yeast addition to assist with carbonation?

[tom hull]

Hi there, in my previous batches of cider, I have not added any yest at bottling, simply bulk priming with a small ammount of dextrose in order to achieve a sparkling dry cider. 

With My current batch, I have bottled a small portion from a 5L demijohn in this fashion and it has only developed the tiniest ammount after about 2 months in the bottle.

I have about 90L to bottle in larger demijohns, and I am thinking that I may need to use some extra yeast. Could someone please advise: What is a simple/ straightforward way to calculate how much yeast to use? Should I rehydrate? any other tips?

This batch has only had 30 ppm sulfite after pressing, no nutrients added.

Thank you :)

[Ryan Gorham]

You may need to provide a bit more info, as there is no short answer because there are many factors at play.

How old is the batch?

Is it fermented to complete dryness?

How many grams of dextrose did you add?

What temp(s) are you conditioning at?

If the batch is less than 1 year old, I use white sugar without added yeast for bottle conditioning, as the yeast still present should suffice to carbonate. I use the following as a rough guide when conditioning:

8 grams per gallon - Light sparkle

20g/G - Medium

40g/G - Heavy (champagne bottles only)

Stored at 60-70 degrees for at least 2 weeks. I typically condition at around 62 degrees for 1-2 months before I check a bottle.

To ensure carbonation for disgorging, I use ProElif QA23 (encapsulated yeast) at a rate of 1.2 grams per bottle (750ml champagne bottles), and a sugar addition of 35 grams per gallon. I dissolve the sugar into the cider right before bottling. No need for a starter culture with this yeast. 

It's common to use a champagne yeast for bottle conditioning like EC-1118. I haven't personally used this yeast for bottle conditioning, but I've read that people add it at a rate of about 2 grams per 5 gallons at bottling following the manufactures recommendations for rehydration.

[tom hull]

Hi Ryan, thanks for the reply. Sorry about the lack of details up front.. Here is a bit more to go on

The 90L yet to be bottled has fermented to dryness. Primary fermentation was completed by August 7, and there have been some signs of further airlock activity in the demijohn. I am assuming this is malolactic. The yeast used was 71B.

As for the 5L batch that has not carbonated, i cannot find my notes of how much dextrose which does not help! Shed temperature has been roughly 10-15C since bottling two months ago.

[terryc...@gmail.com]

I had a similar situation earlier this year which appears to have been the result of insufficient nutrients in the juice. Fermentation kicked off again from where it had stopped at around 1.010 after adding a small amount of DAP (for YAN) rather than yeast and I ended up with successful carbonation. I replied to a post "Stuck Fermentation" on 31 October with some information about this. I now have a bit of a "bee in my bonnet" over nutrient depletion stopping fermentation above 1.000, so be aware that it might have nothing to do with your issue, nevertheless it may be worth investigating along with all the other possible causes.

[Ryan Gorham]

With a batch that young, you should have plenty of active yeast to bottle condition without adding any additional yeast. With a yeast like 71B, the working temp range is 59-86 (F), so your shed temp may be the cause (10-15C). I would bring the temp up, or you may have to wait longer at that temperature.