Alternative Cider Yeasts

[Bubba Wade]

Since the Pilgrims likely drank a bit of cider at the first Thanksgiving, I thought this would be a good time for a question.

Who has used non-cider yeasts in cider? I just tapped a keg of cider made with Safale US-05. My wife thought that it had a bit of funk to it and my son liked it better than previous ciders. What other yeasts have you used?

 

[Yooper]

I really like SO4- which is interesting because I hate it in beer normally.
It makes a super clear bright and crisp cider that finishes at about 1.004 or so.

 

[BOB357]

Wine yeasts are probably more commonly used that cider yeasts. Lalvin EC-1118 is my favorite, closely followed by Red Star Montrachet.

 

[Nosybear]

Wine yeasts are probably more commonly used that cider yeasts. Lalvin EC-1118 is my favorite, closely followed by Red Star Montrachet.

EC-1118 comes with just about every wine kit out there. It's a Champagne yeast and a workhorse, clean fermentations and high alcohol tolerance. Its one drawback is a relative lack of character. When SWAMBO gets a wine kit, she throws the EC-1118 away (or lets me use it to bake bread, it works well there, too) and replaces it with a more characterful yeast. So it's all in what you want - I prefer some of the more aromatic yeasts such as D-45, depends on your desired outcome.

 

[thunderwagn]

I don't do many ciders but I've used Belle Saison and T-58 with great results.

 

[BOB357]

EC-1118 comes with just about every wine kit out there. It's a Champagne yeast and a workhorse, clean fermentations and high alcohol tolerance. Its one drawback is a relative lack of character. When SWAMBO gets a wine kit, she throws the EC-1118 away (or lets me use it to bake bread, it works well there, too) and replaces it with a more characterful yeast. So it's all in what you want - I prefer some of the more aromatic yeasts such as D-45, depends on your desired outcome.

Most all of the ciders I make include flavor concentrates and/or tinctures. I keep a tap just for cider for my wife and she likes her ciders dry and effervescent, so Champaign yeasts work well for me.

 

[Nosybear]

Most all of the ciders I make include flavor concentrates and/or tinctures. I keep a tap just for cider for my wife and she likes her ciders dry and effervescent, so Champaign yeasts work well for me.

That makes it pretty much the perfect yeast for your purposes.

 

[Zambi]

I used common bread yeast with mixed results. And I put apple juice on beer trub, that was made with Mangrove Jack M41.
That turned out real nice (and had a head)

 

[Steve Ruch]

The last cider I did was fermented with S-189 in the 50s.

 

[Hawkbox]

I don't do many ciders but I've used Belle Saison and T-58 with great results.

Belle Saison has been my go to, works good.