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Cider Digest #1731
Subject: Cider Digest #1731, 2 September 2012
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1731 2 September 2012
Cider and Perry Discussion Forum
Contents:
Lifeless cider (Andrew Lea)
Re: Cider Digest #1730, 28 August 2012 (Bruce Kahn)
RE: Lifeless Cider (homebrewtim@me.com)
Does anyone have any suggestions regarding how to liven up my batch?" (rcs...)
CiderDays Sweet and Hard Cider Festival in Franklin County Massachusett (A...)
Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival tickets (Alan Yelvington)
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Subject: Lifeless cider
From: Andrew Lea <andrew@harphill.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 20:19:01 +0100
On 28/08/2012 19:45, Timmy wrote:
>
> I live in S. IL and ferment cider at home. Last years batch from our local
> orchard has cleared, fermented from 1.050 to 0.994. It was fermented with
> White Labs WLP 775. I pitched the yeast on Sep 22, 2011. My problem this
> year is the cider, although clean, is lifeless. Last years batch with
> the same yeast and juice from the same orchard was dry, tart and very tasty.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions regarding how to liven up my batch?
> I have Acid Blend and Wine Tannin handy along with oak chips, oak cubes,
> lactic acid and phosphoric acid.
So this is a still dry cider, right? Are you keeping it totally
airtight? That's essential.
But before you try adding loads of fancy stuff....
1. What is the acid level now? The cider might have gone through a
malo-lactic change and its acid could have dropped by half. Restoring
that could help.
2. Have you thought of a lack of dissolved CO2 - I don't mean overt
carbonation with bubbles, I mean sub-threshold. That can have an
enormous effect in conferring 'life'. Try to carbonate some on a small
scale and see if it's better.
Andrew Lea
nr Oxford, UK
www.cider.org.uk
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Subject: Re: Cider Digest #1730, 28 August 2012
From: Bruce Kahn <dirkblaze@aol.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 15:53:59 -0400
Lifeless Cider
I dislike "acid blend." I find it burns my throat. Malic acid is smoother.
So is lemon juice.
I suggest adding grape tannin. It can improve body, mouthfeel and taste.
If you really want something different try boiling some spices (cinnamon,
cloves, allspice or my fav. cardamon) in a little water and add that.
Start with a very small amount, such that you can hardly detect it.
On Aug 28, 2012, at 2:45 PM, cider-request@talisman.com wrote:
> Lifeless Cider
Bruce Kahn
West Chester, PA
------------------------------
Subject: RE: Lifeless Cider
From: homebrewtim@me.com
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:47:51 -0500
I may need to clarify a few details. My cider from last year was a 2010
harvest that fermented over the winter and I served 3 ciders from that
year's juice...a dry cider, a specialty cider (added blackberry puree and
brown sugar) and a New England style cider.
This year's cider was from last year's juice and I have 2 batches. The dry
cider (just juice) is the problem. The other is a specialty cider with
added blueberry puree and seems to be progressing nicely.
Cheers,
Timmy
------------------------------
Subject: Does anyone have any suggestions regarding how to liven up my batch?"
From: rcschoeler@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:27:59 -0400
Timmy,
I also live in the Mid-West (N.E. Ohio) and think my cider thin and
uninteresting compared to the year before. Although you didn't mention
whether you back-sweeten and to what degree, or what your acid level is
(mine was substantially higher this past year than the previous), I tried
back sweetening with the strongest tasting filtered apple juice I could
fine. I think with a finer beginning cider this would have detracted
from the finished result, but in this case, I think it improved it.
Depends how much of a purist you are I suppose, but I'm not sure I'd mess
with much else. I'm from the school 'you take what the apple gives you'
and if that's not much, you pray for better things next year!
While last years cider is nothing special, at least the apple crop was
plentiful. This year all my orchards are 95% or greater crop loss due to
early warmth and late frost.
Richard S.
------------------------------
Subject: CiderDays Sweet and Hard Cider Festival in Franklin County Massachusett
From: Alan Yelvington <alany@semparpac.org>
Date: Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:15:04 -0400
Cider Days tickets are now available!
http://www.ciderday.org/tickets.html
------------------------------
Subject: Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival tickets
From: Alan Yelvington <alany@semparpac.org>
Date: Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:17:45 -0400
Tickets are now available for the Great Lakes
Cider & Perry Festival!
September 8, 2012
http://greatlakescider.com/ciderfest.html
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End of Cider Digest #1731
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