BREWERY LAB &

KARA TAYLOR

ANALYTICAL LAB MANAGER

HOMEBREW CON 2016 - BALTIMORE

Cider: It’s all about the yeast

OutlineDifferent options for yeast

Nutrient requirements for yeast

Pitching rates

Alternative strains and Spontaneous fermentation

Myth: Yeast doesn’t matter

Transforming apple juice to a delicious drink!

Picking the right yeastWhat characteristics do we want ?

Residual Sugar: Dry / Sweet/ Semi- sweet

Juice- flavors and aroma forward?

Yeast forward?

Bramblewoodcider.com

Yeast OptionsWine Yeast – clean flavors, acid tolerant

Beer Yeast – unique flavors, attenuation variations

Bread Yeast – harsh flavors

Cider Yeast ? – not many options

Wild Yeast / Bacteria – unique, complex flavor profiles

Spontaneous? – unique but difficult to control

Beer Yeast – S. cerevisaePopular Options

-WLP001 California Ale Yeast

- English/ Scottish Strains ◦ Low ABV tolerance/ Low attenuation

- Hefe/Belgian Strains ◦Add low spice character

◦ Low ferulic acid in apples

Wine Yeast- Often S. bayanusLots and lots of options

-Typically flavor neutral

- Acid tolerant

- Lots of options dry and liquid

Sour Cider

Transforming a sweet beverage to a tart one!

Add lactobacillus after or mixed with yeast

- “Sour kettle” doesn’t quite work here

Brettanomyces and Lacto need to be added at the beginning

- No residual sugar

Spontaneous Fermentations

VS

Can be co-inoculated with species such as Torulaspora spp., Candida spp., Lanchea spp., Pichia

spp., Hansenula spp.

I.e WLP611 New Nordic Yeast Blend – isolated from apples in Denmark

Does juice type matter? YES! Quality will depend on: Filtered / UnfilteredConcentrate What type of apples?

Look out for preservatives such as sodium benzoate

Ideal cider fermentation conditions Apple juice is a poor medium for yeast health ◦ Low pH (re-pitching)

◦ Low amount of nutrients

Avoid off flavors- Use nutrients! - DAP

- Fermaid K/ Fermaid O

Fermentation ControlEasy available sugars- Glucose, Sucrose, Fructose

Temperature: Max temp 75F for most strains ◦ Reduce fusels

Cold crashing – keep residual sugar

Pitching Rates

Pitching Rates1/3 of typical brewing rates – similar to wine

Why? ◦ Easier sugars to consume

◦ Typically lower ABV

◦ Want a longer, slower fermentation

◦ Do you need a starter?

Juice Limitations Mild backbone – off flavors and aromas will come through strong

Quality of apples/ juice will greatly influence the product you can make ◦ Use yeast to take lower quality juice and

make it fun

Nutrient Limitations Most apple cultivars are deficient in YAN (Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen) ◦ YAN= Primary Amino Nitrogen + Ammonium Ion

◦ Ideal YAN = 140-200 ppm

◦ YAN naturally ranges anywhere from 40 to 150ppm.

Look for strains that have low/med nutrient requirements

Malolactic FermentationShould you perform a MLF?

Add bacteria (Oenococcus spp.) at end of fermentation

Watch out for diacetyl!

What if I screw it up big time?

Thank YouQuestions?

Kara@whitelabs.com