Losing my cider cherry...

[ebstauffer]

Very long time "brewer" and cider forum reader. Finally decided to stick my toes in the water..

Made starter w/ 2L cider & packet EC-1118. First error: in my haste, I neglected to stabilize the starter w/ a very small amount of KMeta. Should I start again or will the 1118 have won out over the native yeasts. Starter is 24 hours old and still bubbling.

5 gallons unpasteurized "late picking" cider from my LHBS. Added to brewpail along w/ 1/4 t KMeta. Been sitting for 24 hours. I'll take an OG reading an add brown sugar to about 1.065 and one teaspoon of DAP.

Here's where I get a bit confused. Ive read that 1118 will take the cider dry quite readily. I plan to backsweeten w/ some of the original cider. Im assuming I need to stabilize the cider used to backsweeten, but what Im unsure of is how to prevent the now dry cider from fermenting the added sweetening cider. Do I restabilize? I plan to carb in my corny.

Thanks!

 

[ebstauffer]

Replying to my own message ... Im going to forget the corny plan and bottle in bomber and stove-top / dishwasher pasteurize to keep sweetness and kill the yeasties. Seems that most reliable.

 

[dinnerstick]

your cider sounds good! don't worry about not campdenning (is that a verb now?) the starter, your yeasts will win out. be careful if pasteurizing large bottles, most of the tests have been done on smaller ones so make sure you heat them through. if you do go with the corny the 'standard' stabilization method is to rack carefully (even better- cold crash then rack) and add k-meta and k-sorbate, sweeten to taste.