Cider Cold Crash

[anteup]

As stated in my introduction see "new guy from RI". i just started to cold crash my cider, help clarify? Plan is to back sweeten with concentrate then bottle. Hope to get some carbonation. Am I wrong with the cold crash principle for clarification purposes and will step prohibit carbonation?

 

[Daze]

Cold crashing will cause the yeast to drop out of suspension (does not kill the yeast just causes them to go dormant), however you will most likely still have some active yeast in the clear liquid that can be used to bottle carbonate. Best advice is to be patient and let the cider clear on its own. Cold crashing is used when people want the cider to stop fermenting before it ferments out dry. Since you are back sweetening anyway why stress the yeast. just let them do there gob and the cider should clear on its own. Make sure after you bottle carbonate that you either keep them cool and drink them soon or pasteurize them to allow for long term storage and avoid bottle bombs.

 

[anteup]

Thks Daze. My last reading was .995, so i'm done fermenting. Patience something I'm working on. By the way beautiful country where you live. Visited Glacier 2yrs back, also visited friend in Columbia Falls.

 

[Daze]

I love it here, cold winters but beautiful summers. How long has the cider been fermenting?? also what did you use as your starting juice and was any heat applied to said juice??

 

[anteup]

about a month. 14days primary, 14days secondary, just racked today. used fresh cider from local orchard, UV pastu. No heat. Still young & took advice, brought it back in.

 

[Daze]

did you add any pectic enzyme???

 

[anteup]

added nothing but Montrachet yeast. tasting samples not to bad with a little concentrate and bubbles. not bad i hope for first brew ever.

 

[Daze]

if you didn't put it any pectic enzyme it it may not clear. Probably not an issue unless you added heat at some point in the process but still a possible issue. Time is the best way to get it to clear.

 

[anteup]

Thanks for all the help. Like i said, i brought it back inside and i'll just wait it out. in the meantime start a pinot noir and in 4wks getting a hand selected cider of granny smiths from local orchard. That batch i probably pitch a nottingham or something. Just remembered that i added light brown sugar to this current cider.