Have I removed all viable yeast?

[zadamxtr]

I'm trying to get a cider with no yeast flavour, and so I racked 2 times, then let the cider sit for a couple of weeks after the 2nd racking. I noticed when bottling that there was no sediment on the bottom of the fermenter, which seems unusual to me.

Anyway I bottled and added some white sugar to carbonate. I've let the bottles sit for a few days which is usually enough I find to carbonate. However when I popped one open to try the cider, I was interested to find that it wasn't very fizzy, and also tasted a little sweet, almost like the sugar was still in it.

Did I remove too much of the yeast by racking and resting twice? Do I need to add a little yeast to the bottles to carbonate?

 

[DBhomebrew]

A few days isn't nearly enough. Give it a couple weeks.

 

[Zambezi Special]

Giving them a good shake might help.
And patience

 

[zadamxtr]

Giving them a good shake might help.
And patience

Yep, ive given them a few shakes to make sure the sugar was mixed in properly.

 

[CKuhns]

Depending on temperature, amount of available sugar and yeast it could and most likely will take more than a few days.

Check it again in 10 to 14 days. For me with a crystal clear cider it has taken a couple weeks to bottle carbonate after adding priming sugar.

If nothing after a couple weeks then check your SG and if still about the same you could add some yeast.

 

[Kickass]

Did I remove too much of the yeast by racking and resting twice?

Unlikely. As others said, give it a little more time and make sure the bottles are stored around 68-72f.

 

[zadamxtr]

OK so a week later, and an update. This is confusing me even more now. I popped the lid on one of the bottles, and there is literally no carbonation. It is completely flat. I tasted it and you can definitely taste a bit of sugar still present.

I popped a different one, and lo-and-behold it was cabonated. plenty of fizz.

Only difference between the 2 I checked was the one that was flat was made to be dry, only a bit of sugar added to try carbonate. The one that did end up carbonated I had the same amount of sugar for carbonation but I also added a bit of stevia to make it a bit sweeter.

 

[Rish]

How did you add the priming sugar?

 

[Kees]

With racking you also remove nutrients from your cider. Without nutrients the remaining yeast will remain dormant.

 

[Yooper]

With racking you also remove nutrients from your cider. Without nutrients the remaining yeast will remain dormant.

That’s not so. Many people bottle carbonate beer, cider, and mead and the yeast is not dormant unless you actually sterile filter it (to remove all yeast) or stabilize it with chemicals or pasteurize it.

 

[dwhite60]

OK so a week later, and an update. This is confusing me even more now. I popped the lid on one of the bottles, and there is literally no carbonation. It is completely flat. I tasted it and you can definitely taste a bit of sugar still present.

I popped a different one, and lo-and-behold it was cabonated. plenty of fizz.

Only difference between the 2 I checked was the one that was flat was made to be dry, only a bit of sugar added to try carbonate. The one that did end up carbonated I had the same amount of sugar for carbonation but I also added a bit of stevia to make it a bit sweeter.

If you added equal amounts of sugar to all of them and some are carbonated, some not, you may, may, have an infection in the carbonated bottles.

Still, like Rish asked, how did you add the priming sugar?

 

[zadamxtr]

How did you add the priming sugar?

I added it through a small funnel and a teaspoon.

 

[Chalkyt]

A reason I sometimes use sugar syrup (made 2:1 with very hot water) is that it is sterilised and mixes easily. I don't know the state of sugar just out of the packet.

 

[Kees]

Try adding some yeast nutrient.