clarity

[Jack]

Here's what I did. I picked up a bottle of unfiltered, unpasteurized cider from the local farmers' market and threw some english cider yeast into it and some champagne yeast a couple days later (as a cider newbie I was afraid that it would turn out too sweet, and I'd rather err on the side of being too dry than too sweet). I was going to to a single-stage process, and so I left it in the primary for about two months. After about five weeks it was absolutely crystal clear, and then in the sixth week it suddenly became cloudy. I racked it into a secondary fermenter and let it stand for about another month but it didn't clear up at all.

Since I don't really care I didn't bother trying cold crashing and I was too lazy to buy some pectinase, I don't really know what I caused the delayed clouding.

It could either be:
1. pectin haze, in which case I need to invest in pectinase
2. autolysis, in which case I should rack it sooner
3. suspended yeast, in which case I need to cold crash it out

Which of these, if any, do you guys think is the correct solution?

 

[mrfocus]

I wouldn't think its autolysis, mainly because I've had my cider in the same vessel for 8 weeks, and it is as clear as can be.

It may be that you have to cold crash it to make the yeast fall to the bottom.

 

[david_42]

Not autolysis (think open sewer). Most likely pectin haze, but try crash cooling first.