Hard Cider

[wildcatter]

I've thought about bottling it when it's perfect, monitoring closely for the right amount of carbonation and pasteurizing it.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Most if not all ale and wine yeasts will result in a dry cider that has to be filtered or pasteurized or stabilized with sorbate and k-meta before back-sweetening. If sweet was what you wanted.

That, or cold crash and then kill off or remove the yeast using any of the same methods before it goes dry. Otherwise you have to keep it under refrigeration.

Champagne type yeast in particular will result in a very dry cider. It can go near 20% alcohol. Most ale and wine yeasts will do over 15%.

Some people have reported good results using wyeast sweet mead yeast in cider. Haven't tried it myself.

. :Sent by pneumatic tubes

This is exactly what we do for sweeter cider, when we want to. We like a drier cider so normally don't. We use champagne yeast to get it as dry as we can. Typically rack twice and depending on the size of the batch either bottle or put into a 1 gallon jug. Using an auto siphon or the mini auto siphon is the way to go.

 

[atio]

I'm on my 3rd attempt at making EdWort's apfelwein (which is basically the same, I just used apple juice instead of cider) and in reading the threads over at homebrewtalk and personal experience, you need to let it sit for quite a while for the flavor to come back.  The first batch I made I opened a bottle two months after making it and it was pretty bad.  I let it sit for six more months and opened another bottle and it was much sweeter.  Someone I know made it a few years back and lost a bottle behind a bookshelf for a couple years and when he opened it, he said it was the best wine he's ever had.

Just food for thought...

 

[jeepdiver]

 
I'm on my 3rd attempt at making EdWort's apfelwein (which is basically the same, I just used apple juice instead of cider) and in reading the threads over at homebrewtalk and personal experience, you need to let it sit for quite a while for the flavor to come back.  The first batch I made I opened a bottle two months after making it and it was pretty bad.  I let it sit for six more months and opened another bottle and it was much sweeter.  Someone I know made it a few years back and lost a bottle behind a bookshelf for a couple years and when he opened it, he said it was the best wine he's ever had.

Just food for thought...

I usually leave my cider for at least 4 months before I keg.  Got a batch now that needs to be kegged that was done in April, that I haven't had a chance to get to.  The apple flavor will come back, but not sure I would say it gets sweeter.  I also use cider yeast, and while it still makes it dry, I think it leaves a little more flavor than champing/wine yeast

 

[millerk0486]

JeepDiver, how many times do you rack it?

 

[jeepdiver]

Just once into the keg (or bottling bucket). Ive nevet had any off flavors from it