cider yeast

[tim.ross86]

Hi I'm just about to start brewing a cider using a standard fermenting kit using a pear strawberry concentrate. It says to use cider yeast but I have normal brewing yeast. Just wondering is their much of a difference between the two. Or is it worth just buying the cider yeast? Cheers Rossi

 

[TimT]

I'd go with a wine yeast rather than an ale yeast. Cider is closer to wine than to ale - for one thing, you'll get a lot of fructose from your fruit juice which you won't get from barley. You'll also want to go for some more complex winey flavours.

 

[tim.ross86]

Cheers mate I'll give it ago!

 

[Spiesy]

I'd go with a wine yeast rather than an ale yeast. Cider is closer to wine than to ale - for one thing, you'll get a lot of fructose from your fruit juice which you won't get from barley. You'll also want to go for some more complex winey flavours.

If the OP has to go out and get a yeast, might as well get a cider yeast, yeah?

 

[manticle]

People successfully use ale yeasts in cider.
And wine yeasts.
And mead yeasts.
And cider yeasts.

 

[rusty274]

I've used a few cider kits before and found the mangrove jacks MO2 "cider yeast" works really well.

 

[tim.ross86]

Yeah I didn't realize the cider yeast came in the kit. Another quick question is it okay to use a clearing agent?

 

[oakburner]

after too many grumblings from SWMBO about "beer tastes" in her cider, I did a four way split batch last year to trial different yeasts to see which one she liked.....

EC1118
CL23
US04
Black Rock Cider Yeast

all were pitched onto 3L each of WW preservative free store bought juice - shaken for O2 and 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient.
fermented @ 18 degrees ....crashed to 4 degrees three days before tasting

feedback was that the US04 was "too beery" (I don't comprehend this statement), EC1118 was too dry and with minimal apple flavour retained, and the Black Rock kit yeast was a bit sulphery. CL23 won hands down, with reasonable apple character retained, not too dry and fairly clean and neutral flavour profile.

I now do full batches using CL23 into 30 champagne bottles for her each time....

OB

 

[manticle]

Fine to use a clearing agent.

 

[Mutaneer]

I started experimenting with both DV10 and EC1118

I found the above statements about the EC1118 to be true
the DV10 retained more sweetness and rounder flavour,

But I've just pitched two batches with 71B as recommended here,
It should be even more rounded in it's flavour profile due to it's ability to work on the Malic Acid for "buttery" notes.

 

[Bribie G]

I've used Black Rock and I know what you mean about sulphury, but when it matures out it's ok. A mate made a brilliant Aldi cider on a fresh sachet of S0-04.
I've used spare beer yeast slurry but there's proteins etc in the slurry and I've had a couple of volcanoes.

I'm up for a cider again shortly, what I'll do is get a fresh tin of Black Rock and use that half and half with juice and run the yeast on for a number of brews.