RPh_Guy
Bringing Sour Back
You might want to consider using RHST yeast.Final thoughts 2-28-20
I like how this faux ice cider turned out. Falls into the desert cider (wine) category.
Added a couple of thoughts and observations to the process for consideration.
D47 at 62 deg f. Took nearly 8 weeks to get to 1.034 and was clearly still actively fermenting. Required cold crash to stop the little buggers. Not too surprising and given enough time they would have kept working well beyond their posted tolerance.
Added 2 oz med toast oak chips, 1.5 tsp citric acid and 1.5 oz vanilla to hit the flavor profile i prefer. Clarified using KC Super Kleer and bottled then immediately pasturized "still". Will require a little age, drinkable now but should be great in 6 months.
For furure batches :
- Target the desired FG and cold crash vs. waiting for the yeast to hit their tolerance.
- I will add a small amount of additional nutrient (Fermaid-O) to help it along at yeast pitch.
- Will ferment cooler. Thinking closer to 50 and certainly no more than 55 Deg F. Will take a lot longer but should be much cleaner and preserve more of the apple flavor.
This faux ice cider is a "keeper" and I will definately do it again!
Thanks so much for the inspiration!
https://scottlab.com/fermentation-cellar/yeast/rhst-500g-015130
https://morewinemaking.com/products/rhst-dry-wine-yeast.html
You can see it's advertised for both ice wine and cider, and it doesn't disappoint. It'll be way faster than D47 (especially at those low temps) and more clean.