First Timer Here: Following EdWorts Recipe

[jhart94949]

Picked up 6 gallons of Costco's fresh squeezed apple juice today....going to follow EdWorts recipe. But I was thinking of using English ale yeast instead of Montrachet wine yeast. Any thoughts on that?? Anything else a newbie cider/Apfelwine guy needs to know before I move forward?

 

[Randzor]

Should be fine either way. I like more wine like drinks so I use wine yeasts. Make sure you don't hit the alcohol tolerance of the ale vs what the wine would've been.

 

[jhart94949]

Well my first cider day was quick and painless!

 

[miked1950]

Picked up 6 gallons of Costco's fresh squeezed apple juice today....going to follow EdWorts recipe. But I was thinking of using English ale yeast instead of Montrachet wine yeast. Any thoughts on that?? Anything else a newbie cider/Apfelwine guy needs to know before I move forward?

Safale 04 ale yeast works quite well, flocculates great and has higher alcohol tolerance.

 

[jhart94949]

It has been cold in my house and I way to cheap to pay PG&E any more money than I have to. So my Apfelwine has been sitting at about 62 degrees and wasn't doing much. Last night I took my wife's heating pad and set it to low and put it in my CoolBrew bag along with my Carboy of Apfelwine. Woke up this morning and WAAALAAA 70 degrees churning away.....by the way I went with Montrachet Wine Yeast...

 

[Randzor]

If you want it will ferment at 62, just takes a long time to get going.

 

[jhart94949]

I put the hot pad under overnight and it damn near exploded, went to 72 degrees and even build a layer or krausen

 

[jhart94949]

Is it normal for it to smell like an apple fart??? Not kidding pretty pungent smell coming from airlock

 

[JonM]

Yep, that's the rhino fart phenomenon. Should go away in a couple days.

 

[oljimmy]

Montrachet will ferment in cider down to 50F liquid temp, no matter what the instructions say. Don't worry about heating it! If you move into the 70F range you risk producing 'fusel' alcohols which are gross.

 

[JonM]

And for what it's worth, I am currently enjoying a really good batch of cider that I fermented with 1728 Scottish Ale yeast. That strain does very well at lower temps and is really good and clean in a cider.