A Guide to Cider Additives

The use of these cider additives can greatly improve a Cider’s clarity, fermentation performance, or flavor.  

 

Finings/Clarifiers

These additives, often called “fining agents,” help to improve the clarity of your cider:

• Gelatin – Gelatin is a colorless and tasteless compound that attaches to negatively-charged particles in your beer, helping them settle out of suspension. For a five-gallon batch, dissolve 1 teaspoon of gelatin in 1 cup of hot, pre-boiled water. Once dissolved, let cool and pour into secondary fermenter, racking your beer on top of it.
• Isinglass – Made from fish bladders, isinglass is a very common fining agent used in both winemaking and brewing. But don’t worry — used properly, it won’t affect the flavor of your beer. It’s added to the secondary fermenter in the same way as gelatin. One teaspoon is sufficient for a five-gallon batch of homebrew.
• Bentonite - Removes the largest suspended solid particles and assists with protein stabilization of the cider. Is gentle on the cider if not over done. Do bench trials!
• PVPP - is used to remove off flavors or aromas
• Cold Crash is another method for clarifying cider with residual yeast. This where you chill the cider to the point where the yeast goes dormant and falls to bottom and then you rack off.

 

Choosing the Right Yeast

Yeast can contribute both positive and negative attributes to the wine, depending on if you choose to use a cultured yeast or the wild yeast. The wild yeast can be unpredictable.

• EC-1118
• D-47
• QA23
• Safale US-05 Ale Yeast
• Cider House Yeast (ITEM CODE 5190)

 

To use Nutrients or not?

There are several methods used by cider makers that can alter the character of the cider considerably.  One method is to starve the yeast of nutrients, especially nitrogen, and ferment at a cooler temperature. This results in a long slow fermentation. The yeast will eventually give up and die out leaving natural residual sugars. The biggest problem with this method is the time it takes and can produce off odors. The cider  then gets racked off of the yeast. Another method is to add certain nutrients in order to reproduce and convert sugar into alcohol. When it comes to cider making, with a high level of adjuncts, yeast nutrient can give the yeast an extra boost that will help them complete fermentation. It can also help achieve a lower final gravity and a drier tasting cider with less residual sugar.

• Super Ferment –Yeast Nutrient and Energizer, powder.  A blend of minerals, vitamins, growth factors and trace elements used in brewing, wine or cider making. It contains all factors needed for optimal yeast reproduction and metabolism. It will help prevent sluggish or stuck fermentations and promotes rapid starts with musts and worts. It contains yeast hulls (ghosts) which help ensure a quick and complete fermentation. Normal usage is 0.75 to 1.5 grams per gallon. Fermaid is a similar material.
• Fermaid –proprietary yeast nutrient, powder. A complex nutrient containing diammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, yeast hulls, thiamine, folic acid, niacin and calcium pantothenate. Use of this material or Super Ferment may also reduce the incidence of reduced sulfur compounds and volatile acidity. Use 0.5 to 1.0 gram per gallon.
• Yeast Hulls Springcell  (Nutrex 370)-  Yeast Hulls (Yeast Ghosts), Nutrex 370. Consists of the insoluble fraction of yeast cells. Supplies lipids and sterols to the fermenting yeast and adsorbs some of the fatty acids which tend to be toxic to yeast. While not truly a nutrient, it helps the yeast remain in better condition, allowing them to complete the fermentation more quickly. 

For prevention (when reducing sugars is important or the must is clarified) the application rate is 1.2-1.3g/gal.  For curing stuck fermentations (detoxify the must & re-pitching yeast starter in good conditions) the application rate is 0.65-0.87g/gal for reds or 0.38-0.58g/gal for whites. *Has must detoxification properties as absorption of the toxic compounds.

 

Pectic Enzyme

Use pectic enzyme to clarify juice. If you don’t use pectic enzymes, the cider may be hazy.

• Zyme-O-Clear Plus Liquid is an effective pectolytic enzyme preparation produced by classic fermentation of selected strains of Aspergillus niger. It has been especially developed for the clarification and must extraction in wine making. Zyme-O-Clear Plus also preserves the freshness and aromatic qualities as well as increased yield when added to the press.

 

Preservatives

• Potassium Metabisulfite or Campden Tablets are used to kill off the wild yeast and bacteria. It will take about 24 hours to work and then you can add your cultured yeast.  You will find that using sulfites will give you a cleaner flavor. Once fermentation is complete, additional sulfite is added at racking and bottling preventing any dramatic changes in your cider.
• Potassium Sorbate is used in addition to the sulfite if you are bottling a non-carbonated cider for stability.
• Ascorbic Acid  – Also known as vitamin C, ascorbic acid acts as an oxygen scavenger. Use of Ascorbic acid will help reduce oxidation process. Add a 1/2 teaspoon per 5 gallons to your cider when it’s time to bottle.

 

Filtration

Cider can be unfiltered or clear depending on the cider style you are making. Australian and New Zealand Apple Ciders are typically filtered to brilliant and are dry and acidic whereas French and English Apple Cider are typically cloudy, tannic and astringent. Scrumpy cider, the real traditional English style made from old, fallen apples is usually very cloudy. When creating a cider with fruit, you can certainly choose your own stylistic approach.

• Usually, a brilliant cider can be filtered 3-4 times: Rough pads at 1.5-2 micron, medium through pads at 0.8 micron, finishing at 0.45 micron and a sterile (absolute) cartridge if desired at bottling at 0.45 micron.