Batch 18: Home pressed pear cider with WILD yeast

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
18	Pear Cider	10/27/12	1/8/13	2/15/13	3/19/13	3/19/13

Yeast Type:  WILD
Ingredients:  1/2 gallon of home pressed pear cider
1/2 tsp yeast nutrient

Comments:  Sister batch to 17, this one is not sulfited and uses wild yeast.  This batch oxidized and turned dark brown and while batch 17 stayed golden color due to the sulfite.

Did not take measurements, anaerobic primary under airlock, slow to secondary, all due to laziness.

12/3/12 update:  Did not rack yet as still bubbling under airlock.  Layer of schmutz floating on top, thick layer on the bottom, cloudy and brown.  Planning to rack by decanting.

1/8/13 update:  Racked by decanting.  Took a tiny taste, it is good, though dry, and much more tart than an apple cider.  Wild yeast was fine, though, and no spoilage.  About 1" of fruit pulp and lees in a 1/2 gallon glass bottle. Color is very close to straw and similar to batch 17, though this batch started much darker after initial pressing.  Final color does not appear to be impacted by initial oxidation of juice.

2/15/13 update:  I racked by decanting, stabilized, and backsweetened with sweet pear cider which I did not pasteurize or kill with metabisulfite. I added about 1:4 by volume.

3/19/13:  Racked, still cloudy.  Astringent with very low alcohol content, some residual sweetness, definite different flavor than the commercial yeast.  Probably more traditional, but I think I prefer the commercial.  Sour, too.  Very acid.   Bottled 4 6 oz crown caps and combined remainder with batch 17 to freeze concentrate.

Update 4/10/13: The freeze-concentrated product was too sweet and too acid.  It concentrated to a volume approximately 1/3rd to 1/4 the original volume, so I'm guessing about 20%ABV.  But since the starting perry was acidic and sweetness was adjusted prior to freeze concentrating, the end product is overacid and cloyingly sweet.