[IBU] bottling hard cider

[Mark McAndrews]

You have a bit of a problem. The sugars in apples tend to be very fermentable, thus baring any other problems hard cider finishes very dry. In the recipe you linked to the reason to kill the yeasties is so they don't ferment the apple concentrate added to the keg so that more apple flavor survives. If you don't kill off the yeasties you will end up with a drier cider than the recipe calls for and with a bit less apple flavor. 

Keg and counter pressure fill would give you carbonated cider in the bottle, but won't carbonate in the bottle. If you want bottle conditioned cider it will be dry (unless some other condition stops the yeast from fermenting farther - lack of nutrients, alcohol tolerance, exploding bottles....). If you want sweet cider or semi-sweet cider bottle conditioned it will be still or petilant (bottling cold will hold a bit of natural carbonation even after the yeasties are killed). 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: TJ Vance 
  To: ibu at iowabrewersunion.org 
  Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 5:32 PM
  Subject: [IBU] bottling hard cider


  Hey all,

  I was at the last meeting and enjoyed the company and knowledge.

  I'd like to recreate the hard cider that Mike brought with him, but the recipe I have on hand calls for killing off of the yeast after fermentation.

  My question is, does anyone have an idea how I could carbonate that recipe inside of bottles?

  The recipe I'm shooting from at this point is from Theron Conrey's site, his instructions are here:  http://www.conrey.org/?p=52

  Any ideas would be appreciated.

  TJ




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