvest some yeast from Geuze Lambiek beer.