Everyday Simplest Dry Cider

[Immocles]

I'm tired of staring at the couple of empty 1 gallon jugs in my basement, so I think I'm going to give something like this a try. I have zero experience in cider (and very little in beer, to be exact), I'm planning on mixing in a bit of leftover honey and yeast from a recent brew. Is 2/3rd of a packet of s04 way overkill for this? I'm assuming the OG after mixing the honey into the juice will be ~1.065.

 

[Blacksmith1]

Up to a whole packet is fine. The more you pitch the faster your colony gets up to speed.

 

[JAReeves]

I'm planning on mixing in a bit of leftover honey and yeast from a recent brew. Is 2/3rd of a packet of s04 way overkill for this? I'm assuming the OG after mixing the honey into the juice will be ~1.065.

I would only use 1/5 of a packet of yeast per gallon. I have had good success at that ratio. The diluted honey adds extra food, so you probably don’t need yeast nutrient.

My first cider was unfiltered unpasteurized juice from Sprouts. I poured it onto the yeast cake from a pale ale. It was good almost immediately, though it took about 3 months of bottle conditioning before it was liquid gold.

My 2nd was wild fermented-put the juice in the carboy all by itself and airlocked it for two months then bottled. It’s even better than the 1st after 6 months of age.

Also, if you know your quantities and don’t have a hydrometer to check OG sugar levels, you could use brewers friend or another calculator to estimate your OG.

 

[Immocles]

I planned on taking an actual hydrometer reading for my OG, I was just purely estimating in my post. Maybe I'll try just a third of the packet and do another batch when I rack this one to secondary. I'm not a huge fan of the s04 yeast in beer, so I wanna use it up somewhere instead of just throwing it out. Basically curious if its detrimental to use the remaining 2/3 packet?

I poured it onto the yeast cake from a pale ale. It was good almost immediately, though it took about 3 months of bottle conditioning before it was liquid gold.

I read a post about doing that a few days ago. I'm totally giving that a shot on my next small lightly hopped batch!

 

[Immocles]

Well I gave it a try and it’s bubbling away. I won’t have an open secondary, but I’m already brainstorming making a bigger batch and splitting it up to rack onto different flavors. Ugh, this hobby just keeps going deeper...

 

[Localhopper]

Mines been fermenting for about a month now, just checked it yesterday and it’s sitting at 1.006. Funny thing it’s still bubbling away, slowly but still bubbling away.
Waiting for it to get around .99 to bottle

 

[cmac62]

I'll be listening in.

 

[Cidre Breton]

I have been through all the #287 comments of this thread. So much great information, thank you all, phug and z-bob in particular.
Earlier in the thread, people where pouring AJ over their beer cake, right after they transferred their beer. Is it a common procedure? and can it be done over cider cake as well? and how many times?

 

[Immocles]

+1 on the info in this thread. I've read it start to finish a couple times now as well.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/reusing-cider-yeast.435286/

It sounds like folks have had some success with reusing it. I believe I recall reading somewhere that folks only reused for a few generations. I haven't tried it myself yet, but I have a gallon of a honey blonde ale that I will be bottling in a week or so. I'm definitely reusing the cake for cider immediately after bottle.

 

[Cidre Breton]

+1 on the info in this thread. I've read it start to finish a couple times now as well.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/reusing-cider-yeast.435286/

It sounds like folks have had some success with reusing it. I believe I recall reading somewhere that folks only reused for a few generations. I haven't tried it myself yet, but I have a gallon of a honey blonde ale that I will be bottling in a week or so. I'm definitely reusing the cake for cider immediately after bottle.

Fantastic Immocles. That will be worth trying.

 

[cortex]

Currently have a similar 23l batch going at the minute but I'm trying Nottingham for the first time, what's the flavour of EC1118 like compared?

 

[JAReeves]

I have been through all the #287 comments of this thread. So much great information, thank you all, phug and z-bob in particular.
Earlier in the thread, people where pouring AJ over their beer cake, right after they transferred their beer. Is it a common procedure? and can it be done over cider cake as well? and how many times?

I loved using a pale ale yeast cake for cider, I used S-05. I didn't keep the cake after the cider, though I could have, it was really healthy. I have since moved to using a wild yeast culture for my ciders and that works kind of like a solera-I just keep dumping fresh juice on top when I empty it, same as my sours.

 

[klr]

I'm drinking this right now. I followed the directions exactly. It's good. Crystal clear, perfect carbonation, and a lot of apple taste. If it's too tart just add some simple syrup in your glass when when you drink it.
Thanks, phug!

 

[treacheroustexan]

Has anyone made this with the Giant Eagle Granny Smith apple juice? I pitched yeast yesterday. Got 5 gallons of it for like $12 so what could go wrong?

 

[Ty520]

how long does this typically take from pitch to drinking?

I think the lower ABV is more critical to retaining flavor than the yeast strain.

I have yet to try bottle carbing - how long can they sit unopened and remain carbonated?

 

[Raptor99]

I have yet to try bottle carbing - how long can they sit unopened and remain carbonated?

So far the longest I have kept bottle carbonated cider is 2 years. The carbonation was still good after 2 years. If it is in a well-sealed bottle with a crown cap I don't see why it wouldn't keep the carbonation indefinitely.

 

[GilRIEL]

I have kept bottle carbonated cider is 2 years but not more. I fell flavor less good after. It becomes more bitter and less sweet, I think.

 

[evolutionary]

Has anyone made this with the Giant Eagle Granny Smith apple juice? I pitched yeast yesterday. Got 5 gallons of it for like $12 so what could go wrong?

Yes, two 5 gallon batches so far and going to throw another 5 in now. Used berries in the last one and both batches were emptied quick. Used us-05 on one and a cider yeast in the other; both were pretty tasty.

 

[boatbuilder]

I made this for the first time this weekend. Did one 1 gallon batch with no sugar and another 1 gallon batch with some brown sugar added. Curious to see the difference in a month.

 

[devil]

For priming use 55ml per 3.75litres/gallon of storebrand frozen Apple Juice Concentrate, where to buy this i can't find it

 

[jimdkc]

Do you have a Walmart nearby?

Great Value Frozen Apple Juice