Any particular yeast good for cider? Does it depend on the apple type? Also how long does hard cider need to age if at all? I want to make it sparkling. Do I need to bottle condition?
Cider yeast? Aging cider?
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Youngs do one packed/labelled as cider yeast, but like all their offerings, minimal info/data.....
If you have a search this side of the pond around the cider groups, they might have a better idea.
From memory, last time I looked, some is aged, some not (6 to 12 months).
I suspect it depends on the apples you can get, but even a medium cider would likely need stabilising, soaking, fining and back sweetening. Then force carbonation......
Unless you want rough as arseholes still, cloudy, acidic scrumpy type stuff......
Thanks! I will take a look at the cider forums. This comes along because Strongbow seems to have changed the recipe from crisp and dry to sweet and cloying. I guess the girls are getting into cider now in place of their shandy.
IMO, Premier Cuvee is good for cider as is any wine yeast that is designed for white wines. I also use 71B.
I've had good luck with US-05 and Wyeast 1388. I've heard good things about Nottingham, but haven't tried it.
As far as the apple mix and aging goes, I'd ask WVMJack. I use whatever I get and drink it fast!
As far as the apple mix and aging goes, I'd ask WVMJack. I use whatever I get and drink it fast!
Do you drink it like Fatbloke so eloquently put, "rough as assholes, still, cloudy and acidic?" (these things are why fatbloke is my favorite got meader! lol) or do you clarify. carb, etc?
I tried making cider over 20 years ago and succeeded in ruining a perfectly good gallon of apple juice with some kind of champagne yeast. I was told to just dump the yeast into the cider, leave the bottle in the fridge and it would become sparkling cider in a few weeks. It didn't work out that way.
LOR...
I take mine as fatbloke describes it, but it clears on it's own and carbonates in bottle.
It needs aging, unless you do like the "cat's bum" contortion that a drinker's face can make.
The scrumpy is best reserved for really hot days, and maybe strain it, some of the conditioning yeast can be really chunky.
It needs aging, unless you do like the "cat's bum" contortion that a drinker's face can make.
The scrumpy is best reserved for really hot days, and maybe strain it, some of the conditioning yeast can be really chunky.
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I've mad edworts apfelwien multiple times, racking and letting it clear over a six month period before bottling. Trying to get it to carb up proved fruitless however -- guess it was too clear lol. Anyways my last batch just hit over 9 months and it's about 11% . For that batch I used 71b and lots of Demerara sugar to get the abv up. It is a heavenly drink, I wish I could force carb it, but it's beautiful as is
I've been pretty happy with K1V1116 as far as apples go... did a nice sparkling cider with it a few years ago, almost none left. I got all kinds of nice fruity esters going on with that batch too. I think I aged it a year before I primed and bottled it, had a small issue that necessitated sulphiting it so I added some more K1V to the priming mixture and it bottle carbed beautifully... discovered I need to put a "refrigerate before opening... or else!" warning on them, went off like champagne all over my brother at Xmas 
I just got a cyser article accepted in BeeCulture for Oct (available at Walmart
Lots of fun with apples. I have been looking at MoreWine and they have some interesting yeast to lower acid levels and are MLF compatible. We did QA23 last season vs D47, it was basically a tie which is great because we can use the QA23 which has a higher temp range and not have to worry about the heat. We havent done a scrumpy on purpose, yet, but the beer guys who make cider in a beer brewers fashion with ale yeasts hardly wait for the primary fermentation to stop before drinking. SafeAle 04 is we got to taste a couple of years ago and it was great, we did one last season, tasted like beer for about a year and then transformed into a very nice cyser, but if we didnt want it to be clear or we could have easily dranken it earlier. I dont think they grow many apples down your way so you are going to have to with apple juice, toss in some tannins to give it a body boost and instead of adding sugar to raise the SG and for priming get some nice welches apple juice concentrate to boost the apple flavor a little more or even go a step further and use honey. WVMJ
Lots of fun with apples. I have been looking at MoreWine and they have some interesting yeast to lower acid levels and are MLF compatible. We did QA23 last season vs D47, it was basically a tie which is great because we can use the QA23 which has a higher temp range and not have to worry about the heat. We havent done a scrumpy on purpose, yet, but the beer guys who make cider in a beer brewers fashion with ale yeasts hardly wait for the primary fermentation to stop before drinking. SafeAle 04 is we got to taste a couple of years ago and it was great, we did one last season, tasted like beer for about a year and then transformed into a very nice cyser, but if we didnt want it to be clear or we could have easily dranken it earlier. I dont think they grow many apples down your way so you are going to have to with apple juice, toss in some tannins to give it a body boost and instead of adding sugar to raise the SG and for priming get some nice welches apple juice concentrate to boost the apple flavor a little more or even go a step further and use honey. WVMJ
I tasted a tart-cherry cider last night made with Nottingham; 3 months old and it was delicious. I've tried a number of different yeast in ciders over the last few years and I have yet to find one I like any better than K1V. However that may say more about the quality of apple juice I'm able to get than anything else.
I've been playing with cider for a few years now. My yeast is 1116, and I go dry with bottle carbonation (1 tsp of sugar per bottle). I've found that the most important part of cider is the apple blend. You need a good mix of tart, bitter and sweet to make a really good cider -- but that balance is so very much personal taste. I've yet to find the perfect combo (but will dutifully continue to experiment!).
I find that ciders are drinkable very quickly (1 month and on). That doesn't mean they're not rough and ready, but that I enjoy the taste and fizz from that point on.
I find that ciders are drinkable very quickly (1 month and on). That doesn't mean they're not rough and ready, but that I enjoy the taste and fizz from that point on.
Hi Guys, I make 250,000 litres of cider here in the uk. Best to use a good quality champagne yeast, be carful that your ferment does not creep above 16 degrees and be sure to feed the yeast properly.
Ageing for a minimum of three months, and a well managed malolactic ferment will greatly improve the depth of your cider. regards
Ageing for a minimum of three months, and a well managed malolactic ferment will greatly improve the depth of your cider. regards
Shelly, why arent you using honey?? You are in NY, you must have access to some great cider apples. So what blend have you been working on, what is your favorite bitter? We are going to try to grow some bittersweets to blend with our sharps. WVMJ
As you are very close to me, can you reveal this apple juice source? Also, do you make sparkling cider or still? I've never had still hard cider. Do you bottle condition or force carbonate?
Having primed both ways myself, with sugar in the bottle and with honey in the batch, there is a certain simplicity to doing it with granulated sugar over measuring messy honey and trying to get the stuff to dissolve.
Is cider beer-like or wine-like in sanitation needs? Does it oxidize as readily as beer? I don't mind the whole bottle bucket prime thing nor do I mind putting the whole shebang in a corny. I have a bunch of corn sugar as well. Can I use the usual 1 cup corn sugar into 1 cup of boiling water to prime a 5 gallon batch?
I only know wine sanitation so that's what I use and so far it's worked out for me, but yeah, straight apple juice will only give you 6, maybe 7% alcohol so if you know beer, treat it like one. And no reason why you couldn't use corn sugar or heck, just force-carb it in a keg.
Oh, and I don't think it's as succeptible to oxidation. But your mileage may vary.
Oh, and I don't think it's as succeptible to oxidation. But your mileage may vary.
