Cider racking to decrease fermentation speed

[luis.ga...@gmail.com]

I often use racking to slow down fermentation and achieve stable ciders with residual sweetness.

Sometimes, the fermentation goes quite fast and one needs to rack a vessel several timse to achieve a slow fermenting cider.

 

I am wondering if there is a minimal waiting time between each racking for the racking to be effective. Is there an amount of time required for the N content of lees to be reused by the fermenting yeast? Or rackings done on very short period of time (3-4 days for exemple) would still be effective to reduce the fermentation rate?

Thanks,

Louis

[Bartek Knapek]

For racking to be efficient in slowing down fermentaiotn, it neeeds to leave behind as much yeast as possible. If your fermentation is fast, the yeast are mostly in suspension. Cooling the cider to ~0C for a day or two before racking is a good way to improve the efficiency. After racking, additional yeast may fall to the bottom, due to cider decoming temporarly degassed - that is why an additional racking 1-3 days later also helps.

//Bartek

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[Claude Jolicoeur]

Salut Louis,

I agree with Bartek... Just after a racking, the cider is quite calm and needs a few days before CO2 production starts again full swing. This CO2 production is an important factor for bringning yeast cells in suspension with the bubbles rising. Hence I find a second racking maybe 2 days after will sort of give the "coup de grâce" to the fermentation and really slow it down.

[luis.ga...@gmail.com]

Interesting, this is good to know.

I had in mind a lag time was maybe necessary for dead yeast's nutrient to be available for yeast multiplication. Therefor, it would have been better to wait longer for more yeast to die and precipitate before next racking making it even more efficient.

I'll keep that in mind for my next rackings.

Thank you,

Louis 

[Patrick McCauley]

Louis,

I would just add that keeping the cider cool/cold will also help you to have more successful rackings. I have a window in my cider room that I'll open the night before I need to rack a cider that's fermenting way too fast. This is especially effective now when the outdoor temps are well below freezing at night. You may also want to do a pre-fermentation clarification next time, by either keeving or a pectinase addition followed debourbage. My fermentations that have gone through that process respond very well to additional rackings.

Pat McCauley 

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[luis.ga...@gmail.com]

Yes, I always add pectinase to my non-chapeau brun ciders to increase clarification, but sometimes (especially if cultured yeast is used), things can go fast.

The idea of cooling the place before racking is good, thanks for the tip.

Louis