9 replies to this topic

[zymot]

I am pressing 5 gallons of cider this weekend. My cider comes out an opaque tan/brown color.It tastses great. Sweet apple flavor, lots or aroma and no cider tangy tannin or pulpy gritty bits.Commerical cider can be golden beer that y0u can see through the glass.Is it practical for the home cider maker to get a cider that clear?I will aslo be making a cyser and get a nice clear cider would be nice.

[Slainte]

Yeah, just use a clarifier. Super Kleer works great in my ciders.

[zymot]

Yeah, just use a clarifier. Super Kleer works great in my ciders.

What is the timing of using Super Kleer?Before yeast pitch, post fermentation, etc.Any differences between using it for cider & mead cysers?

[MyaCullen]

I am pressing 5 gallons of cider this weekend. My cider comes out an opaque tan/brown color.It tastses great. Sweet apple flavor, lots or aroma and no cider tangy tannin or pulpy gritty bits.Commerical cider can be golden beer that y0u can see through the glass.Is it practical for the home cider maker to get a cider that clear?I will aslo be making a cyser and get a nice clear cider would be nice.

you are referring to the initial pressing, correct?It will clear and be right pretty with time, be sure to add a dose of pectic enzyme though, most of that opacity is caused by solids held together by pectin.

[ScottS]

I get crystal clear cider with no chemical additions at all. Patience works too.

[MyaCullen]

I get crystal clear cider with no chemical additions at all. Patience works too.

not even pectic enzyme?where is that "not worthy" smiley

[zymot]

you are referring to the initial pressing, correct?It will clear and be right pretty with time, be sure to add a dose of pectic enzyme though, most of that opacity is caused by solids held together by pectin.

All,This is good stuff I am learning here. Thanks.I am talking anywhere along the process.Is pectin enzyme best added at the front end, back end or some other time?I am asking for both the hard cider I am pressing this weekend and the cyser I will be making using fresh pressed cider next weekend.For reference, I am not a fanatic about clarity. I throw in some irish moss or a whirlfloc tablet in my beers because it is cheap and easy to do. When I use a secondary on my beer, it is for aging and space consideration, otherwise primary and then bottle. I want my cider & cyser to be as clear as is reasonable to achieve.What is the downside to using pectic enzyme? I have no problems helping to give nature a push in the direction I am looking for. Enzyme does not sound all the chemically to me. Can anybody give me an idea as to how much help it will provide. example: 6 months to age over 1 year.zymot

[ScottS]

not even pectic enzyme?

Correct.Put cider in carboy. Just cider. Nothing added.Ignore for 3 months.Rack. It's usually 95% to clear at this point.Ignore for another 6-9 months.Keg. It's clear as water at this point.Enjoy.

[Wayne B]

One think Scott left out -- keep the juice cool at all times. Pectins set up (creating the polysaccharide chains that cause the haze) much faster when heated. By the time your juice reaches pasteurization temperature, most of the pectins have set. That's why pectic enzyme is absolutely required when you use pasteurized juice. You will get some setting even at temperatures as low as 90F, so if your juice was stored in an unrefrigerated warehouse or storeroom for a time, also hit it with pectinase. If your juice has always been cool, you'll get a clear cider from it (at least one that isn't cloudy due to pectins, anyway).

[zymot]

Something to perhaps ponder: the garbage disposal crusher could have flash heated the pomace to around 90*F. I'm not sure, since I've never witnessed it work in person.

No I can rule this out, the pomace is the same temp as the apples. The cider I make is nominally the same brown cloudy as what I get from orchards or a health food stores.I added peptic enzyme when I picted the yeast. Today, I transfered to a secondary. It is as clear as I would expect a homemade unfiltered cider could be.zymot