Fermented in the 58°F–62°F (14–17°C) range, chilled to stop fermentation early, and a couple years later I got around to force carbonating it. Golden Russet chosen for very high gravity and arguably my favorite apple. Northern Spy for high acid and fruit character, often pear/melon. McIntosh is sometimes described as tasting like partially fermented apples, and usually retains a noticeable “mac note” after fermentation. This fills the “tastes like apples” character many judges seem to look for. Cote des Blancs can be reliably stopped with cold temperatures but is prone to hydrogen sulfide production if it isn’t happy. For inexperienced cidermakers, I’d recommend a Champagne yeast, ferment dry, stabilize, back-sweeten, and force-carb. It’s quite acidic already, so I keep carbonation fairly low. If your juice isn’t high enough gravity, try partially freeze-concentrating it. 1.045 juice ain’t gonna get ya there…
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