Dry Hopping Cider

[Morrey]

I made a cider last year from bottled apple juice using Cotes des Blanc yeast. It finished very, very dry so I attempted to back sweeten with xylitol. Cider came out ok but finishing this dry left it kind of bland and otherwise boring to my taste.

Leading me to.....Had a cider at a new brewery and their cider had been lightly dry hopped with Lemon Drop hops. It was unusually good and the brewer shared that he used the lemon drop in a cider made from concentrated AJ. He didn't elaborate but I wonder if he only did the one dry hop after fermentation, or did he do two dry hops with one of them being done during the last phase of fermentation or biotransformation?

I have a source for fresh pressed apples grown in the mountains of NC. I'll have to inhibit the wild yeast with campden, so are there any suggestions which sacch yeast will take me down to a cider with just a nice hint of sweetness but not really sweet? Any idea what typical gravity range will be of fresh pressed apple juice?

 

[Yooper]

I often use S04 for fresh cider. It generally gets to 1.004 or so. My apples and crabapple mix almost always starts at about 1.050.

I started using S04 for cider because I had a ton of it, and hate it in beer. So I used up all that I had, and really liked the product. Now I buy S04 just for cider.

 

[Morrey]

I often use S04 for fresh cider. It generally gets to 1.004 or so. My apples and crabapple mix almost always starts at about 1.050.

I started using S04 for cider because I had a ton of it, and hate it in beer. So I used up all that I had, and really liked the product. Now I buy S04 just for cider.

Thanks for your input!!

I have some S-04 in fact so this may be a good use. Another HBT member says he uses a Conan strain and I happen to have 1318 London Ale III as well. Choices to make, but good to have both on hand.

Going to try dry hopping. Have you tried this with a cider?

 

[biochemedic]

Yooper's estimation of 1.050 is pretty accurate in my experience. I've generally found measured OG's between the high 40's and low 50's depending on the year and apple blend.

Almost any yeast will take a cider to dry or almost dry. There really aren't too many non-fermentable sugars in cider; going from 1.050 to 1.000 is only about 6.5% ABV, and well within tolerances for most yeasts. In the past when I was purely bottling, I've had to choose between stabilizing and backsweetening to my taste, and having a still cider, or having a carbonated dry cider. I did play around with using lactose (a non-fermentable sugar) in hopes to dial in a semi-sweet cider that could still be bottle carbonated, and it did work fairly well. Obviously I had to make sure to ask about lactose intolerances before sharing with friends!

Dry hopped ciders are awesome. I've had a number of them that use a variety of hops, but I personally use Nelson Sauvin when I dry hop ciders...

I add this in to almost any question of cider and yeast, but if you don't mind buying a new yeast instead of using something you have on hand, I love White Labs WLP775 English Cider yeast!

 

[Morrey]

OMG....Nelson Sauvin...YES!!!! I fell in love with this hop when I did a low ABV beer this summer with Nelson as my only hop. I bought a full pound and ready to roll. Totally awesome suggestion. If I use 1318 and get 75% attenuation from 1.050, this should give just the right balance of residual sweetness I desire. Let that Nelson take over from there and I think we got us a WINNER!!! Yeow.

What amount/time should I consider for my dry hop addition with Nelson?

I'll lightly carb mine in keg. Fresh apples coming in on Nov 4 for onsite pressing. Ready for some fall cider goodness!!!

***Looking up WLP775 now.

 

[biochemedic]

I use 2 oz in a 5 gal batch for dry hopping, generally let it sit for a week or two (or longer sometimes, depends on my schedule!)...

You can't really take much from attenuation numbers when it comes to cider and mead...when you're fermenting almost entirely simple sugars, you will effectively get 100% attenuation from almost any yeast...the ABV tolerance is going to give you more of a guide as to where you might end up (assuming you have a much higher gravity you're starting with, as with some meads, or if you make an applewine.)

With an ABV tolerance of up to 10% as per the Wyeast site, I'm pretty sure that 1318 will take your cider to dry. It will not, somehow, recognize that it has fermented 75% of your 50 gravity points and then stop at 1.012!

Once it does reach zero (or sometimes even lower, my last cider finished at 0.099), you can always stabilize with sorbate and metabisulfite and back sweeten. I have been using dark brown sugar, which gives a neat character and complements the spices that I also use along with the dry hops. About a pound gives you back 10 gravity points in 5 gallons, and makes a nice semi-sweet cider. Depending on your apples and residual acidity, it helps to add some acid blend to taste as well. Looks like you're set up for kegging, so carbonating after the fact is no problem...

 

[Morrey]

Great information!

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Just as general comments - hopping cider can produce great results, and terrible results. My absolute favourite was made with dessert apples and green (wet) EKG - everything just balanced. If you're not careful tannins from the apple (particularly cider apples) will clash horribly with bitterness from the hops, and the fruitiness of the apples will clash with terpenoids from the hops and it all ends up a bit of a mess. Or you need to wait so long for the tannins to come round that you've lost the effect of dryhopping. Vintage variation doesn't help either, but a bit of sweetness definitely helps balance the bitterness of the hops.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I like semi-dry sparkling ciders. I've made 4 batches with Red Star Premier Cuvée... I like the results (preserves flavor and some sweetness) and I've also seen this yeast recommended by others here with a lot more experience than me.
My juice started around 1.058-1.060 and finished around 1.002-1.001. Fermented around 64-66°F. I adjusted pH down to ~3.8 with malic acid to my taste, and then bottle carbed 2.2 vol CO2.
I have 41 ciders ranked by my preference and mine are among the best!

I'd love to hear more about good hops for dry-hopping; it's certainly something I would try.

 

[Newsman]

Yes. Making a syrup with brown sugar adds a lot of character to cider when you use it to back-sweeten.

 

[Ogroat]

Yes. Making a syrup with brown sugar adds a lot of character to cider when you use it to back-sweeten.

Have you ever tried molasses? I'd imagine it could be similar.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Brown sugar is basically table sugar with molasses added
At least here in the US. I think there are differences in naming conventions for this between different countries...?

 

[biochemedic]

Molasses is pretty strong...I've used it as a late addition (sugar added in late primary) to a vanilla porter, and the character definitely comes through in the final beer. I'd be worried that it would dominate the apple flavor, and if I were to try it, I'd add small amounts and taste test it as I go!

I do like specifically the *dark* brown sugar though (which presumably has more molasses added than regular or light brown sugar)...you still get some of that caramel/burnt/roasted character without it being overbearing, and it also adds a little color to the cider.