Im planning my first hard cider, and would like to get a few suggestions on the best yeast. Ideally I would like to retain as much original apple character as possible while keeping it nice and sweet…not really looking for that champagne taste. Thanks a bunch…the cider i will be using will be from a local farm, fresh pressed, and clearly no preservatives or pasteurization(sp?)
The best cider yeast in my opinion is Cote des Blancs. It will finish very dry though, around 0.992. You can backsweeten with sorbate, sulfite and sugar, or with a pound or so of lactose (for 5 gallons).
