Ok, so here's a question for you.....

[coldrice]

The question: is there a way to kill off wild yeasts other than heat pasteurization or campden tabs? I'm in the process of my first batch of cyser, 5 gal. preservative free Delaware cider, 4 lbs. honey and cote de blancs yeast. I brought this up to 170 degrees and held for 5 minutes. I just took a gravity reading and its almost ready to rack at almost 10% ABV, 1.0027. It actually tastes surprisingly good at this young, fragile state. I want to start a second batch with more sugar and sweet mead yeast, but try to maintain some more sweetness and appleyness while still bottle conditioning at the end. I just want to know is there a way to kill the wild strains without adulterating the brew with unnatural additives or bitching up the flavor with heat? I'm an organic gardener, too, so I like things as 'green' as possible, if you know what I mean...Thanks in advance for your help, everyone-once again!

 

[zoebisch01]

None that I am aware of. This question comes up often as Cider always seems to finish so dry.

 

[ChshreCat]

exceeding the yeast's alcohol tolerance?

 

[RugenBrau]

None that I know of.

 

[DuckAssassin]

I would have said that you should cold crash it in a refrigerator to put the yeast to sleep. Once you bottle, you would also have to keep the bottles cold enough until served to keep the yeast from restarting. This would preclude carbing by natural means though.

That said, I am pretty new to this, and I am guessing that there is a flaw in my logic since others are saying this can't be done. I would like to know if that is the case though, as I might have tried this myself otherwise.

 

[GinKings]

I believe some cider mills "cold pasteurize" their cider. Another option may be making a starter. Pitching a large amount of sweet mead yeast should overwhelm any wild yeast.

 

[coldrice]

i think I'll try the overwhelm method and tangle with some wild yeast...also, it is tempting to try to add sugar beyond the yeasts' alcohol tolerance. Why is this not common practice? i would think ppl would have explored this possibility in full by now...I shall endeavor into this realm myself, then. I'm thinking 5 gal cold pasteured cider, 1" buckwheat honey, 2# wildflower honey and 4# sugar in the raw...anyone have an opinion? The sweet mead yeast is supposed to have a tolerance to 15%.

 

[BeezBrew]

You could find a lab to centrifuge all the yeast down and transfer the yeast-free cider to a new container. I know, crazy thought, but let me know, i could do it for a fee

 

[jrhammonds]

Everyone seems to be mentioning sweet mead yeast, but wouldn't english ale yeast strains crap out sooner? I used Burton Ale Yeast in mine, along with adjuncts, and am hoping that it will not attenuate too much. Also--I cold-condition during primary to knock down the yeast... then rack off the yeast to keep the gravity a bit higher.
Here's an older post explaining my process: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/tips-keeping-fg-high-i-e-residual-sweetness-85235/

 

[coldrice]

true enough on the ale yeast, but my goal was to achieve a higher alcohol while maximizing on deliciosity through a controlled sugar content. i believe i will experiment on this over time. i dont have much $$ or space but I think this is an achievable goal...