Pasteurized cider: any need for aging?

[Isaac Gosset]

I am in the process of back sweetening a fermented cider with some unfermented juice and pasteurizing the bottles.

My question is: does pasteurized cider need some aging to develop its best flavour or since the yeasts are (or should be) all gone there is no ongoing activity and no need to condition the bottles any longer?

In other words, while you normally read that cider benefits from long storage even after bottling in terms of flavour mellowing, smoothing, enrichment, etc., does this hold also in the specific case of pasteurized cider?

Many thanks for your input.

Cheers

Mauro

[Andrew Lea]



My experience of bottled / sweetened / pasteurised cider is that it takes about a month to recover from bottle shock.  Thereafter it stays pretty much on an even keel for the next year, declining thereafter especially if it sits around in a hot summer. Depending on storage temperature, the Maillard reaction slowly becomes apparent with increasingly caramelised flavours, and loss of fruitiness. Most such ciders are given a two year shelf life commercially which seems about right to me.

The only bottled ciders that are likely to benefit from long storage are those that are bottle conditioned with continued yeast (and bacterial?) action.  In that case people will often tell you that they reach their peak of flavour complexity in their second or third year, which is my experience also. Thereafter they tend to decline. 

YMMV.

Andrew 

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

On 21 Jan 2021, at 14:05, Isaac Gosset <mauro.p...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[M P]

Thank you Andrew,

that is good information.

So, in terms of flavour there could be no point in waiting one year before opening the first bottles? Basically, what I get 1 or 2 months after pasteurisation is what I should expect for the rest of the storage time (no peak of flavour)?

Do you have evidence of any chemical reactions like oxidation of higher alcohols, esterification, etc even in the absence of microbiological activity that make it worth to be patient several months before drinking? Or is it only about Maillard reactions?

Thanks,

Mauro

[gareth chapman]

As with wine, ciders that mature better in the long term generally seem to be  those with high levels of acidity, tannin and to some degree residual sugar. 
Whilst the acidty itself doesn't really change, its perception is usually lessened as the other more complex flavour compounds develop, as described by Andrew. 
Without the acidity the cider can become lifeless or even insipid. In wine terms this is what is known as flabby.
I would tend to agree though that cider isn't generally something that benefits from overly long maturation.

[Andrew Lea]

I was assuming the cider had already been matured in bulk for several months to allow the reactions you mentioned to take place. If you are in the northern hemisphere and bottling this season’s cider already, then it will be rather immature. Bottling is traditionally not carried out until early summer. 

I’m really not sure how the chemistry is affected if you pasteurise such an immature cider. Obviously some chemistry can still go on but as you say the microbiological and enzymic changes won’t. On the other hand the large commercial manufacturers do everything on a very short cycle (weeks) and it seems to work for them. Bottle ageing isn’t part of their business plan AFAIK. 

Andrew

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

On 22 Jan 2021, at 15:06, M P <mauro.p...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[M P]

sorry for the misunderstanding... I should have mentioned that I have produced a batch of cider under the 'modern' way with sulphite and active dry yeast (Lalvin 71B) fully fermented at 13°C in 15-20 days. When I don't pasteurise, I tend to let the maturation occur in the bottles and for this reason I was concerned that pasteurising would block the cider maturation at the early stage in which it is now.