giuzep89
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 14, 2021
- Messages
- 68
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Dear friends,
I wanted to perform another head-to-head yeast trial, since last time I pitted the M02 against other yeasts (Nottingham and 71b), Mangrove Jack's to me was the absolute winner. I had been hearing about the quality of Fermentis yeasts for a long time and wanted to try them out, so I did, and I wanted to share the results with you.
The juice I was naturally the same exact one for all three, a pasteurized blended apple juice from a local orchard. I used the recommended pitching rates for all three yeasts, with the difference that I also added a dose of Wyeast Beer Nutrient Blend for the SafCider yeasts, since Mangrove Jack's already comes with nutrients. I think I managed to strike a good balance between must oxygenation, pitching rate and nutrient dosage with all three batches since they all took nearly the same length of time to finish fermenting, that is in about 5 days. O.G. of the juice was 1.050 and they all finished at 1.000.
As of today, my girlfriend and I have only tasted the 3 ciders right after fermentation, on racking day. I'm sure aging will bring out other flavors and aromas, but the first impressions we had already give some important information. The 3 ciders weren't wildly different from each other, but the most remarkable difference between them was the level of acidity. the AS2 claims to produce medium acidity and medium esters, whereas the AC4 claims high acidity and high esters. I can confirm that this is true. But what I learned next is equally important: the M02 was the least acidic of the 3. Since MJ's doesn't really give out that sort of information, I'm gonna assume that the malic acid absorption of their yeast would be on the "high" scale if compared to fermentis. The M02 was definitely less acidic than the other 2, and with lower esters as well. However: last time I tested it against other yeasts it also seemed too "dull" right after fermentation, but it had a beautiful aroma in the glass months later. It is important to note that it does reduce the acidity of the must quite a lot, therefore I wouldn't recommed it if your juice is not very sour in the first place. It is also important to note that both M02 and AS2 are bayanus strains, therefore more like champaigne yeasts, whereas the AC4 is a cerevisiae, and it indeed behaved like an ale yeast even during fermentation ("dirty", lots sediment sticking to the sides of the fermentor, etc.). I would wager that most ale yeasts do absolutely nothing at all to smother eccessive acidity in cider musts.
A quick summary of the general tasting notes:
- AC4: crisp, citrusy, dry mouthfeel, the most acidic of them all;
- AS2: apple forward, tangy but not too much, fruity, with a touch of perceived sweetness;
- M02: the least acidic of the three, very smooth mouthfeel, delicately fruity, mild, "dessert-like";
Hope that's useful to someone!
I wanted to perform another head-to-head yeast trial, since last time I pitted the M02 against other yeasts (Nottingham and 71b), Mangrove Jack's to me was the absolute winner. I had been hearing about the quality of Fermentis yeasts for a long time and wanted to try them out, so I did, and I wanted to share the results with you.
The juice I was naturally the same exact one for all three, a pasteurized blended apple juice from a local orchard. I used the recommended pitching rates for all three yeasts, with the difference that I also added a dose of Wyeast Beer Nutrient Blend for the SafCider yeasts, since Mangrove Jack's already comes with nutrients. I think I managed to strike a good balance between must oxygenation, pitching rate and nutrient dosage with all three batches since they all took nearly the same length of time to finish fermenting, that is in about 5 days. O.G. of the juice was 1.050 and they all finished at 1.000.
As of today, my girlfriend and I have only tasted the 3 ciders right after fermentation, on racking day. I'm sure aging will bring out other flavors and aromas, but the first impressions we had already give some important information. The 3 ciders weren't wildly different from each other, but the most remarkable difference between them was the level of acidity. the AS2 claims to produce medium acidity and medium esters, whereas the AC4 claims high acidity and high esters. I can confirm that this is true. But what I learned next is equally important: the M02 was the least acidic of the 3. Since MJ's doesn't really give out that sort of information, I'm gonna assume that the malic acid absorption of their yeast would be on the "high" scale if compared to fermentis. The M02 was definitely less acidic than the other 2, and with lower esters as well. However: last time I tested it against other yeasts it also seemed too "dull" right after fermentation, but it had a beautiful aroma in the glass months later. It is important to note that it does reduce the acidity of the must quite a lot, therefore I wouldn't recommed it if your juice is not very sour in the first place. It is also important to note that both M02 and AS2 are bayanus strains, therefore more like champaigne yeasts, whereas the AC4 is a cerevisiae, and it indeed behaved like an ale yeast even during fermentation ("dirty", lots sediment sticking to the sides of the fermentor, etc.). I would wager that most ale yeasts do absolutely nothing at all to smother eccessive acidity in cider musts.
A quick summary of the general tasting notes:
- AC4: crisp, citrusy, dry mouthfeel, the most acidic of them all;
- AS2: apple forward, tangy but not too much, fruity, with a touch of perceived sweetness;
- M02: the least acidic of the three, very smooth mouthfeel, delicately fruity, mild, "dessert-like";
Hope that's useful to someone!