New Cider

[msinning]

Hey everyone, im gonna give hard cider a shot but have a few questions. I have 3 gallons of pasteurized, preservative free cider bought at a local orchard. Do I need to add camden and pectic enzyme before pitching yeast? If so is there anything else I need to add as well. Thanks in advance for your info.

 

[LeBreton]

Pectic enzyme helps the cider to clear, it is somewhat inhibited by the presence of alcohol. Most folks add it about 24 hrs before pitching the yeast. Campden tablets help protect the cider from wild yeast and microbes. Since the juice was pasteurized, it should be pretty clean, but simply exposing juice to air opens the possibility of infection. Campden also protects the finished cider from oxidation which can ruin flavor. I typically add it along with the pectic enzyme, sometimes a lesser amount again when racking, and right before bottling.

 

[msinning]

Thanks for the info!

 

[msinning]

LeBreton, any info on bottling cider? I would like to.make a sparkling cider. Is it done the same way as bottling beer?

 

[LeBreton]

LeBreton, any info on bottling cider? I would like to.make a sparkling cider. Is it done the same way as bottling beer?

For a dry cider, yes, exactly like beer. Adding enough fermentable sugar to raise the SG 0.003-0.004 points is just about perfect for me.

That being said, many folks do not like dry cider. If you want to make a cider with some residual sweetness, sweetening with an unfermentable sugar such as stevia etc. is one option. Otherwise use a more traditional sweetener like sugar or apple concentrate and follow the steps laid out in the bottle pasteurization sticky at the top of the cider forum.

Or, if you have some extra money, get a kegging setup.

 

[msinning]

Thanks again!