English and Wild English Cider

A lot of potential wild yeast in there

Date: Sept. 20, 2014

Headed to Door Creek Orchard to pick apples and pick up some great unpasturized cider. Since last fall, I've been wanting to take another crack at doing a hard cider, and especially a batch that included wild yeast.

I found the Mad Fermentationist blog to be really helpful (See Sour Cider and Cider 2008), as well as web pages from Vermont Home Brew, Lost Meadow Vermont, and some interesting looking recipes from Two Fingers In Cider.

(Over)heating this batch by mistake.

English Cider
1 gal

Sanitize a one-gallon jug. Add brown sugar and potassium metabisulphite to cider and let sit 24 hrs to suppress wild yeast and bacteria. Add pectic enzyme one hour before pitching yeast. Add nutrients, pitch yeast, and aerate.

Ingredients:

• 1 gal Unpasturized apple cider
• 1/16 t Potassium metabisulphite (24 hrs before yeast pitch)
• 0.5 t Pectic enzyme (1 hr before yeast pitch)
• 6 oz Dark brown sugar
• 0.5 t Yeast nutrient
• 0.5 vial White Labs WLP775 English Cider yeast

Fermentation:

• Ferment at 66F ambient air.

Wild English Cider
1 gal

Sanitize a one-gallon jug. Warm cider to 70+F, aerate, and let sit 24 hrs to promote wild yeast. Add pectic enzyme one hour before pitching yeast. Add nutrients, pitch yeast, and aerate.

Ingredients:

• 1 gal Unpasturized apple cider
• 0.5 t Pectic enzyme (1 hr before yeast pitch)
• 0.5 t Yeast nutrient
• 0.5 vial White Laps WLP775 English Cider yeast

Fermentation:

• Intended to warm cider to 72-75F 24 hrs prior to pitching cider yeast, but forgot about my heater and left it on too long. Jug was warm to touch. Heated 3-4 hrs.
• Immediately put jug in ice water bath to quickly chill. Brought temp down to slightly cool to touch. Chilled 30 min.
• Left at 66F room temp overnight, ~12 hrs.
• Leave to ferment at 66F ambient air for remainder.