I made 2 batches of cider this year and was curious about tips on blending fresh & fermented cider. The first batch is about 4 gallons and has been racked multiple times and fermented to dryness, and my plan is top off the carboy with a gallon of fresh cider from the most recent press to minimize headspace. I assume that the SG will tick up, but that the residual yeast will eat it up and I'll be back to dry in little time.
Generally speaking though, are there any downsides to blending ciders that are in different stages of the fermentation process? From what I've read, most cider makers tend to blend all fresh or all finished product. Normally I would do the same, but I don't have a ton of space in my tiny city kitchen and I'm trying to consolidate as many bottles as I can. Was planning to use Joliceur's blending wizard to keep track of everything.
And another quick question - what are the benefits of aging in bottle vs. in the fermentation vessel with an airlock? I've had issues with film yeasts in the past so have been leaning towards in-bottle aging in order to mitigate against that for future batches.
Generally speaking though, are there any downsides to blending ciders that are in different stages of the fermentation process? From what I've read, most cider makers tend to blend all fresh or all finished product. Normally I would do the same, but I don't have a ton of space in my tiny city kitchen and I'm trying to consolidate as many bottles as I can. Was planning to use Joliceur's blending wizard to keep track of everything.
And another quick question - what are the benefits of aging in bottle vs. in the fermentation vessel with an airlock? I've had issues with film yeasts in the past so have been leaning towards in-bottle aging in order to mitigate against that for future batches.
