Bottle carbonation question

[D7Brewing]

I have been reading a lot about cider making on this site and I am interested in trying it out soon so I can have something ready for the fall. There is one thing I am not quite sure about. I have been making beer for about 18 months now. I have the process down and know what to expect. The only part of cider making that I have found an answer to is this. I don't normally secondary my beer. If I do a secondary with cider and leave it for 2-4-8 weeks, will there still be enough yeast to bottle carb or do you add yeast into the bottling bucket or something completely different. Thanks in advance!

 

[Maylar]

I've bottle carbed cider that was 6 months old and clear. It took a few weeks though.

 

[balrog]

Unless filtered, even the clearest, cold-crashiest beer has yeast in it. If you're doing a high gravity like a Russian Imperial Stout, in secondary for 6 months, you're likely going to want some lager bottling yeast to help carbonate as they will be alcohol/time worn out, but they will indeed still work, with time.

 

[jmartie13]

My favorite cider I make starts with brewing a saison, and when I bottle the beer I dumb 5 gallons of UV treated fresh cider on top of the yeast with a little sugar. Wait several weeks, bottle, and put in my basement for a few months. Always comes out crystal clear and no secondary. However, if you use a secondary I agree with the previous posters.

 

[MindenMan]

I am never in a hurry to drink my bottled ciders, so they always have multiple months to carb up, and I have never had any not carbonate. There is always yeast left to eat the priming sugar, but it will take time.

 

[D7Brewing]

Thanks all, great info. Question answered.

 

[Scrumpy!]

I don't take any chances on this. I add champagne yeast + DAP + priming sugar to my batch when bottling. I bottled my first 5 gal batch of 2016 cider last week after 7 months in carboys. It is now at 28 psi and on track to hit 50-60 psi or so in a few weeks. At that point, I will wait another couple of months then blow out the lees by disgorgment. I add enough sugar during that final process to adjust to the desired level of residual sugar, add some sulfite and recap the bottles. I have yet to have fermentation restart but keep in mind that I consume almost all of this cider within 12 months. So far, so good. To be on the safe side, I ALWAYS have a test bottle with a pressure gauge with each batch to know well in advance if fermentation restarts and threatens my cellar with a chain reaction of bursting champagne bottles.

Just about the time I am pressing my 2017 apples, my 2016 cider will be ready to drink. My crop looks strong this year. The apples are the size of grapes now. I will know just how strong it will be after the June drop when my trees naturally thin themselves of excess fruit.