I have been making a lot of 1 gallon batches and started off using 1 packet of yeast to 1 gallon of cider. Seems to me that the amount of yeast for apple cider has been way too much. I have tried white sugar, brown sugar, and different yeast's. I seem to be getting a real strong apple wine with a strong after taste, which I think is the alcohol flavor. Do I need to devide the yeast packets into 1/5 ths to get a light and tastier cider? I can tell that I have been getting a high alcohol content, and have not made any vinager. I have back sweetend but it is just sweeter and strong after taste.
yeast quantity
- Thread starter jimwitt
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No, one packet is fine. The "alcohol" flavor comes from, well, alcohol. Adding sugar means boosting the ABV, and making wine instead of cider.
A "cider" is traditionally on good apple cider and yeast, and it ferments to abuot 5% ABV. It doesn't taste boozy.
You could try using 5 grams of ale yeast, and not wine yeast, and no added sugar at all, if you don't like a boozy dry apple wine and want to make hard cider.
No, one packet is fine. The "alcohol" flavor comes from, well, alcohol. Adding sugar means boosting the ABV, and making wine instead of cider.
A "cider" is traditionally on good apple cider and yeast, and it ferments to abuot 5% ABV. It doesn't taste boozy.
You could try using 5 grams of ale yeast, and not wine yeast, and no added sugar at all, if you don't like a boozy dry apple wine and want to make hard cider.
I am a newbie when it comes to home brewing. I have only had wood chuck and angry orchards to go by. Have liked them both very much and would like to make something at home that would taste good. For now, I can only get apple juice from the store. Since I have had no idea I was making really strong apple wine, Should I just use the juice and maybe some nutrient, with lavin E1118? Or perhaps do you have a easy 1 gallon recipe?
Just good tasting juice, but with a a 1/2 package of dry ale yeast would probably be the best for what you're looking for. There is a "sticky" above that says something about "juice and yeast experiments" where different yeast strains used are compared to help give you an idea of the flavor impact.
DeltaForceB85
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The easiest way to help with that alcohol taste is to stabilize with sorbate/sulfite and backsweeten to taste 24 hours later.
If you are aging a bottle or two, then rack those out before you add the sorbateor you'll end up with a bubble gun flavor that gets stronger over time. (Like way longer than any bottle of my cider will ever last.)
When I backsweeten cider I use Seneca apple juice concentrate.
Wait a few days to bottle it so the sediment from the concentrate can fall out.
If you are aging a bottle or two, then rack those out before you add the sorbateor you'll end up with a bubble gun flavor that gets stronger over time. (Like way longer than any bottle of my cider will ever last.)
When I backsweeten cider I use Seneca apple juice concentrate.
Wait a few days to bottle it so the sediment from the concentrate can fall out.
UpstateMike
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Lalvin EC-1118 is the bully of the yeast playground. It will tear through sugars and piss out a high alcohol content. It is usually my "go to" yeast when I know I will have a difficult fermentation like turning lemon juice into a hard lemonade (Skeeter Pee). But I feel it is too harsh to use for cider.
Consider a more gentle yeast, like Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast, or Fermentis SafAle S-04. I think you will like the results a lot better.
Consider a more gentle yeast, like Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast, or Fermentis SafAle S-04. I think you will like the results a lot better.
DeltaForceB85
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Or Cotes De Blanc from red star. It's a super picky eater and does an amazing apple cider!
