Overfermented Cider but with malolactic

[Wildtypitch]

This year's Cider I decided I'd try and speed things along a little by adding some commercial wine makers malolactic bacteria to get my ph3.1 up a little. It's been at it a month with lots of small bubbles and it's pretty much depleted. the cider was at sg 1.020 campden'ed to kill of the yeast then bacteria added. Now I have a Cider at sg 1.006 or depleted. pH 3.6 but without much flavour from those lovely apples (tasted great before!) Have I lost that flavour in the depleted sugars?

I'm thinking the bacteria has consumed the sugars but it does taste rather alcoholic.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Campden (sulfite) doesn't kill yeast. That's why fermentation continued.
Bacteria do not consume significant amounts of sugar.

MLF is known to decrease fruity flavor, which may or may not be too blame in this case. You might just prefer that sugary apple juice taste.

Feel free to stabilize and add more apple juice to get it back to your desired sweetness.

Welcome to HBT!

 

[Nick Z]

Do the malolactic bacteria consume sugar at all? I ask because I am attempting to test and propagate White Labs malolactic culture. I read the directions which said to boil the juice, add some yeast energizer, some fructose, and then toss in the bacteria (obviously I let it reach room temperature first) and seal the jar.

I didn't have fructose so I used a little white sugar. If the bacteria don't eat sugar, why do they want added sugar? And why the yeast energizer?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Do the malolactic bacteria consume sugar at all?

Yes, they eat some sugar (because they're living organisms), but you won't see the gravity drop much, if at all.

Adding fructose or sucrose to juice definitely isn't needed. Juice has more than enough.

The additional nutrient is because bacteria are alive and like all living organisms they need nitrogen and certain trace elements.

It would have been better to use a pH buffer when propogating lactic acid bacteria, so those instructions definitely weren't very good.

 

[gregbathurst]

The MLF culture I use just requires a small amount of water at 21C.