siletzspey
Well-Known Member
I invite others to post shootout results!
In 2014, I fermented apple cider with 3 yeasts (picture post here), and nearly a year later, my wife and I did the annual shootout. The results were:
#1 - Pasteur Red
#2 - Safale S-04
#3 - Premier Cuvee
Notes
My wife and I pressed out 12 gallons of cider this weekend, and hope to press another 12-24. After splitting with a friend, we'll likely go with Pastuer-Red and S-04 again. I'm open to a recommendation on a 3rd yeast to try!
Q - what type of yeast is Pasteur-Red? Ale? Champagne?
--SiletzSpey
In 2014, I fermented apple cider with 3 yeasts (picture post here), and nearly a year later, my wife and I did the annual shootout. The results were:
#1 - Pasteur Red
#2 - Safale S-04
#3 - Premier Cuvee
Notes
- All my ciders were fermented to ~0.994 dryness. We tasted chilled as-is, and then back-sweetened with a little sugar
- Pre-sweetened, I had it Pasteur-Red then S-04 by a hair, and my wife had it S-04 then Pasteur-Red by a hair. With sugar added, my order didn't change, but my wife felt the Pasteur-Red improved and tied with the S-04.
- The Pasteur-Red and S-04 were nearly tied, but both were far better than the Premier Cuvee.
- On color, the Premier Cuvee was much darker than the other 2, which were equally light in color.
- On smell, the Premier Cuvee had a mild broader/richer fruity smell, the other 2 a stronger but narrower/sharper smell. The Premier Cuvee really had a nice complex aroma, but it was so mild and watery as to be moot.
- The Pasteur-Red and S-04 simply stood out as having meaningful flavor, while the Premier Cuvee was watery.
- Only a few months after bottling, the Premier Cuvee had a very pronounced sulfur burnt-orange-peel back-bite to it. Now a year out, NO nasty back-bite was detectable.
My wife and I pressed out 12 gallons of cider this weekend, and hope to press another 12-24. After splitting with a friend, we'll likely go with Pastuer-Red and S-04 again. I'm open to a recommendation on a 3rd yeast to try!
Q - what type of yeast is Pasteur-Red? Ale? Champagne?
--SiletzSpey