Bottle priming cider questions

[andycunn84]

I started a cider just over 6 months ago in a fastferment conical. I was having clarifing issues even after cold crashing and just waiting. I had read bentonite works well. Just so you know it worked wonders in just 24 hours was sparkling clear. My question is can i just add corn sugar and bottle or will i need to add more yeast?

[squeegeethree]

6 months is a long time to wait and not have it work. I would add champagne yeast at bottling just to be safe.
As far as clarification did you rack to a secondary? If not, you should try that next time and early in the process as cider is unlike beer in that a lot of that haze is pectin from what I understand

[andycunn84]

Using the fastferment conical there is no racking just removing and emptying the sediment from the bottom bulb. im just curious as to if the bentonite would have stripped all the yeast.

[squeegeethree]

Right, forgot about the conical. Still, my ciders clear up just fine with racking. I wonder why yours didn't. I would still say why risk it when champagne yeast is so cheap. To answer your question the clay you added should not have harmed the yeast. But they will be slow to bottle condition most likely. Or that has been my experience with beers left in fermentors for 6+ months

[andycunn84]

I got fresh cider from a local orchard here and it started cloudier then I ever remember. Im making this for my little brothers bachelor party and he tasted it last night and would like it sweetened. So im going to add the sugar and yeast, bottle, then cooler pasteurize the whole batch once its carbonated. Thanks for the input.

[squeegeethree]

I'm not daring enough to back-sweeten and bottle condition. What's your process like for getting the carbonation right and timing the pasteurization?

[andycunn84]

when using this technique i bottle a batch but use all plastic bottles or growlers. this way i can feel the bottles for swelling. it takes a bit to get right. Once bottled they go into a cooler, just in case I have a bomb. once the pressure seems right, i fill the cooler with water to just above the lids.I use a wort chiller in a reverse method. put the chiller in a pot heat the pot with water over a propane burner I have a high heat transfer pump that cycles the water from the cooler thru the wort chiller and back to the cooler. I shoot for 165* for 10 minutes then remove the hoses close the lid and wait an hour.

[porkchop]

You should be fine at 6 months to bottle condition without adding additional yeast, but it’s cheap insurance, especially with it being for an event.