Made a Hard Cider using a local vendor's Cider. Instead of using sugar to bottle condition, cider was used to both back sweeten and condition the hard cider.
Am on my 3rd batch of 'hard cider'. (Yes, yes, I've done beers, ales, etc.) I used Belle Saison yeast. OG=1.052, FG=1.002. I used cold-pressed, unpasteurized, unmolested, zero chemical, zero preservative-laden natural apple juice. Took ages (a month) for the initial fermentation to diminish to the point that I could rack it. I had to rack a 2nd. time to really reduce the lees. I bottled it with 1 carbonation pill per 12oz bottle, and let them sit in the 64°F basement for 2 weeks before I refrigerated two for a taste test. Results were pretty darn good: medium fizz, slightly dry, definite apple taste, with no off-aromas (sulphur) or tastes. Wifey liked it a lot. Next time I am going to backsweeten with some light brown sugar (1 tsp per bottle) and add a couple of drops of commercial grade apple flavor.
Nice one fellas. I keep telling myself I should brew a cider but never get around to it! Cheers. Oh and thanks for introducing the bottle/gas cap contraption - gonna get one of those!
+deliveryboy555 Super easy if you buy the cider already made up. Otherwise you have to get apple juice without preservatives and add whatever you want in it for extra flavor. This can get tricky because you have to taste it as you add to it, otherwise you might add too much of something and be in trouble.
Campden pills will not kill the yeast, but rather make the environment unpleasant for them to make an iddy biddy colony in the bottle. Iddy biddy colonies will, if there's enough fermentable sugar, make CO2, for fizz. HOWEVER, many have reported off flavors if you put Campden pills IN the bottles.
Did you pasteurize the bottles to kill the yeast? Because to me if you cleaned everything you should have been fine skipping that step. Also a little pectic enzyme would have gone a LONG way to help clear up your cider. I assume you are beer guys who took a run at cider? Because this is how it would go if I made a beer with me being a cider maker..
I haven't brewed anything before yet but I have been studying to make a cider here soon. But I'm pretty sure he pasteurized because he wanted to start the carbonation process but he also wanted a sweeter cider and not dry. So by warming up the bottles in 160 degree water he killed the yeast to prevent all the sugars from forming CO2 but still left some sugar in there for sweetness.
I'm a little lazier about my cider... I make a 5 gal batch , keg it then force carbonate it and add unfermented cider to it when I serve it. When I bottle from the keg I loose a lot to foam.
he did not really properly explain this step in his poorly made vid of jokes and yakking,,but the reason is to kill the yeast in order to prevent them from fermenting or carbonating any further residual sugars so that the drink is still carbonated yet somewhat sweet or has the apple flavour in it ,it depends on what results you want,a dry cider,semi sweet,sweet
Am on my 3rd batch of 'hard cider'. (Yes, yes, I've done beers, ales, etc.) I used Belle Saison yeast. OG=1.052, FG=1.002. I used cold-pressed, unpasteurized, unmolested, zero chemical, zero preservative-laden natural apple juice. Took ages (a month) for the initial fermentation to diminish to the point that I could rack it. I had to rack a 2nd. time to really reduce the lees. I bottled it with 1 carbonation pill per 12oz bottle, and let them sit in the 64°F basement for 2 weeks before I refrigerated two for a taste test. Results were pretty darn good: medium fizz, slightly dry, definite apple taste, with no off-aromas (sulphur) or tastes. Wifey liked it a lot. Next time I am going to backsweeten with some light brown sugar (1 tsp per bottle) and add a couple of drops of commercial grade apple flavor.
Just pasteurized mine,letting it cool now,I’m pretty excited
Nice one fellas. I keep telling myself I should brew a cider but never get around to it! Cheers. Oh and thanks for introducing the bottle/gas cap contraption - gonna get one of those!
+deliveryboy555 Super easy if you buy the cider already made up. Otherwise you have to get apple juice without preservatives and add whatever you want in it for extra flavor. This can get tricky because you have to taste it as you add to it, otherwise you might add too much of something and be in trouble.
you can get clear cider by refilling it several times leaving the dregs on the bottom
can i skip pasteurization if i use a campden tablet at bottling?
Campden pills will not kill the yeast, but rather make the environment unpleasant for them to make an iddy biddy colony in the bottle. Iddy biddy colonies will, if there's enough fermentable sugar, make CO2, for fizz. HOWEVER, many have reported off flavors if you put Campden pills IN the bottles.
Have you tried making a dry hopped hard cider ?
Did you pasteurize the bottles to kill the yeast? Because to me if you cleaned everything you should have been fine skipping that step. Also a little pectic enzyme would have gone a LONG way to help clear up your cider. I assume you are beer guys who took a run at cider? Because this is how it would go if I made a beer with me being a cider maker..
I haven't brewed anything before yet but I have been studying to make a cider here soon. But I'm pretty sure he pasteurized because he wanted to start the carbonation process but he also wanted a sweeter cider and not dry. So by warming up the bottles in 160 degree water he killed the yeast to prevent all the sugars from forming CO2 but still left some sugar in there for sweetness.
I'm a little lazier about my cider... I make a 5 gal batch , keg it then force carbonate it and add unfermented cider to it when I serve it. When I bottle from the keg I loose a lot to foam.
Why do you pasteurize?
he did not really properly explain this step in his poorly made vid of jokes and yakking,,but the reason is to kill the yeast in order to prevent them from fermenting or carbonating any further residual sugars so that the drink is still carbonated yet somewhat sweet or has the apple flavour in it ,it depends on what results you want,a dry cider,semi sweet,sweet