Cider Clarity

[SavageSteve]

I am in the planning stage for making my first cider, and I have a question about clarity. I am going to use fresh apple juice/cider from my local orchard, which will be quite opaque. Does this type of cider clear after fermentation, or will I need to add pectin enzyme to ensure a clear final product? If I filter after fermentation, do I even need the enzyme? Will the cider clear on its own if I just let it sit for long enough?

Thanks for any help/advice.

 

[OdinOneEye]

Never filter! You'll just strip away your cider's je nais sais quois and turn it into some generic hooch.

On that note, your cider, once fully fermented, will clear on its own. Pectic enzyme at the very beginning should help. Just a teaspoon should be enough, but other people should know more than I.
If you heat the cider, though, it'll take a lot longer for it to clear, if it clears at all.

 

[SavageSteve]

Thanks for the info... I'll just go for the enzyme and let it clear naturally.

I only filter because a good friend of mine has gastrointestinal issues (read flatulence) when drinking homebrew. But then again, that's usually after drinking quite a bit of it, so perhaps a smaller quantity of unfiltered cider won't bother him. Or maybe I'll just *tell* him it's filtered...