Favorite Cider Yeast?

OleBrewing · Sep 16, 2013

My friend and I started off killing off the wild yeast and using english cider yeast for the 1sr 40 gal batch. The next year we decided to ditch the sulfite and use english cider yeast for an 80 gal batch. Tasted a lot better. The fall of 2012 we juiced 180 gallons, with no cider yeast at midwest or northern we said screw it and didn't add any yeast. Fermented in one container. Wild yeast and who knows what kinds of bacteria fermented out to nearly very dry. The wild batch does have a ''smokey'' flavor. We may be doing the same this fall.

TexasWine · Sep 17, 2013

vereto said:
Tipsy,

Probably, I just want to guarantee a good, solid yeast before I toss it into 5 gallons worth of organic juice.

As for how I harvested it, I didn't do anything terribly complicated. I picked out 2 healthy looking organic apples from the farmer's market and peeled them with a sterilized peeler while wearing some gloves. I then put the peels into some organic apple juice in my Erlenmeyer. The juice itself was already pasteurized - I don't have access to a local orchard or a good source of non-pasteurized juice.

So far, I have some small bubbles along the edge of the flask. I am just aerate it like I would a regular starter and hoping for the best. So far, it smells nice so I think its a good sign.

I'd love to see your experiment get its own detailed and documented thread. This is a really interesting approach and is very doable for those of us who have never attempted yeast harvesting. I would wager there are others who would find this information extremely helpful and it would spawn some good conversation.

mcbethenstein · Oct 7, 2013

I've used and liked both commercial liquid yeasts. I can not remember what yeast I used on my very first cider ever, but it was a dry yeast, and it was not that good.

White Labs WL775 English Cider Yeast - this one ferments regular cider down to 0.999-1.004 in my experience. At a few weeks old its tart, dry and does not have much apple character. At 6+ months old it mellows the acid and apple character returns. This is stellar at 1 year +. I have made several batches with this and would again...

Wyeast 4766 Cider yeast - finishes in the 1.001-1.003 range. In a side by side test with white labs this one was chosen by every taster. Even though it finished lower gravity than the WL, it had a sweeter presence, more fruitiness, and loads more apple character. Still was crisp, well rounded, and mellowed with age. This one seems to be better faster than WL. I took a BOS cider with this yeast, and the counterpart (WL English cider batch) was 2nd BOS... And both were cider from the same orchard and same additions. This is my preferred yeast. I just pitched it into a fresh pressed cider and caramel spice cider this morning.

TipsySaint · Oct 7, 2013

Did a 4 set this past weekend. it's all happy and getting going! very excited. will post results here in the next few weeks!

TipsySaint · Oct 7, 2013

So i didn't add any sugar to my cider just the juice, yeast nutrient and yeast. a krausen has formed but the bubbling seems to be anemic at best.....should i add sugar at this point?

Yooper · Oct 7, 2013

TipsySaint said:
So i didn't add any sugar to my cider just the juice, yeast nutrient and yeast. a krausen has formed but the bubbling seems to be anemic at best.....should i add sugar at this point?

The only reason to add sugar would be to boost the ABV if you wish. Adding sugar seems to me to make the cider less "cidery" and more "wine-like".