One and only apple yeast.

[John Doe]

Moving forward I want to use just one yeast (for now at least) for strong cider, cyser, and apple wine.
If you had to choose just one yourselves what would it be?
I'm thinking 71B?

 

[Drewed]

You will have to choose what works best for you. Your source cider is different from my source cider. Don't be constrained by "Type" of yeast. I make a very nice mead with a "ale" yeast, and have used "lager" yeast in cider.
Honestly though, I wouldn't limit yourself to only one yeast.

 

[Shawn3997]

EC-1118 leaves the most flavor for me but the yeasts from Wyeast and White labs are also good if you ferment cool. Matter of taste.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I use EC-1118 also. Since I only do still (non-carbonated) cider it gives me the freedom to back sweeten with frozen concentrate if I want/need to.

I've also used Nottingham (a half dozen times or more) with great success.

 

[bmd2k1]

S04 is my fav at this point...

Cold crashes great...and leaves the right amount of sweetness & apple taste/aroma.

Cheers!

 

[dmtaylor]

Cote des Blancs. Always.

 

[BrewerE]

S04 is my fav at this point...

Cold crashes great...and leaves the right amount of sweetness & apple taste/aroma.

Cheers!

what temp do you ferment the s04 at?

 

[bmd2k1]

Basement typically is in the 63-68F range [emoji111]

 

[MindenMan]

Wyeast 4184 Sweet Mead Yeast is my consummate choice; the stone fruit flavors it adds when fermented below 60*F are just fantastic.

 

[John Doe]

Well you guys sure didn't make this any easier lol.
Thanks for taking the time and please keep them coming.

 

[bmd2k1]

Well you guys sure didn't make this any easier lol.
Thanks for taking the time and please keep them coming.

Cider is like pizza -- they're both Awesome and there's Lotsa different ways to make em [emoji111] ~~and they go great Together!

Cheers & Good luck

 

[dmtaylor]

Don't use champagne yeast.

 

[stieg000]

Don't use champagne yeast.

Agree..comes out way too dry and without character. Personally I like s04 or Nottingham fermenter at 68°.

 

[JKenshi]

Cider is like pizza -- they're both Awesome and there's Lotsa different ways to make em [emoji111] ~~and they go great Together!

Cheers & Good luck

There is only one way to make pizza. That thing they do in Chicago is an abomination.

 

[dmtaylor]

There is only one way to make pizza. That thing they do in Chicago is an abomination.

Strike that -- reverse it.

 

[Silver79]

Cote de blanc x2. A little fajc for flavor in the keg never hurt it either.

 

[MarkKF]

EC-1118 leaves the most flavor for me but the yeasts from Wyeast and White labs are also good if you ferment cool. Matter of taste.

I think EC-1118 strips away too much flavor. Unless you can ferment cold & slow. I’m on the 71b-1122 bandwagon now. It handles malic acid well.

 

[MarkKF]

Cider is like pizza -- they're both Awesome and they go great Together!

I like both but it’s beer with pizza and cider with barbecue!!!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Moving forward I want to use just one yeast (for now at least) for strong cider, cyser, and apple wine.
If you had to choose just one yourselves what would it be?
I'm thinking 71B?

Choose your yeast like you would choose a tool, you don't use a screwdriver when the job calls for a hammer. For the things you mentioned, you'll need a wine yeast of some sort. 71-B will metabolize approx. 20% of the malic acid in your juice, thereby "softening" your apple wine/cider/cyser/etc...
Malic acid is 1 of the compounds that make an apple taste like an apple, not enough malic & your cider/wine could end up tasting more like a wet dishrag. Sometimes though, malic reduction is exactly what you want, say, in a crab apple cider where it's too acidic to taste good.

Some yeasts are better at lower temps than others, some yeasts are better for sweeter wines & some will ferment out dry as slate; it all depends on the recipe & what you want for an end product. I would never use a wine yeast to make cider, as wine yeasts tend to strip out a lot of flavor & will take juice dry without added sugar. I use ale yeast (usually Nottingham) for cider because it gives me the best end product. I use wine yeast for wine & cyser as ale yeast simply won't ferment out to a high enough ABV, as it's alcohol tolerance is much lower than wine yeast. Some yeast strains are better for some things than others, you probably wouldn't like a Chianti that was made with a Riesling yeast strain. Have a look at the different qualities & intended uses for various strains here:
http://www.lallemandbrewing.com/products/

Not sure of your location, but I would think there's a homebrew supply shop reasonably nearby, if not, you can always order yeast online. Obviously, it's up to you as to what strain(s) of yeast you use, but I'd say don't limit yourself to just 1 strain; one size doesn't fit all when it comes to yeast strains.
Regards, GF.

 

[madscientist451]

Lots of good answers here, but if the OP wants to go with one yeast for a while, I think 71-B is a decent choice for what he listed: Strong Cider, Cyser and Apple Wine.
Note to the OP though, everyone has different taste, with the apples/juice you can get, 71-B might not produce a something you like, maybe it will, you have to try it. Like others have said, its really best to try different things to see what works for you. Some of my best ciders didn't have any commercial yeast added.

 

[John Doe]

Thanks for all the input. It's not that I'm looking for a one size fits all approach, but a base line. I've done Cider, Cyser, and Apple Wine recently using a few different yeasts. The problem I have is establishing some baseline to work forward from.
So for now I'm gonna start with 71-b for Apple wine and Cyser and Nottingham for stronger ciders?
For the Ciders I will be fermenting a gallon of cider juice with 1# of sugar until they reach the sweetness we prefer and then put in fridge-crash and drink.

Please critique.

 

[bmd2k1]

Thanks for all the input. It's not that I'm looking for a one size fits all approach, but a base line. I've done Cider, Cyser, and Apple Wine recently using a few different yeasts. The problem I have is establishing some baseline to work forward from.
So for now I'm gonna start with 71-b for Apple wine and Cyser and Nottingham for stronger ciders?
For the Ciders I will be fermenting a gallon of cider juice with 1# of sugar until they reach the sweetness we prefer and then put in fridge-crash and drink.

Please critique.

My approach is to use FAJC to raise SG....as it also contributes to overall flavor...rather than just raising ABV.

Cheers & good luck!

 

[diyHardCider]

Thanks for all the input. It's not that I'm looking for a one size fits all approach, but a base line. I've done Cider, Cyser, and Apple Wine recently using a few different yeasts. The problem I have is establishing some baseline to work forward from.
So for now I'm gonna start with 71-b for Apple wine and Cyser and Nottingham for stronger ciders?
For the Ciders I will be fermenting a gallon of cider juice with 1# of sugar until they reach the sweetness we prefer and then put in fridge-crash and drink.

Please critique.

Sounds like a good plan to me... so you plan on having still (non-carbonated) cider? I agree that without having a solid baseline, it's hard to try and evaluate 'variations'.

 

[John Doe]

Sounds like a good plan to me... so you plan on having still (non-carbonated) cider? I agree that without having a solid baseline, it's hard to try and evaluate 'variations'.

Yes. I'm moving forward with 71B and will branch out from there in time. I just need to establish a baseline.
Thanks!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Thanks for all the input. It's not that I'm looking for a one size fits all approach, but a base line. I've done Cider, Cyser, and Apple Wine recently using a few different yeasts. The problem I have is establishing some baseline to work forward from.
So for now I'm gonna start with 71-b for Apple wine and Cyser and Nottingham for stronger ciders?
For the Ciders I will be fermenting a gallon of cider juice with 1# of sugar until they reach the sweetness we prefer and then put in fridge-crash and drink.

Please critique.

You might find the info in this thread useful:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/results-from-juice-yeast-and-sugar-experiments.83060/
Regards, GF.

 

[BrewerE]

Basement typically is in the 63-68F range [emoji111]

So I've had an s-04 batch at 65* for three weeks and it's at 1.010....(OG 1.052) think it's done?
Kinda wish it was a little more dry.

 

[MarkKF]

S-04 at 55-65 deg. F. always went to 1.004 for me. But I always make a starter and use nutrients.

 

[BrewerE]

S-04 at 55-65 deg. F. always went to 1.004 for me. But I always make a starter and use nutrients.

Hmmm....I did use a bit of nutrient....but dry sprinkled the pack and it was a month or two past date....

I bumped the temp up to 67* and gave it a swirl. Will check it again in a few days.

 

[bmd2k1]

Cote des Blancs. Always.

Was at Tandem Ciders near Traverse City over the weekend and chatted them up...including their cider-master --- currently they use Cote des Blancs for ALL their ciders! (they also use a centrifuge to help clear all their ciders) Their ciders are amazing!

www.tandemciders.com

Cheers!

 

[NateBodnar]

Was at Tandem Ciders near Traverse City over the weekend and chatted them up...including their cider-master --- currently they use Cote des Blancs for ALL their ciders! (they also use a centrifuge to help clear all their ciders) Their ciders are amazing!

www.tandemciders.com

Cheers!

Any chance you get to see that centrifuge in action? Must be one expensive piece of equipment to spin the volume of cider they probably produce. Think it would be cool to see!