Cold Conditioning Cider

[manticle]

I'm just wondering if any of the cider makers on here do this? I came across some tips on cider making that suggested lower temperatures are better and the cider should ferment slow and be stored cool so I tried with my recent one (about 10 days at 2 deg, primary ferment at about 15). It's only just been bottled so real tasting reports will have to wait but it seems to have done the trick.

My impession is that a cider should be a bit like a lager - crisp, clean and refreshing so I guess treating it the same makes sense. I used no campden either so no sulphur stink during ferment and no repulsive sulphur taste from the brew.

Was about 10 L of fresh juice, 6 L store bought preservative free, topped up with water to 20 L, white wine yeast, ammonium phosphate and 200g Lactose. Fined and bulk primed with 130g dextrose.

Anyway I'll be lagering my next cider for sure.

 

[Verbyla]

Yeah i aim for the same temperature ranges.

Primary is usually at 14deg for 3 weeks for my cider. I do my larger at 12deg. I do it at a low temperature so to try and get the crisp taste that a larger has as well.
Cold conditioning is usually only done over a week at around 2-5 degs, mainly just for clarity. I wouldn't do it for much longer as i'm parranoid about the amount of live yeast left to carbonate when bottling but at the same time i'm but sure if it would matter due to the long conditioning time. I'd still keep the bottles warm at around 15 deg for a week or two after bottles to make sure the brew does carbonate.

There is nothing worse than opening that first flat bottle and knowing you have to either wait longer or get ride of them!

 

[pdilley]

You are on the right track. Anything you want ferment out clean, be it an Ale, Mead, or Cider, carry out the primary fermentation at lower temperatures and longer time.

I usually rack before it ferments out completely dry, and rack again if clearing is an issue, except with my latest I am trying leaving it on the cake for as long as my nerves hold out

Clearing this way is not an issue for bottling for if you are worried you can alway pitch a little fresh yeast with the priming sugar to carb up. If kegging you have it easy, and still cider is the easiest of them all.

I don't have refrigeration to age out my cider with so I keep it in the coldest part of the house in almost perpetual darkness. If I had a refrigeration room, I'd leave it for years under refrigeration at 15C or below for aging but I never seem to have the patience, so bare minimum 6 months with more like 8-9 before it really comes into its own.

With ciders I put them in PET, if aging them carbonated in the bottle. You don't want extreme carbonation, as you'll stir up all the yeast sediment in the bottle with all that CO2 bubbling action during release and cloud up your cider.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[Verbyla]

with my latest I am trying leaving it on the cake for as long as my nerves hold out

I've heard that its not a good thing to leave the brew on the cake for to long as dead yeast from the cake can release a bad taste into the brew. Not sure how much truth there is to that but just letting ya know

 

[Uncle Fester]

I ferment my cider @ 18 degrees (US-05). Takes about a week.

Then I CC it for about a week.

Makes for a crystal clear end result.

I keg it with 300g of sugar dissolved in 1lt of apple juice.


Have not met one drinker who was not happy with it yet....


Fester out.