jeanzanita
Member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2016
- Messages
- 22
- Reaction score
- 2
Hi there,
I'm relatively new to cider-making; although I've successfully made a few batches of dry, carbonated cider from store-bought juice. For those batches I used either a champagne yeast or SafCider. With both, fermentation occurred pretty quickly and stabilized at @.997 S.G.
However, this progress on my newest batch is very different and I'm not sure about a couple of issues. I bought the juice direct from an orchard - basically a drinking cider, not from cider apples. The owner says that apples were Johnagold, honeycrisp...and some other dessert apple. The juice was flash-pasteurized; I got it the same day it had been pressed.
I used WLP775 PurePitch English Cider yeast, for the first time.
1st issue: the S.G. seemed to get stuck at @1.004 - I think (?) this might be ok for a somewhat sweet cider, but I was hoping for dry. So I added some nutrient and let it go a while longer, but after a month, I only have @1.003. I was wondering if I should try and add a different yeast, like the ones I previously used and try to to for a drier cider. Anybody think this will work - or just produce problems ?
2nd issue: Slightly vinegar taste. This occurred directly after primary fermatation. During fermentation, the cider had a 'banana' smell. Which smelled wonderful, but according to this, might be 'cider sickness'?
"Cider 'sickness' is a disorder caused by bacteria of the genus Zymomonas... These organisms ferment sugars in the same way as yeasts, but they also produce large amounts of acetaldehyde which is said to give an odour of lemon or banana skins."
http://www.cider.org.uk/frameset.htm
When I opened the bucket at about S.G. 1.005 to switch to secondary, there were some whitish/transparent patches of ? floating on the surface - which to me, just looked like they could just be stuff that hadn't settled. Those disappeared and have not returned in secondary.
Could this slightly vinegary taste disappear after months of aging - or should I not waste my time bottling? other than that, there are good apple flavors that seem promising.
Thanks for any and all feedback !
I'm relatively new to cider-making; although I've successfully made a few batches of dry, carbonated cider from store-bought juice. For those batches I used either a champagne yeast or SafCider. With both, fermentation occurred pretty quickly and stabilized at @.997 S.G.
However, this progress on my newest batch is very different and I'm not sure about a couple of issues. I bought the juice direct from an orchard - basically a drinking cider, not from cider apples. The owner says that apples were Johnagold, honeycrisp...and some other dessert apple. The juice was flash-pasteurized; I got it the same day it had been pressed.
I used WLP775 PurePitch English Cider yeast, for the first time.
1st issue: the S.G. seemed to get stuck at @1.004 - I think (?) this might be ok for a somewhat sweet cider, but I was hoping for dry. So I added some nutrient and let it go a while longer, but after a month, I only have @1.003. I was wondering if I should try and add a different yeast, like the ones I previously used and try to to for a drier cider. Anybody think this will work - or just produce problems ?
2nd issue: Slightly vinegar taste. This occurred directly after primary fermatation. During fermentation, the cider had a 'banana' smell. Which smelled wonderful, but according to this, might be 'cider sickness'?
"Cider 'sickness' is a disorder caused by bacteria of the genus Zymomonas... These organisms ferment sugars in the same way as yeasts, but they also produce large amounts of acetaldehyde which is said to give an odour of lemon or banana skins."
http://www.cider.org.uk/frameset.htm
When I opened the bucket at about S.G. 1.005 to switch to secondary, there were some whitish/transparent patches of ? floating on the surface - which to me, just looked like they could just be stuff that hadn't settled. Those disappeared and have not returned in secondary.
Could this slightly vinegary taste disappear after months of aging - or should I not waste my time bottling? other than that, there are good apple flavors that seem promising.
Thanks for any and all feedback !