lees and dead yeast/other floaties in my cider???

selfdestructed · Dec 9, 2011

This is a first. I made 6 gallons of apple cherry cider.

4 gallons of apple, 2 gallons of cherry.

Fermented from 1.070 to 1.003.

Backsweetened and primed with 4 cans of apple cheery concentrate. Added a little splenda.

It's sweet, delicious.

Well, I carbed it, and pasterized it, it's foamy bubbly goodness, just like I always do.

This time, I have some lees at the bottom, and some floating at the top.

This has NEVER happened before.

When I pour it in a glass, it disapears in the cider, but it's cloudy again.

I used pectin enzyme, 1/2 tsp per gallon, per the directions, just like I always do.

Will this sink to the bottom once it cools?

rycov · Dec 9, 2011

how long has it been bottled? pics might help. if its just yeast floaties it should settle out after a few weeks

Yooper · Dec 9, 2011

The priming sugars restarted fermentation, so there will be lees in the bottom of the cider. And depending on which yeast strain you used, the cider probably wasn't done at 1.003, so that will continue to ferment as well. If you pasteurized, the fermentation would stop of course but the lees will still settle out.

selfdestructed · Dec 10, 2011

LOL! I get that Yooper. I have made plenty of cider. I have just never seen the thick lees and such, floating. After sitting in the basement, it settled in the bottom, it's just got big thick chunks now. Never seen it so chunky before.

Yooper · Dec 10, 2011

selfdestructed said:
LOL! I get that Yooper. I have made plenty of cider. I have just never seen the thick lees and such, floating. After sitting in the basement, it settled in the bottom, it's just got big thick chunks now. Never seen it so chunky before.

Well, maybe it's colder in the basement and the cider didn't have as much time to ferment before cold crashing. Cold temperatures will clear the cider amazingly well, but sometimes big goobers of pectin will result!