It is Enartis ES 123, which will bring the Cider to 14% ABV and add Apple and Pear Terpenes.
I am not sure exactly how much Juice I used, but I used different kinds. All of them were 100% Juice with the only added ingredients being Vitamin C (Absorbic Acid) and Malic Acid (the Acid that Apples already contain, which gives them their flavor.
Then after this I added more Juice until it was above that Line in the barrel, so about 50 Gallons, maybe more, total. I didn’t fill it all the way up because if you fill it too much it will bubble out of the top.
This was the airlock Yesterday, the air pushing the Water means that it is working
You might not be able to tell from this picture, but this is today and it is Bubbling fast. Each Bubble is CO2 being made by the Yeast, which means that Alcohol is being made by the Yeast, as CO2 and Alcohol are the byproducts of Yeast eating Sugar. This Yeast also has the added benefit of creating Apple and Pear Terpenes, so usually Cider that was this strong would basically just taste like Wine, this will still taste like Apples and Pears.
Cool man. One thing I noticed is you keep saying the yeast will make terpenes. Pretty sure terpenes come come from plant material. Yeast produce esters.
A) Yeast needs the correct substrates (building blocks) to be present to create compounds in the finished product. Just because a yeast can make a particular compound out of wine must, that doesn’t guarantee that it can make it from apple juice.
B) Just because a yeast may make certain compounds that on their own smell/taste like one thing, that doesn’t mean that when you have it in a low amount in a finished ferment that you will be able to pick it out separately. Flavors and aromas in combination, especially at low amounts, don’t always resemble the individual ingredients.
I also have the Enartis WS Yeast, which goes to 18% and compliments any fruit by adding fruity notes. So I’m going to use that to make some Cider Champagne once the ES 123 gets it to 14% ABV
I have been smelling the air coming out of the airlock, and at first it just smelled like warm cinnamon sugar, then last night I added a tube to the airlock and put it in my grow tent so my plants can have CO2. When I put the tube on, it was at that time smelling a little bit like farts along with the cinnamon. So I looked up “Cider Sulphur” and apparently it’s not weird for that to happen. So I didn’t worry about that, and people were saying that adding Yeast Nutrients helps, and I already did that. Then today I grabbed the tube and smelled it, and while it was strong yesterday it was an even stronger smell today. And at first I couldn’t tell what it was, but it kind of smells like Apple candy.
Sulphur will off gas over time. How much yeast nutrient did you use? Many have different recommendations for beer vs wine/cider with beer needing much less.
I didn’t measure, I just cut a small hole in the bag and sprinkled it in. I definitely didn’t use anywhere near 1tsp per gallon though, which is what it suggests on the bag.
Also, Cinnamon is a natural addition to Cider, but Cinnamaldehyde actually has effects on your liver, it depletes Glutithione. So this Cider will be stronger than normal Cider (without Cinnamon), plus it’s 14% ABV with the base Yeast and 18% ABV with the Yeast that I’m going to use in the Cider Champagne bottles.
Are you thinking that your first yeast (123) will fully ferment to the 14%, and then at that point you’ll add your second yeast (WS) and bottle it up to have it ferment to 18% as well as carbonate the champagne bottles?
A few days ago the Ferment just abruptly stopped, I got home and I was talking to one of the people I am renting a house with, and suddenly I noticed that the bubbles weren’t happening and must have stopped sometime while I was gone.
So we siphoned out an Apple Juice container full of the Cider, and it was really murky and had that Yeast smell, so I figured that the Yeast was all still alive. We drank some, and it was EXTREMELY bitter. At first I thought I had put too much Cinnamon in it or something, but then it clicked.
The Ferment ended abruptly, and it was bitter, it was Dry. It had depleted all its Sugar supply and had not gotten to 14%, but due to the complete lack of Sugar, it was just bitter.
So I added 25 lbs more of Sugar, and it has now been 3-4 days, and it is starting to Bubble slower, instead of quickly or an abrupt stop. If it is too bitter this time, I will add more sugar, but the Yeast won’t make much more alcohol (it can only survive up to 14% alcohol), and then it won’t be Dry.
Here it is. It is really good, but it is also really strong. I will make some more videos, including some so you can actually see it, like pouring and everything. Then videos about how to make different mixed drinks and then the champagne and everything.
Ok, so I ended up moving, and had to leave the ferment. I have not posted in a while but I will start posting here again soon and brewing again soon. I have a lot of stuff going on with some Court Cases that can benefit anyone brewing Religiously. I am dealing with the DEA now, and the ATF is next.
