Question about fast & slow methods

[cidertown]

I recently watched an interview with a cider maker where he mentioned that there are 2 ways to make cider - the first is fast and similar to brewing beer, the second is slow and similar to making wine.

I started making cider earlier this year, and would like to try both methods so I can compare them. My understanding is that letting the cider sit for longer (like wine) brings out more of the desirable flavors.

If this is true then can anyone share any insight as to how to make the fast method still taste good?

 

[Cyclman]

I love cider, especially Apfelwein. It does age beautifully, and smooths out like wine over time. I don't think that makes it bad when young, but I have some that is 2Y old and is wonderful.

 

[bembel]

The other factor to consider is the speed of fermentation. You can use an aggressive yeast and higher temp ( 65-70F) and have 'cider' in a week. It won't have much flavor or aroma though. The faster it ferments the more flavor and aroma dissipate with the Co2 bubbles. Or you can go low and slow ( 45-50F) for 3 months in a temp controlled primary and retain a lot more flavor. Both will be better after a year but the low and slow gives you a very drinkable cider after 3-4 months. Where as a faster ferment really needs to age for flavor to rerun. A low and slow after a year is mind boggling. You can also do what every commercial apple pop ciders does and ferment with champagne yeast for a few weeks. Rack to clarify and stabilize. Then back sweeten for flavor. DownEast cider house is in my back yard. They finish fermenting in a week and just add fresh juice back to get flavor. It's a nice draft cider but nothing even near what you get with patience and temp control. Do both, do lots. Try different yeast and temps and have fun experimenting. It took me years to find my sweet spot yet I still change things up all the time.

You can with cider. It's SOOOOO much less work than brewing so you can literally pitch a new batch daily if you have space and juice.

 

[cidertown]

Thanks so much for that reply!
I definitely want to do both slow & fast batches. I'd like to develop a fast version that still tastes delicious. I actually watched a video about DownEast Cider recently too! Definitely not ideal to turn the product so fast, but good to have the option.
Thanks again!

 

[MindenMan]

Hard Cider and proper BBQ, low and slow. I can say from couple of years making cider using a "non-aggressive" yeast strain at a cool temperature really helps to have a cider that still has a nice flavor at the end of fermentation,. I have used wine yeast (Pasteur Red) that at room temperature does not throw off bad flavors, and is not terribly aggressive. I actually have used it for all of my ciders over the last year plus. At present I am trying an 1084 Irish Ale yeast in a batch of cider, and in spite of multiple sugar additions and fermentation time the gravity hasn't dropped below 1.012. I find it very odd, ( since most of the sugars in apple juice are 100% fermentable) that the gravity hasn't dropped to 1.000 or below. I just now checked the gravity and it is still at 1.012 after a week and there is a lot of apple flavor as well. I made a cider starter with a little nutrient,and after I added it to the jug of cider it went nuts for a while. It has been kept at 62*F since it started to ferment.

EDIT: After re-reading your second post (OP) see if you can get your hands on some Pasteur Red wine yeast. With nutrient and being room temperature friendly you could make some "fast" cider that still tastes like cider at the end of fermentation; minimizing the amount of bottle conditioning time required for great tasting hard cider