Hopping/aging Costco cider

[Nomofett]

Hi. This is my first cider attempt and so I went real simple. Just some Imperial A20 Citrus yeast (basically WLP644) and Costco apple juice. It got down to about .99 and I dry hopped it with some Cascade and Amarillo. I'm about to bottle it so finally my question:

I keep seeing that people keep it in the bottle for months, but I don't want to lose the hop flavor/aroma in it. And I don think mine is a real complex cider, so do I need to keep it bottled so long? What is the advantage? I'm not carbonating or back sweetening it. I know the answer most would give is to just bottle it and try it as it goes but I make small batches (8-9 liters.. about 2 gallons) and I give a fair amount away to friends so I usually only end up with about a 6 pack for myself. So... Yeah, any feedback is helpful. Thanks!

 

[bernardsmith]

If you are using good quality apple juice made from a variety of apples blended to make hard cider then it may make good sense to allow the cider to age. During aging malic acid (a harsh acid) softens and the flavor improves by magnitudes over 9 - 12 months. But if you are using apple juice meant to be drunk sweet and non alcoholic and you are using a yeast that may not have an affinity for malic acid (compare 71B) then you are not starting off with great raw materials. In my opinion, while the cider is likely to improve as it ages it will probably be fine as it is. I wouldn't sweat it. When you think that the hop flavors are peaking I would crack open the bottles or give them away to your friends.

 

[Nomofett]

Thanks!