Cider Failure

[sbv32]

OK I attempted to make cider and it was a failure. I started with 5 gallons of cider and added 2lbs of cor sugar and pitched English ale yeast. I did this on 10-18-07 and put into secondary on 10-31-07 and it sat in there until last night when I kegged. I tasted it when kegging and it tasted like alcohol water with a slight hint of apple (very slight). I added some apple juice concentrate to sweeten and it still tastes like crap. Any suggestions on what I did wrong? I didn't take any gravity readings.

Waited almost a year for some bad stuff. Is there anything I can do with it or should I dump it?

[sbv32]

i'm sure someone on here can help me out :D

[MrNate]

Well... I guess the place to start is what you wanted it to taste like. Is there a commercial cider you were aiming for?

When I make cider, I use just fresh pressed cider from the local orchard and WL English Cider yeast. Many people do not care for this yeast as it makes a very bone dry cider. In my case, that's exactly what I want, so I love it.

Offhand, I'm going to guess that you wanted a sweeter cider, but the additional sugar you added made it a little to "hot", a condition that was only further aggravated by the addition of more sugar later (the apple juice concentrate).

Some people have reported success with back-sweetening using Splenda. I think what you'll probably need to do is run some experiments with different yeasts and unfermentable sugars (like lactose) to get the profile you're looking for. Maybe try a low attenuating yeast like Windsor?

[sbv32]

Thanks...I was looking for this to taste like J.K Schrumpies (sp?).

I sure wish someone could taste it and tell me what they think.;

[JayShaw91]

Nate, I use the same yeast, and yeah, it makes a lot more of an apple wine than a cider that you'd get from the store.

It's still good, just missing a lot of body.

I'm going to add some dextrine to mine for body and back down the priming sugar so it's less like a chardonnay.

[corkybstewart]

Our crabapple cider tasted pretty crappy last year when we bottled it-it was way too alcoholic tasting and very, very dry. After a year in the bottles it is really good so don't give up. Bottle it, put it in a dark closet and leave it alone for a year. Then you can pour it out if it still tastes bad. If you just want it sweeter, add a little Splenda, it's nonfermentable so it will add sweetness. Any type of juice, sugar, or concentrate will ferment and just create more alcohol.

[MrNate]

If you look at the dates, his is close to a year old already...I'm guessing the english ale yeast he used just munched up more sugar than he wanted it to. Probably tastes a lot like my cider.

[btsager]

There is a sweet cider/mead yeast out there too I think.

Also you probably didn't need to leave it in the secondary for almost a year. I think the only time people leave it for so long is if they are letting it naturally ferment with no added yeast. I think a good ferment time would be 4-6 weeks total.

[sbv32]

Thanks for the help guys.

[zoom6zoom]

I would not have added any sugar to your original ferment. DerekT recommended a Red Star Cotes du Rhone to me for my first cider and I've been using it ever since. I find my cider gets tasting it's best just before the keg kicks. I currently have an untapped keg that's been sitting for about nine months, should be pretty nice by now.

[MrNate]

There is a sweet cider/mead yeast out there too I think.

Also you probably didn't need to leave it in the secondary for almost a year. I think the only time people leave it for so long is if they are letting it naturally ferment with no added yeast. I think a good ferment time would be 4-6 weeks total.

I disagree insofar as my recipe is concerned. I find that mine requires 6 months or so before it really starts to get good.

[markaberrant]

First off, I agree with the folks that like to let their ciders age before drinking.

As for actual cider making - yeast selection is critical (as is your source of apples). Because cider making is not overly common, and just about everyone has a different source of apples, it takes some experimenting to find a good combo. I'm going to be using the Wyeast Sweet Mead yeast for my ciders this year (picking up my apples today); apparently, the sweet mead/cider yeast will still leave you with a dry cider, but it retains more of the apple "essence" or character. Don't forget to add some yeast nutrients as well.

Last year, I made a couple ciders using Coopers Dry Yeast and store bought, pasteurized cider. I won some medals and thought they were tasty.

I really don't recommend adding extra sugar to your cider, unless it's a sugar that has some character. Darker honey, turbinado sugar, small amounts of molasses, raisins etc can add some complexity to an "apple wine" style beverage, but dumping in table sugar or even brown sugar is just going to leave you with a boozy, tasteless drink. My plan is to ferment a batch of standard cider, bottle half as is (sparkling), rack the other half to a 3 gallon carboy and add raisins, turbinado sugar and a touch of Belgian Dark Candi Syrup.