Cider Digest #1540

eZine lover (@eZine)

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Cider Digest

 · 7 months ago

Subject: Cider Digest #1540, 18 November 2009 
From: cider-request@talisman.com 

 
Cider Digest #1540                                         18 November 2009 

                 Cider and Perry Discussion Forum 

Contents: 
  Re: Cider Digest #1539, 12 November 2009, reply ("mtripka") 
  Re: Ice Cider Yeast recommendations (Claude Jolicoeur) 
  strange brain goo (Scott Heath) 
  HEPA filtering racking air? (Alan Yelvington) 

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Subject: Re: Cider Digest #1539, 12 November 2009, reply 
From: "mtripka" <mtripka@hargray.com> 
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:35:31 -0500 

Replying to Ice Cider yeast question: 

"Subject: Ice Cider Yeast recommendations 
From: joseph margevicius <jmargevicius@hotmail.com> 
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:24:50 +0000 

I am a home cider maker trying to create an ice cider by using succesive 
freeze-thaw cycles on my freshly squeezed apple juice. I will then 
ferment the resulting apple juice concentrate in the normal way. I will 
probably start out with a S.G around 1.15 or so. I would like the cider 
to stop fermenting on its own, but not to dryness, rather leaving behind 
a relatively sweet, thick, appley apertif (similar to the ice ciders one 
can find in Quebec). 

Can anyone recommend an appropriate commercial yeast? If anyone else has 
tried this, do you have any pointers? 

Thanks 

Joe" 

Joe, 

I made an Ice Cider in a similar fashion last year.  Started with 5 gal at 15 
Brix, froze to 2 gal, 28 Brix.  Used QA23 from More Beer.  Fermented down to 1 
Brix.  Might not be as sweet as you want, but the yeast left a GREAT apple 
profile. 

Mike Tripka 
Bluffton, SC 

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Subject: Re: Ice Cider Yeast recommendations 
From: Claude Jolicoeur <cjoli@gmc.ulaval.ca> 
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:01:43 -0500 

In Cider Digest #1539, 12 November 2009 
>Subject: Ice Cider Yeast recommendations 
>From: joseph margevicius <jmargevicius@hotmail.com> 
>Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:24:50 +0000 
> 
>I am a home cider maker trying to create an ice cider by using succesive 
>freeze-thaw cycles on my freshly squeezed apple juice.  I will then 
>ferment the resulting apple juice concentrate in the normal way. I will 
>probably start out with a S.G around 1.15 or so. I would like the cider 
>to stop fermenting on its own, but not to dryness, rather leaving behind 
>a relatively sweet, thick, appley apertif (similar to the ice ciders one 
>can find in Quebec). 
> 
>Can anyone recommend an appropriate commercial yeast? If anyone else has 
>tried this, do you have any pointers? 

Hello Joe, 
I still haven't done it yet, but here are a few ideas... 
We have to keep in mind that if the juice is rich in nutrients (i.e. 
Nitrogen), there is little that can be done to have the fermentation stop 
by itself before dryness. Most ice cider makers in Quebec have to stop the 
fermentation chemically, by filtration or by temperature treatment at the 
moment they choose. 

One thing that could be tried is a keeve that would make the concentrated 
juice poor in Nitrogen and in yeast nutrient. You would then have a slower 
fermentation that may get "stuck" at some SG. If you haven't done a keeve 
yet, I would suggest you try it on normal juice before doing it on 
concentrated juice! Note that some keeved ciders that I have done (from 
unconcentrated juice) compared favourably with any ice cider on all points 
except that the alcohol was lower on my keeved cider. 

There are some yeasts that are known to leave some residual sweetness 
(Riesling for example) but I doubt the r.s. could be high enough this way. 
Usually, the r.s. from these yeasts is just enough to give a "dry to 
fruity" taste and not a real sweet and rich feeling. I am doing a 
side-by-side test this year with 3 yeasts including a Riesling type yeast - 
unfortunately I won't have the result of this in time for your ice cider. 

Claude 

------------------------------ 

Subject: strange brain goo 
From: Scott Heath <scott@fireballfarm.com> 
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:10:59 -0700 

This question is for all you cider adventurers out there: 
I am fermenting, among other experiments, a carboy of cider with some 
cherries in it.  Five gallons of juice plus 1 lb 10 oz of wild 
cherries, frozen and then thawed, equals an interesting beige goo 
that both floats near the surface (with the cherries) and sinks to 
the bottom of the carboy.  It seems to be fermenting just fine and 
tastes like I think it should after about 15 days. 
Has anyone seen or heard of this phenomenon?  I wonder if it will 
eventually disappear or if I will have to loose a lot of volume to 
this beast, or perhaps it will simply ruin the drink altogether.... 

thanks 
scott 

------------------------------ 

Subject: HEPA filtering racking air? 
From: Alan Yelvington <alany@semparpac.org> 
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:45:08 -0500 

I've found a very inexpensive source for medical grade HEPA filters. 
Has anyone experimented with putting a HEPA filter into the bung on a 
tapped barrel to keep out the biologicals while tapping the contents?  I 
was thinking of swapping the airlock with a filter when racking to 
ensure that the contents were not contaminated during the transfer.  Any 
comments would be appreciated! 

Al Yelvington 
Russell, PA 

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End of Cider Digest #1540 
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