crafalik
Member
Typical story as everyone else posting in the Cider discussions. I am a beer brewer who is being drawn to try something new.
I started my first attempt at a cider about 2 weeks ago. I used 5 gallons of natural apple juice (no preservatives but was pastuerized) from our local organic foods store. I pitched a wine yeast "Cote de blanc" on the recommendation of my local homebrew store.
The fermentation was pretty active for the first week and then slowed down. Last night I decided to rack to a secondary (more out of curiosity for a chance to see how it was tasting).
And boy was I surprised.... it was shall we say... not good! I understand after doing some research I need to be ready to let the cider sit for a lot longer. I was shocked by the strong yeast small. When I tasted the cider, it started off nice but finished very tart/sour. I am assuming that the yeast consumed all of the natural sugars.
My questions...
1) Will the funky yeast odor go away over time?
2) If I add lactose will it sweeten the cider up? If so how much lactose should I add?
3) Any other suggestions for a beer guy brewing cider?
I started my first attempt at a cider about 2 weeks ago. I used 5 gallons of natural apple juice (no preservatives but was pastuerized) from our local organic foods store. I pitched a wine yeast "Cote de blanc" on the recommendation of my local homebrew store.
The fermentation was pretty active for the first week and then slowed down. Last night I decided to rack to a secondary (more out of curiosity for a chance to see how it was tasting).
And boy was I surprised.... it was shall we say... not good! I understand after doing some research I need to be ready to let the cider sit for a lot longer. I was shocked by the strong yeast small. When I tasted the cider, it started off nice but finished very tart/sour. I am assuming that the yeast consumed all of the natural sugars.
My questions...
1) Will the funky yeast odor go away over time?
2) If I add lactose will it sweeten the cider up? If so how much lactose should I add?
3) Any other suggestions for a beer guy brewing cider?