Magic Jesus Finger: the yeast trials!

I've finally finished the pressing of this year's orchard crop and have end up with 50 gallons of must. I was somewhat tardy and I reckon if I'd been more organised the orchard would have yielded around 80 or 90 gallons. Having only moved in this year, I'm still feeling my way.

The intention was to keep the apples and pears separate and to even keep the fruits from the various trees separate for blending. Like most ideas, that went to the wall as I ran out of time!

I didn't get around to building a scratter. Instead I bought a huge chest freezer off eBay and froze and thawed. I did build a press for very little outlay. I pressed everything together so Magic Jesus Finger will be a Perry/Cider mix (or Perrider, as I like to call it). The must was 1.055; I didn't add sugar as I wanted to see how the fruits stood up on their own.

I split the lot into seven batches and used different yeasts.

1: Generic champagne yeast
2: S-04
3: S-04 plus WLP 644 Brett Bruxellensis Trois
4: Wyeast 4766
5: Mango Jack M02
6: Mango Jack M02 plus WLP 644 Brett Bruxellensis Trois
7: Wild Yeast

The first six batches are underway, and the only strain that's been slow is the Wyeast 4766. The two S-04 batches went off like veritable trains on greased tracks. Both the WLP 644 Brett Bruxellensis Trois batches have a deeper stench than the others. All started farty and have moved towards deeper fruit.

Batch 7 is still dormant despite being left open in the brewery. If nothing takes off I'll pitch a vial of Yeast Lab's Wild Yeast Melange.

I'll report back as things develop, but my goal is to bulk age until the trees come into blossom (a notion based more on romanticism of cider making than any logic) when I'll package.

Wow, excellent post! This I really look forward to hearing how things turn out.
I'm also doing larger volume and in my early years. Bulk ageing too, but not really sure when I'm going to rack off.
Please do keep us informed.

I was in the brewery the other day, plumbing in two new sinks (golden rule of building a brew space - work out how much cleaning area you need, then triple it) and I ended up looking at the Perrider (perry and cider mix; keep up at the back) vessels. These have been fermenting since mid to late November. I've now racked vessels 1, 2 and 3 and have some feedback on these.

With regard to final gravity, vessels 1 and 2 reached 1.009. I wasn't that surprised by this as pear juice has non-fermentable sugars (sorbitol). Vessel 3, which included Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois yeast, hit 1.010. This puts the Perriders at around 6% ABV, which is fine for me. I didn't add anything other than the juice because I wanted a true reflection of the fruit characteristics as it's the first batch from the orchard.

Vessel 1 used generic champagne yeast. The Perrider is crystal clear despite no pectolayse, and very light in colour. It has a very acceptable level of dryness; it's not puckering but refreshing. The sharpness is pretty much spot-on, giving a pseudo-effervescence to the mouthfeel. Right now I'd say it's drinkable and would be perfectly fine as a still Perrider due to the mouthfeel making it feel lively. However, it will continue bulk-ageing until the trees blossom in Spring.

Vessel used S-04 ale yeast. The Perrider has a very slight haze (the internal surface of the fermenter was covered in yeast slurry, but given that the liquid is clearer than I would have been expected. Despite this, it has no yeast taste. It's similar to Vessel 1 in terms of dryness, but is a tad sharper with a little harshness more akin to a scrumpy than a perry or cider. It's perfectly drinkable, but a bit more 'oo-arr' than 'ooh-la-la', if you get my drift. I'm sure that the bulk ageing will round things out a bit. Carbonation might also lift it a bit.

Vessel 3 used S-04 and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois. Now, we all know that this particular strain is really a saccharomyces strain, but it has some Brett characteristics (tropical fruit and funk, but no sourness) without the longer fermentation times. The fact that the OG has a point higher than pure S-04 might indicate that the BBT is still munching away. The Perrider has a hint of farmyard funk which sits really nicely with the overall taste, and it rounds out the slightly harsh taste of the S-04 only version. Currently I don't know whether this would be better as a still or carbonated pint and will wait until time to package to decide.

So that's three down, three to go. Now, the observant amongst you might be thinking, 'Three to go? But there were seven to start with!' You'd be right! Vessel 7 was left to wild yeast, which didn't happen. I don't know if it was the freeze-thaw cycle that I carried out instead of scratting. That shouldn't have killed off the wild yeast, but anyhow, the must has been used as a top-up. Once initial fermentation slowed the vessels were topped up with it, and now racked I've used the must to minimise head-space.

As the snow set in last week there wasn't a lot to do so I figured that in the absence of Lorraine Kelly workout videos I might as well test, taste and rack the remaining Perrider fermenters. All three checked in at 1.009 which, given the unfermentable sorbitol in the pear element of the cider/perry mix, was pretty much what I expected after testing the first three batches.

Vessel 4 used Wyeast 4766. The Perrider is crystal clear and light, and despite the FG figure it has a good level of dryness without having that cheek-sucking thing going on. Like the contents of Vessel 1, it has a pseudo-effervesence due to the sharpness, but at no point is it astringent or puckering. Comparing Vessels 1 and 4, I would say the number 1 has the edge; it's slightly crisper and cleaner. It'll be interesting to see how it ages out.

Vessel 5 was originally intended to be a mixture of Wyeast 4766 and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois. I had two smack-packs of 4766, both well in date and delivered quickly from The Home Brew Shop in Aldershot. When smacked like a ginger step-child, neither swelled, which sort of set off an alarm bell ( a bit like a ginger step-child, I suppose). I held back on the Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois in Vessel 5 until I was sure what was going on. Vessel 4 did kick in after a few days, but Vessel 5 was dead. I waited a good while before pronouncing death.

As a result, Vessel 5 ended up with Mango Jack's M-02. The Perrider was slightly too tart and had a bit of puckering dryness in the background. It was also hazy and tasted raw compared to the other batches. If I had to rate all six batches in order of preference, this would have fallen to the bottom in position six. More about this in a second.

Vessel 6 used Mango Jack M-02 and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois. It had the same harshness and puckering astringency in the background as Vessel 5, but this was rounded off a bit by the Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois. Interestingly it had the same effect as it did in Vessel 3 (S-04 plus Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois) when compared with Vessel 2 (straight S-04). Sadly, with Vessel 6 the M-02 comes through and it's not a yeast that I would use again.

In order of preference I would say 3 (S-04 plus Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois) takes the lead from Vessel 1 (generic champagne yeast) and Vessel 2 (S-04) tied for second place. Then it would be Vessel 4 (Wyeast 4766) although I'd think twice next autumn with the 50 per cent mortality rate of this yeast. In fifth place is Vessel 6 (Jack M-02 and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois); despite the good work of the Trois the M-02 isn't balanced enough. It last place comes Vessel 5 (M-02).

Obviously, the bulk ageing might change things a bit. I'll be waiting patiently to see what happens.

Vessel 5, the least favourite, won't be bulk ageing. Here's a funny thing. As I was racking I decided to test a bit of plumbing. It's called multi-tasking. I was starting the syphon off when I thought I heard something at the other end of the brewery. I quickly stuck the hose into the clean FV and wandered off to have a look. It was nothing, but I started to wipe down a grain bin. Lost in my thoughts I glanced back to see the FV wasn't filling up. The hose had not be put in properly and Vessel 5 was emptying itself onto the floor!

I grabbed it in time and shoved it back in, but by that point I'd lost 3 gallons. Okay, it wasn't the best Perrider. It was my least favourite, but still, it was 3 gallons of the stuff. My real issue (aside from clearing up) was what to do. Should I simply leave the 5 gallons to age with a load of headspace, risking a vinegar transormation? Should I keg it, gas it up and let it age in a corny?

I went for option three. It's now been dry-hopped with Moteuka and will be kegged next week before being aged in the keg.

Who says men can't multi-task?

The orchard is now in blossom, and that means one thing: drinking season is upon us!

Following the spillage mishap with MJF #5, it was dry hopped with 50g of Moteuka for two weeks before being dumped into a corny. Before sealing up I chucked a litre of unfermented pear and apple juice in to aid carbonation. I also left it connected to a spare CO2 tank at 10psi. It's been sat for the best part of two months so tonight it'll be dragged out of the brewery and chucked into the kegerator.

It's been hard ignoring the fermenters, but rebuilding the house has helped a bit. It's going to be interesting to see how the six versions have aged, and to finally pin down what will be my yeast combination of choice going forwards.