Is anyone degassing and/or adding staggered nutrients to cider, as one does with mead?
I don’t degas cider or use a lot of nutrients nowadays for that matter. I feel like a slower fermentation (which you get from witholding most or all of the nutrient) preserves more of the apple character. It’ll be good either way, though.
I have never done this or heard of others doing it. I think it’s because there is a dearth of nutrients for yeast in mead must, especially traditional mead, as compared to fruit juice. Even melomels that contain a lot of fruit don’t really NEED nutrient additions but do need degassing. (At least I think they do, I have always done so and a lot of gas is released). I believe higher gravity is the other reason.
OK, added nutrients when pitching the yeast, will not continue.
Not on purpose, and no. I haven’t found these things to be of any benefit whatsoever to final cider quality.
plenty of amateurs and pros add nutrients, but I’m not aware of much degassing. And not “staggered” so much as “the yeast told me it needed something so I made it happy”
Was just wondering, because that is what is typically done when making mead.