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potential completion
i have done up some experimental batches of cider using the WYeast cider yeast, i think it was #4766. i don't have the OG and the recent gravity check numbers on me, but it has fermented about 60% of the original sugars ( something like OG = 1.105 and a reading at 1.042 ro so). i am doing two recipes with each of a few different yeast strains to compare them all.
for this yeast strain, is this all i should expect. i have only checked the gravity once, since ciders usually take longer anyway. but i have kept the temperatures up (67-70 F) and it has been five weeks or so.
it tastes great, actually has an apple flavor to it unlike my first attempt at cider. so i am quite excited that the results of this experiment will be more than favorable. i am just unsure if i am being unrealistic in expecting additional fermentation. i would prefer a finished cider that does not have quite so much residual sugar.
i could put the issue to rest by taking another reading, but i only did one gallon batches, and every hydrometer full reduces the amount of finished beverage i will have to age for flavor profiling.
next is a split batch using the white labs english cider yeast. let me know if anyone has any input on this yeast strain as well.
cider tends to take forever to ferment. The last cider i made fermented for 3 months and it only started at 1.050. It came down to 0.996. There is a lot of conditioning that is required for cider and the flavor does change quite a bit if left on the yeast. Although, if you are satisfied with what you have and want to bottle it, I would add a few campden tablets to kill anything that is still in there. 1.046 is a ton of sugar and you will most likely get bottle bombs if you don't pasteurize before bottling...
If you started at 1.105 or something close, your yeast might have reached there limit to alcohol tolerance. It almost sounds like you have a stuck fermentation if the gravity isn't moving anymore. I would consider pitching fresh yeast on top of what you have if you want the gravity to come down. Cheers - 1n1
that's just it, i am not sure if the fermentation is stuck or not. the yeast is supposed to be decent up to 11-12% ABV, and right now it is sitting right around 8%. theoretically, this yeast shoul dbe able to take it down to 1.015-ish. that is a residual gravity i can live with, no problem. and a cider that packs one heck of a punch!
i am loathe to use up more cider in the hydrometer to check for completion over three days, that would virtually half the finished product i would have for conditioning and ageing. or i could just suck it up and do the tests so that i have the imperical data necessary to complete this science experiment. at least than i would know how this yeast works and what to expect out if it in the future.
so i bottled this experiment on Feb. 23rd with a final gravity of 1.012 (the OG was 1.102). so this yeast, the WYeast cider yeast #4766 had no problem fermenting this whopper down. and with a 11.6% ABV this is going to be a party pleaser.
i was quite pleased with the initial flavor. it was certainly hot with alcohol when i drank my hydrometer tests down, but had definite apple aroma and flavor. this is a huge improvement on my first cider, which was so dry and tasted nothing like apple, let alone any other fruit.
i will keep you posted on how this matures. i got four 750-ml bottles out of each batch and i plan to drink them every month on the month as they age. so in two weeks i will have my first tasting. the hope is that if they taste good at four months, i will have found a recipe to brew up a cider that does not require 6 months or more to peak.
so i popped the top on the first bottle last night. this first batch is done up with wyeast cider yeast, half done spiced the other half straight. i tasted the unspiced bottle last night.
at initial pour, it was super carbonated, but as it sat in the glass whilst i was enjoying it, it seemed to de-gas right quick. still tasted a little yeasty and it was definitely green, but the apple flavor was there. it had that cider bite on the tongue though, and a great aroma.
i'll have me the spiced bottle tonight and let you know how prominent the spices came out to be.
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