Full dose of sulphite - any chance of a wild ferment?

[Håkan Widerström]

Hi all,

This is my first post to the group, though I have been following and reading for quite some time - fantastic forum and so much knowledge and things to learn! I did look for an answer to my question here, but either I'm not good enough at looking or the topic is not explored :).

I leave in southern Sweden, where I and a couple of friends have been making very small scale cider batches from table fruit for some years.  As expected we have not achieved the desired results - a French style dry cider. 

So, a couple of years back we started planting some cider apple trees that actually seem to be doing reasonably well in the climate here - and this year for the first time we got enough juice to make our first 10l batch which we planned to make a wild fermentation with; Kermerrien, Normand Rouge, dDouce Moen, Douce Cote Ligne, Frequin tardif, Dabinett, Browns - all well ripe.

We made the analysis (TA, pH, Sg, Phenols), made some acid correction down to pH3,8 and added sulfite. 

Here's where I completely messed up and accidentally added 150ppm rather than the planned half dose... Any chance you think that we can still get a wild fermentation going or should we just "bite the sour apple" and add cultivated yeast? 

If so, any suggestions on which yeast to use, as the carbon will need to stand outside in a shed with expected 5-10deg temperature (or inside at 22deg which seems to warm...)?

Thanks,

Håkan

[Andrew Lea]

Don’t fret.  No need to add any cultured yeast.  If you have been making cider before, then all your equipment will be fully contaminated with wild yeasts anyway so you have plenty of inoculum.  150 ppm of SO2 at pH3.8 is not an overdose - it’s what we all did way back.  Don't get too hung up on figures which aren’t too precise anyway. Your wild fermentation will be just fine!

Andrew 

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Wittenham Hill Cider Page

www.cider.org.uk

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[Håkan Widerström]

Thank you so much Andrew :)!