r/cider

We have a cranapple cider in secondary fermentation right now and a few apple cysers in primary. I have some swing-tops, but I'm trying to figure out what to use if I run out. I have some fastrack screw-top wine bottles too.

How do I know what kind of wine bottles can handle carbonation? Trying to avoid having to buy a bottle capper for now

Used to buy this fairly bright orange cider. Herefordshire/Gloucestershire way.

Fizzy. Sold on tap and in supermarkets

Not exactly high quality but I loved it

Can anyone help me out with this vague description

*edit - was GL Cider*

Hello there, fellow cider lovers

I'm planning to make my next batch of cider in a few weeks, and I'm looking for some advice/feedback before I have at it. I'm planning to use the "traditional method". This method is usually associated with sparkling wines, but I've done it once before and the result was fairly decent. So far I've been using pasteurised juice and added commercial champagne yeast, but this time I want to use wild yeast, so I wanted to run it past you in case there's something about my plan that I should change.

My plan is:

- In a few weeks I'm going to acquire 25 liters of freshly pressed apple juice from a local farmer.

- I'm going to add the apple juice to a stainless steel vessel with an air lock and let the juice ferment without adding any commercial yeast.

- When the activity dies down, I'm going to make a syrup using 3 liters of the fermented cider and 600 grams of sugar.

- I'm going to add 1 dl of this syrup to 30 champagne bottles (750 ml) and transfer the cider from the steel vessel to the bottles. This equates to 20 grams of sugar per bottle, which should result in a final pressure of roughly 6 bars after secondary fermentation.

- I'm going to cap the bottles using crown caps and store them horizontally in the cellar for secondary fermentation. Probably somewhere around 4-6 months at 12 degrees celsius.

- After secondary fermentation, I'm going to place the bottles upside down in a riddling rack and slowly turn the bottles over the course of three weeks to accumulate the yeast beneath the crown caps.

- I'm then going to cold crash the cider by placing the riddling rack in a 0-5 degrees celsius room for 3-5 days.

- I'm going to use dry ice to freeze the necks of the bottles before removing the caps with a disgorging key and shoot the frozen yeast and particles that has accumulated beneath the cap out of the bottles.

- Before corking the bottles, I'm going to add 45 ml of syrup (liqueur d’expedition) to each bottle. The syrup will consist of 450 grams of sugar, 1,5 grams of campden and 2,5 grams of potassium sorbate in 1 liter of water. This makes 15 grams of sugar per liter of cider, which should result in a pretty dry (but not Death Valley dry) cider.

- Finally I'm going to let the bottles rest horizontally for three weeks in the cellar before crossing my fingers and opening a bottle to judge the result.

What do you think? My last batch of cider was made using these steps, the only difference being that I used pasteurised juice, commercial yeast (EC-1118) and more sugar in the final syrup. The result was fairly decent, but a bit bland. It tasted a bit too much like a sweet sparkling wine. This year I want to use wild yeast, and less sugar, to make it more interesting.

Do you think the same procedure will work using wild yeast?

So may be a stupied question,

But if I brew with Champagne yeast then stabilize. Then back sweeten, will it still be carbonated?

I have a still batch of cider that is too dry and wanted to sweeten it, but in doing so I realize I can't carbonate it via sugar because I would have to stabilize it and I don't have the resources to Keg it.

Any recommendations for cider clubs from the west coast? Looking for a subscription based deal that can send me a variety of bottles/cans every month

Takács et al. examined Schizosaccharomyces strains in apple juice to assess their potential for cider production, with a focus on acid management, mouthfeel, and aroma development.

For cider makers, this is relevant because malic acid reduction, ethanol formation, and volatile profile all shape balance and drinkability, especially in high-acid juices. Across the tested species, fermentation in apple juice reached 4–6% (v/v) ethanol. The strains also produced high glycerol and removed malic acid efficiently, giving rapid deacidification without a major volatile acidity tradeoff. Acetic acid stayed comparable to the Saccharomyces bayanus control. VOC analysis showed ester-rich profiles with fruity, banana-like, and pineapple-like notes, including both shared and species-specific aroma signatures.

Practically, these results suggest Schizosaccharomyces could be useful where lower perceived acidity, fuller mouthfeel, and novel fruit-forward character are desired. Their tolerance of 15–30% glucose and growth at 15 °C also points to potential in mixed-culture fermentations and cold-fermented fruit beverages.

More broadly, these yeasts may be useful for high-acid fruit musts where malic acid reduction is needed without sacrificing sensory complexity.

Full paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2026.111991

Source: ResearchScan — free weekly research newsletter covering cider production science | researchscan.news

I'm a long time fan of cider. Absolute favorite is Stella Artois, but I can't find the cider anywhere any more. Next favorite was Black Apple, a more local brand in my state but the brewery shut down earlier this year.

My go to nowadays is Angry Orchard, but I only like it on tap, not out of the bottle. I've tried Red's which is alright, but nothing so far has matched the rest.

I'm from the US, specifically Arkansas.