Clarifying if pectic enzyme failed?

[sideshow_ben]

I tried something a little new in this year's cider and it was...a mistake.

I decided to use a pack of Saison yeast that they gave away at the AHA meeting in Philly. I made a 1-quart starter the day before, while I let an appropriate dose of pectic enzyme do its dirty work. About a day after I pitched the yeast, the cider had an awful smell, which I attributed to not adding enough yeast nutrient. I might have gone a bit overboard in adding more, since the next day, the gravity was almost at my target. I didn't want to ferment dry, but had always hoped to stop fermentation at my semi-sweet target. I just didn't expect it to happen in 48 hours. So I added 5 camden tabs, and 12 hours later, cold crashed the cider and then racked it into a secondary. Now 10 days later, the cider is milky, as if the pectin failed to drop out of solution.

I'm curious how I might go about clarifying this. The cider is around 7 Bx (deg Plato) so could I add more yeast and let it ferment dry, and hope that extra fermentation does its magic to the haze? Filter it? Try Islinglass? Suck it up and deal?

 

[LesterSC]

It's possible that 24 hours was not enough time for the yeast to do their "dirty work" and you have a pectin haze. However, I've fermented and bottled several ciders without using pectic enzyme and they only had a slight haze, at most, when cold. So, after ten days, does the cider continue to have a foul smell? Have you sampled it, does it taste bad? If yes, you may have an infection. If no, don't touch it. Just rack it off the yeast as needed and let it clear as much as possible naturally. Give it time, a slight haze down the road will not effect taste.

 

[sideshow_ben]

LesterSC,

There is no foul smell, but definite haze and a "milky" quality to the cider, in that it has tiny particulate matter that you can just barely detect on your tongue. I plan on reracking it again, and allowing it to age in my carboy for a few weeks in the kegerator. Thanks for the tips.