disgorging

[No_Cool_Name]

I am going to make some apple cider. I want to purge the bottle similar to champagne after secondary (disgorging) to remove the lees,dregs or yeast in the neck of the bottle. As far as I have read, the loss from the yeast purge is toped off with anything from cognac to more cider and/or sugar, then capped. However, if more sugar in any form is added, more yeast will grow. I have heard of both pasteurization and adding metabisulfite or a similar compound to kill off any residual yeast and keep the cider clear. Any thoughts or places to go for advice?

 

[kilroy]

I guess that you would just follow the same riddling techniques that you would use with Bubbly.

Leave the bottles Top Down and do a 1/4 turn and bump every couple of days for a month or so to collect the lees etc in the neck.

Then you will have to freeze the bottles till the neck is frozen, blow the crud out - and stop it again with your thumb before you lose too much.


You will be left with a larger air space than you really want, Maybe have a gallon or so of "dead" and cleared cider that you have used some sort of finings and a sulphate to kill the yeast. Use this to top off and cap - or just use commercial pasturised apple juice from your local grocer.


I have never done this - that is my disclaimer - but if I had an HBS that was nasty or useless (in my case my hbs is great most of the time) and could not ask them questions, this is what I what do.

Hope it helps

Kilroy

 

[MindenMan]

When champagne is disgorged the "dosage" that Is added comes from a different bottle of the same style whether it is Brut, Sec, or Demi Sec.