Apple Cider Beer: Yeast's Role Unveiled

Apple cider beer is made by fermenting apple cider with yeast. Wild yeast is found in freshly pressed apple cider and can produce great results or spoil the whole batch. Brewer's yeast is commonly used to make apple cider beer.

Wild Yeast: Apple cider contains wild yeasts that can spoil batches or produce great results

Apple cider contains wild yeasts that can spoil batches or produce great results. The results will be unknown and nearly impossible to recreate with consistency.

When apple cider is wild-fermented, the apple must is treated with a dose of potassium or sodium metabisulfite to fend off bacteria and weak yeast strains allowing the strong to survive. Cider yeast can be reused several times as long as the batch is healthy and clean.

Fresh pressed, unpasteurized or stabilized apple cider will contain a variety of wild yeast that were on the apple skin before pressing. These yeast varieties can produce great results or spoil the whole batch all together.

Brewers will use apples or pears, but you can also add oranges, cloves, and even cinnamon to make your cider more festive, and then add your brewer’s yeast. Brewer’s yeast has a lower alcohol threshold than yeast typically used for wine, so be mindful that your cider will be “hard” but it will not be as hard as it could be had you used a wine yeast.

Wyeast 4766 Cider is a yeast that was selected for producing a big, fruity finish. Aromas of pears, apples, and other fruits are prominent. Alcohol tolerance is to 12% ABV.

Cider Yeast: Cider yeast can be reused as long as the batch is healthy and clean

Cider yeast can be reused as long as the batch is healthy and clean. Reusing a fresh and healthy batch of yeast means your fermentation will start sooner. This reduces the potential influence of wild organisms. Availability is also a factor to consider. If you have a wild yeast or even a known strain that is hard to regularly obtain, reusing your yeast may be the only option you have to reproduce that specific flavor profile.

There are a few benefits to reusing cider yeast. It's free, you can pitch huge numbers of cells (resulting fermentation is usually fast), and it's easy. However, there are a few caveats. It's not recommended to reuse yeast from a very hoppy or high abv batch. Unless you wash yeast, it's not recommended to move yeast from a dark beer to a light one (color and flavor).

A better method of reusing yeast is to follow the "harvest and wash" method. This is fairly simple, and will give you consistent results.

When apple cider is wild fermented, often times the apple must is treated with a dose of potassium or sodium metabisulfite to fend off bacteria and weak yeast strains allowing the strong to survive.

Brewer's Yeast: Brewers use apples or pears to make cider and add brewer's yeast

Brewers use apples or pears to make cider and add brewers yeast. Brewer’s yeast has a lower alcohol threshold than yeast typically used for wine, so be mindful that your cider will be “hard” but it will not be as hard as it could be had you used a wine yeast.

When apple cider is wild fermented, often times the apple must is treated with a dose of potassium or sodium metabisulfite to fend off bacteria and weak yeast strains allowing the strong to survive. Cider yeast can be reused several times as long as the batch is healthy and clean. Consider reusing your yeast by pouring fresh juice directly on top or washing it and repitching. As stated before, cleanliness is key as any contamination will ruin your batch quickly. This is why most home cider makers will buy new yeast for each batch.

Fresh pressed, unpasteurized or stabilized apple cider will contain a variety of wild yeast that were on the apple skin before pressing. These yeast varieties can produce great results or spoil the whole batch all together. The results will be unknown and nearly impossible to recreate with consistency.

When you want to order a yeast that is specific to a beer strain, you can absolutely use it to make hard cider. For all intents and purposes, and if you want to sell your cider to a larger crowd as a brewer, do make sure all of your equipment is highly sanitized, and you can either crush your fruit or run it through a juicer. Usually, brewers will use apples or pears, but you can also add oranges, cloves, and even cinnamon to make your cider more festive, and then add your brewer’s yeast.

An excellent choice if you want to produce an overtly “Belgian-styleWLP300 Hefeweizen Ale from White Labs: Traditionally employed to make cloudy, aromatic German-style wheat beers, this yeast has great aroma potential.

Alcohol Tolerance: Beer yeasts are less alcohol-tolerant than wine yeasts

Alcohol tolerance varies depending on the type and specific strain of yeast. Most beer yeasts fall into the 8-12% ABV range for alcohol tolerance, though some English ale yeasts go as low as 7% and some high gravity Belgian and ale yeasts can tolerate 15%. Wine yeasts generally have an alcohol tolerance between 14-18%, though some specialty wine and Champagne yeasts can reach as high as 21% alcohol. Alcohol tolerance is not a fixed number, as there is some variation depending on yeast strain, yeast health, nutrients and sugar available and other factors. However fermentation will start to slow considerably as a yeast approaches its alcohol tolerance level and will stop completely within a percent or two of the published number for most strains.

Brewing is a kind of sweet spot between wine and bread. The yeast that will ferment beer does not need to have a super high alcohol tolerance as most beers average between 6 and 8%. But it does need to have a higher alcohol tolerance, than say baker’s yeast, which typically produces closer to 1 to 2% ABV.

The most common wine yeast is the same as the most common yeast for bread and beer – Saccharomyces cerevisiae. There are also several other yeasts still considered wild that are used in wine, often because they are already sitting on the grape skin and fermenting almost as soon as the grapes are crushed. These yeasts include Saccharomyces pastorianus, Saccharomyces bayanus, and Brettanomyces. It is critical to understand that there are literally thousands of strains of S. cerevisiae, and the few hundred used for wine are all those which are naturally attracted to high sugar content, which means they can also tolerate a higher alcohol content.

The higher the sugar, the more food the yeast has to consume, and the more alcohol will be expelled as waste. Wine yeast typically has an alcohol tolerance of 11% to 19%. The yeast must have a high alcohol tolerance or it will die off during fermentation and stop the process.

When apple cider is wild fermented, often times the apple must is treated with a dose of potassium or sodium metabisulfite to fend off bacteria and weak yeast strains allowing the strong to survive. Cider yeast can be reused several times as long as the batch is healthy and clean. Consider reusing your yeast by pouring fresh juice directly on top or washing it and repitching. As stated before, cleanliness is key as any contamination will ruin your batch quickly. This is why most home cider makers will buy new yeast for each batch.

Sanitation: Sanitizing equipment is essential when making cider to sell to a larger crowd

Sanitation is a crucial aspect of making cider, especially when selling to a larger crowd. Sanitizing equipment is essential to ensure the cider is safe to consume and to maintain the quality of the product.

When making cider, wild yeast from the apple skin is present. This yeast can produce great results or spoil the whole batch. Cider yeast can be reused as long as the batch is healthy and clean. However, any contamination will ruin the batch quickly.

To ensure the cider is safe and of high quality, it is important to sanitize all equipment used in the cider-making process. This includes crushing the fruit or running it through a juicer, as well as any fermentation vessels and bottling equipment.

Sanitizing should be done using effective sanitizers such as potassium or sodium metabisulfite to fend off bacteria and weak yeast strains. This will allow the strong yeast to survive and produce the desired results.

By following proper sanitization practices, cider makers can ensure that their product is safe and of high quality, which is essential when selling to a larger crowd.

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