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Posted: 9/12/2023 9:56:33 AM EDT
Going to dip my toe into home brewing by making a cider.  Prefer not too dry but not too sweet either.  Y'all have any yeast recommendations? (or any other general recommendations?)

I'm planning on making about a gallon.  Going to pick up equipment and supplies this weekend.
Link Posted: 9/12/2023 10:06:58 AM EDT
[#1]
tagging for replies.

Also any apple type recommendations?
Link Posted: 9/12/2023 10:50:39 AM EDT
[#2]
For "not too sweet, not too dry" results, try:

Lalvin D47

A blend of red delicious and McIntosh

Link Posted: 9/12/2023 11:30:22 AM EDT
[#3]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By pite0007:
For "not too sweet, not too dry" results, try:

Lalvin D47

A blend of red delicious and McIntosh

View Quote
thank you
Link Posted: 9/14/2023 8:17:00 AM EDT
[#4]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By pite0007:
For "not too sweet, not too dry" results, try:

Lalvin D47

A blend of red delicious and McIntosh

View Quote


Thanks!  Picking some up tomorrow.
Link Posted: 9/14/2023 9:48:34 AM EDT
[#5]
If you use organic apples, no yeast needed.  You get the natural yeast from the apples
Link Posted: 9/17/2023 4:40:42 AM EDT
[#6]
I've had good results with both safcider and red star cotes de blanc wine yeast.

"Dry vs sweet" is going to be more affected by how/whether you back-sweeten than what yeast you use, imo.   Any yeast you pick is going to use up all of the fermentable sugar unless you make an incredibly high gravity cider.
Link Posted: 9/25/2023 5:40:48 PM EDT
[#7]
The brew store had D47 so I went with it.  It fermented for 7 days and then I put in in my secondary.  The gravity reading at that point showed about 6% abv.  I'm going to let it clear a bit until this weekend and I'm thinking of bottling it then.
Link Posted: 9/25/2023 6:12:33 PM EDT
[#8]
When I made cider I used a liquid smack pack champagne yeast.

Not sure if available, this was 20plus years ago.
Link Posted: 9/29/2023 11:02:18 PM EDT
[#9]
Bottled my cider today.  Added some white sugar for bottle conditioning.  Placed the bottles in an ice chest as bottle bomb insurance and will let sit for 3 weeks. Taste was good.
Link Posted: 10/4/2023 7:04:30 PM EDT
[#10]
Used to use Montrechet which is a champaign yeast.  Finished very dry and crisp.  Switched to Cote de Blanc for the last few batches.  Still crisp, but leaves a hint of sweetness.  I like it and my wine drinking wife loves it.
Link Posted: 10/26/2023 3:54:40 PM EDT
[#11]
Tried my cider a while ago.  It turned out well but didn't carbonate.  I'm still very pleased with it.  I've also got a cherry apple cider aging and hopefully carbonating.
Link Posted: 11/10/2023 7:25:51 PM EDT
[#12]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By JacobusRex:
Tried my cider a while ago.  It turned out well but didn't carbonate.  I'm still very pleased with it.  I've also got a cherry apple cider aging and hopefully carbonating.
View Quote



I just started two different recipes.  One a sort of cherry "cyser" and the other closer to true mead.

Mead:
7.5 pounds of whole cherries, pitted and frozen.  I put those in a big pot on the stove and slowly warmed them up and mashed them as I went.   Continued this until consistency was where I wanted it and temperature reached 150.  Then I turned the burner off and let it cool.   Goal was to get it to 150f for 15 or more minutes to kill any nasties on or in the fruit.   Then I dump the fruit and juice into a nylon bag in a measuring glass so I could get an idea of how much juice I was getting.  For future purposes, 7.5 pounds (at least of these big cherries) equals about 10 cups of juice.   I then tied off the bag of cherry skins and set it to the side to throw into the fermenter as the last thing.

3 pounds of honey.  
6 quarts of HEB select Montmorrency Cherry Juice
Zest of 1 large orange
1 cup of black tea (2 bags)... probably not needed since I'm adding the skins back.  The cherry skins probably have alot of tannin.
1 tsp of pectic enzyme
2 grams of Fermaid K
1 pack of Red Star cote des blanc

All went into a 3 gallon wide mouth fermonster.  Even though its a 2 gallon batch, I needed the extra volume for the solids.

Original Gravity measured at 1.100

Cherry/Apple "Cyser"

3 qts cherry juice
1 qt apple juice
8 oz honey
1 cup black tea
1/2 packet of Safcider AB-1

Original Gravity measured out at 1.065
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