Subject: Cider Digest #2053, 20 December 2016
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2016 09:38:19 -0700 (MST)
From: cider-request@talisman.com


Cider Digest #2053                                         20 December 2016

                 Cider and Perry Discussion Forum

Contents:
  Re: Cider Digest #2052, 7 December 2016 (Nathan Shackelford)

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Subject: Re: Cider Digest #2052, 7 December 2016
From: Nathan Shackelford <nathan@shackelford.org>
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2016 12:54:57 -0600

Response to Marsha Lindner:
I have done it both ways and have found advantages and disadvantages to
both.
*Bottle Conditioning:* When I have bottled earlier (2-3 months) and primed
the bottles, the cider bottle conditions and retains all the fruity/yeasty
aromas at the time of bottling. I have had some bottles over-carbonate
because the priming + remaining sugars achieved a higher than intended
carbonation level. However, these batches had more lees in the bottles,
which allowed them to sometimes undergo MLF (if no sulfites were used) and
continue to mellow and change with time. The ciders that I make with this
method have more complexity from in-bottle microbial activity and represent
some of the flavors found in Old World styles. A down-side... if the cider
becomes overcarbonated, it can stir up the lees and produce a cloudy cider
at the moment of serving. I send some cider to bottles earlier every season
to make room in the cellar.
*Bulk Aging: *When I leave cider in the carboys for 3-9 months it clears up
really nicely and the flavor of the cider improves. Some of the
fruity/yeasty flavors disappear, and wine-like flavors come up. Some ciders
that seemed flat and one-dimensional at 2 months can be really nice with
time. I think the main advantage might be the clarity. I typically force
carbonate in a corny keg and bottle from it. The resulting cider is
carbonated to a predictable level, and I can use a dose of sulfite at
bottling to help prevent oxidation and microbial activity. This has become
my standard process.

It all depends on what style of cider you are trying to make. You can
change variables to both methods and make totally different ciders as well.
A few questions that might make a difference in methods:
1) Are you using sulfites from the beginning, or not at all?
2) Do you make carbonated or still cider?

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End of Cider Digest #2053
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