10 replies to this topic

[positiveContact]

In this case "natural" would just be letting the ferment happen on it's own without pitching any yeast in.

[HokieTrismegistus]

Sweet mead yeast.

[dmtaylor]

I'm trying 4 different yeasts this season, but in past years as well as this year, I've had the greatest success I think with the Cote des Blancs yeast, which is actually intended for making white wines. But it makes a great cider, albeit fast and dry and needs backsweetening.

[Genesee Ted]

I voted wine yeast, because that is what I am doing this year (cote des blancs), but in years past I have used saison yeast, wine yeast, natural yeast, and mead yeast. There is a member of my club who has won the national cider competition (maybe even national cidermaker of the year) in the past who clearly makes amazing ciders, and he uses cote des blancs and then finishes with champagne yeast. So there is the whole thing. I have never tried the cider yeast interestingly enough though.

[positiveContact]

just for the record I'm going "natural" but I'm not voting b/c I don't have anything to compare it to so that doesn't seem fair.

[davelew]

Another vote for "cote des blancs" wine yeast. This year I'm also trying a French technique called "defécation" that uses pectinase enzyme to produce a nitrogen-poor cider, resulting in a stuck fermentation and a sweeter final product.

[dmtaylor]

Heh heh... he said defecation. I haven't tried keeving yet, but I have a feeling I'll be trying it next year, as my ciders are all turning out too damned dry. I like a dry cider, but not THAT dry.

[realbeerguy]

Cotes de Blanc gets me my best results. I've also used a Portugese Sautern yeast (can't remember the B3 name) in a highgravity Applewine with good results.

Edited by realbeerguy, 24 October 2011 - 05:28 PM.

[davelew]

LOL. That's not what it's called. The method is called "keeving" from French, cuvée. I basically did this too, this year.

That term is much less fun to use. Sure, it's correct and all that, but nobody giggles about that word, "keeving".

[positiveContact]

for you wine yeast users - do you kill everything in the cider before pitching the yeast?

[dmtaylor]

I add one Campden tablet per gallon. I'm sure this doesn't kill everything, but it does kill many of the wild bugs that could cause problems. I've read that the wine yeasts are probably adapted to Campden so even with it in there, they take off running fast without any issues. The ale yeasts that I have tried also get started reasonably quickly, but not as fast as the wine yeasts.