First attempt, daring the sorbates

[Killer_Robot]

I'm trying my first batch of cider, 4 gallons of sweet cider and one gallon of apple juice with some added dextrose and Lalvin EC-1118. Bad news is, the cider has sorbate, so going with some advice I'd seen elsewhere I made a yeast starter with a half gallon on the unpreserved apple juice and some yeast nutrient. Pitching the whole thing tonight when the starter's reached 24 hours, and hoping I can overwhelm that. Here's hoping it works.

As for strength, I know a lot of people like heavy on the extra fermentables for kick, but I also hear that the stronger you make it the more aging it takes after primary. What I'm less clear on is how much difference it takes to age a cider at natural strength, and how long it takes one with a big bunch of dextrose or honey to beef it up. Not planning to pump this one up too high in any case, but curious for future experimentation.

 

[gregbathurst]

I just make my cider with juice and it is fine to drink once fully carbed, though it keeps improving with time.

 

[Pogo]

I'd advise pitching one forth of the starter every other day, with nutrient, until it's gone, then see where you are at.

Also, I'd probably start another jug of starter now, just as a backup, in case it takes more pitches to exhaust/overwhelm the preservatives.

It can be done, just keep at it.

As a last resort, if you have extra equipment, split this batch between two, or more, primaries, top up with un-preserved juice, and keep re-pitching.

Pogo

 

[Killer_Robot]

I pitched the whole thing last night, but a fresh starter with the spare yeast might not be a bad idea. On the other hand, 18 hours in and it's bubbling steadily so it seems the stuff at least didn't stop the yeast yet.

 

[Pogo]

Hey, good work!

If it keeps on chugging, just ignore my post!

Pogo

 

[Killer_Robot]

Four days in and it's still going strong: ranged between 15-25 bubbles per minute the last few days. Provided nothing else comes up, it seems that part of the experiment is a success.

 

[ScottM]

Interesting experiment. It's good to see that your yeast is holding it's own against the sorbate. The next step to see is if those additional chemicals, and their interactions with your yeast, result in any "off" flavors for the final product.

 

[Killer_Robot]

Further update on this: two weeks in primary and it's gotten steady at about 1.002 SG. Taste is dry and a bit rough, but there's nothing actually bad about it, or any off flavors that don't seem like part of the apples. I figure I'll give it a while more to see how it clears, then I'll bottle the stuff. Still trying to decide whether to backsweeten, artificially backsweeten, or just make it dry, but it seems the sorbated cider can be defeated as long as you pitch it heavy.