Need Advice on Aging

[whovous]

I've brewed beer for a while, but this is my first batch of cider. How long should cider be aged, and at what temperature?

The story so far: 3.5 gallons of Whole Foods orchard style (very cloudy) cider, pour into a Catalyst conical fermenter, add a bit of pectic enzyme, then wait a day before oxygen wand and pitch one package of Brewers Best Cider House Select yeast. OG 1.054, no sugar added. Fermentation starts very slowly at ~68F - move to Fermentation Chamber at about 62F and ride the SG down to 1.008, then cold crash at 34F for roughly three weeks. Cider is quite a bit lighter in color than it was originally, but no one would describe it as clear.

I transferred just under three gallons to a three gallon keg on Sunday afternoon and purged the oxygen.

So, now what do I do? How long should I age the cider? At what temperature? I probably won't brew anything for at least the next two months, so the FC is available if temperature control is needed. I am willing to be patient with this if patience will improve the final product.

 

[whovous]

Anyone?

 

[bmd2k1]

I've brewed beer for a while, but this is my first batch of cider. How long should cider be aged, and at what temperature?

The story so far: 3.5 gallons of Whole Foods orchard style (very cloudy) cider, pour into a Catalyst conical fermenter, add a bit of pectic enzyme, then wait a day before oxygen wand and pitch one package of Brewers Best Cider House Select yeast. OG 1.054, no sugar added. Fermentation starts very slowly at ~68F - move to Fermentation Chamber at about 62F and ride the SG down to 1.008, then cold crash at 34F for roughly three weeks. Cider is quite a bit lighter in color than it was originally, but no one would describe it as clear.

I transferred just under three gallons to a three gallon keg on Sunday afternoon and purged the oxygen.

So, now what do I do? How long should I age the cider? At what temperature? I probably won't brew anything for at least the next two months, so the FC is available if temperature control is needed. I am willing to be patient with this if patience will improve the final product.

Did ya taste it...if so...how was it?

I don't keg yet.....I rack my ciders back into 1gal jugs...condition with fruit concentrates...cinnamon sticks.....and toss in fridge. Find that they are Very Tasty immediately. My higher ABV ice ciders I do the same with....and they mellow a bit over time...but honestly its nothing significant. I know there are many who swear by aging for months...but I've not got to that point yet.....everything gets consumed b4 months can arrive...lol.

Cheers & Good luck! [emoji111]

 

[Yooper]

If it's clear, low ABV, and tastes great, you won't want to age it much. If it's still cloudy, higher ABV, or a bit "rough" in flavor, you may way to age it for a bit. Many ciders are really good at only 60 days old, if the are lower ABV, but I've had some 8% that were 14 months old and were quite a bit better.

 

[whovous]

ABV is about 6%. It is not as cloudy as something like a milkshake IPA, but neither is clear enough to qualify as merely hazy after about 21 days at 34F.

Taste? Let me start with the admission that I know next to nothing about cider. I learned how easy it was to make, I spotted a bunch of jugs in Whole Foods, and decided I had nothing to lose. I am not getting anything I'd describe as a yeast flavor. There is a distinct twang that I guess could be described as being a little crab applish. A friend who has a better palate than mine and more experience with cider said it reminds her of Spanish ciders and said she like it more than something we were trying from a local craft cidery.

Right at this moment I am inclined to give it at least sixty days, and I could definitely be persuaded to let it go longer in the interest of science.

What about storage temp? Right now the keg is resting in my fermentation chamber with the temp set at 54.5F. Too high? Too low? Just right? Doesn't matter?

 

[Yooper]

It will age faster at warmer temperatures- and I think cellar temperature (right where you have it) is perfect. What you can do is try it in 60 days, and try to not drink it all, and try it at 120 days. See if you think it's better or worse, or the same, etc. The key to aging cider is to ensure you protect it from oxidation at all stages, and if you haven't used any sulfites you want to make sure that you don't age it too long since sulfites are an antioxidant and really help if you plan on aging it.

 

[whovous]

Thanks, Yooper. I did not do a closed transfer, but my keg did have a fair amount of CO2 in it when I did the transfer, and I purged the keg eight times after putting the lid on. I will take your 60 and 120 day advice!