A couple questions

[Orerockon]

So I'm on probably my 7th batch of cider (after I started writing it down, probably really the 10th). I've cobbled together and fine tuned recipes over the years to my tastes (moderately high alcohol, perhaps technically Apfelwein), absolutely bone dry finish. This is what I did/plan to do this year, questions are at the end.

375 lbs. apples from our little orchard (Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Crispin, Jonagold, Fuji, Yellow Delicious, Gala, Ashmead, light on the dessert apples, I just use them to fill out the batch if I don't have enough tarts) = 24 gallons, started in 4 buckets, will transfer to carboys.

6 Campden tablets for 24 hrs, with 4.5 tsp. pectic enzyme.
Starter: WLP775, 2 c. water, 1 tbl. sugar, Goferm) for 24 hours while the Campdens do their work.
With starter @ 24 hrs.:
5 tsp. acid blend
1.5 tsp. wine tannin
3 tsp. Fermax
3 lbs. 6 oz. corn sugar to kick the OG up to about 1.06, shooting for 8-9% ABV and better shelf life (I also do 24 gal. mead a year and both can sit for over a year, but the cider suffers). My OG has always been right around 1.04, and it's always finished around .992-.994
(It's at day 8 right now)
Rack off into carboys when fizzing stops (also the airlocks are bubbling very slowly), add malolactic culture WLP675. I've racked off at various points over the years and I've settled on this, I know there are a zillion opinions out there lol. This usually is around day 15.
Bottle about a month in, after it looks like nothing is happening.

So my questions are: The fermentation tends to peak around day 5-7, this time the airlock on one got clogged and it shot the lid a couple feet into the air. Is this a bad thing? I don't think it affected the final product in the end when it does happen. I used to use MO2 but they go hard and finish fast, the WLP775 seems a little slower & less energetic.

Racking off to the final, I've done it at various stages, is there a standard time or stage to do it? I've done 2 rackings, first off the lees back into the buckets then into the carboys after MLB looks like it's done, or 1 racking straight into the carboys. Is there any advantage to racking it off twice? I rack my melomels twice, only because that's how I learned to do it.

What do you think about when to add the MLB? I've done it at various stages in the past, after 80% sugar depletion, after fermentation is completely finished, whenever I rack it off the buckets. Last year I added it when I racked off and I liked the results. Is there a rule of thumb for this?

BTW being a reformed brewer I think dry hopped cider is out of this world but I'm too chicken to do more than 1 carboy

 

[freester]

A pretty detailed process and waaaay more scientific that mine. Responding as no-one else has. I can see you are a beer brewer first and cider maker second

So my questions are: The fermentation tends to peak around day 5-7, this time the airlock on one got clogged and it shot the lid a couple feet into the air. Is this a bad thing? I don't think it affected the final product in the end when it does happen. I used to use MO2 but they go hard and finish fast, the WLP775 seems a little slower & less energetic.

It will be fine. At that point there would be a layer of CO2 lying over the juice / cider.

Racking off to the final, I've done it at various stages, is there a standard time or stage to do it? I've done 2 rackings, first off the lees back into the buckets then into the carboys after MLB looks like it's done, or 1 racking straight into the carboys. Is there any advantage to racking it off twice? I rack my melomels twice, only because that's how I learned to do it.

I rack off once the ferment has finished (at least when making cider where I add the yeast etc). Ie when it's fermented to 1.000 or as near as damnit. I don't think there is much advantage to a second racking. Might make it a little clearer less lees but you'll end up with some sediment in bottles if you carbonate in bottle.

What do you think about when to add the MLB? I've done it at various stages in the past, after 80% sugar depletion, after fermentation is completely finished, whenever I rack it off the buckets. Last year I added it when I racked off and I liked the results. Is there a rule of thumb for this?

I have no idea what MLB is

BTW being a reformed brewer I think dry hopped cider is out of this world but I'm too chicken to do more than 1 carboy

Please tell me more...

 

[Orerockon]

Thanks! I had exactly 1 beer blow its top and I had to throw it away. It was a Belgian and soured so bad it gave me sour beer face. Quit brewing cuz I got into the "have to drink it before it goes bad" stage and that was not a good thing. At one point I had 3 kegs in the fridge. Anyway I racked the cider off into carboys cuz the 4 buckets were at 1.000-1.002. Still fizzing and kicking out a bubble every 10-15 seconds. Gotta write that one down in bold type. MLB = a lazy way to say malolactic bacteria (or is it MLC?). I detest the commercial sweet ciders (and wines) so I want it to finish off as dry as possible. The only reason for that is we took a vacation to southern Germany (Hessen) and northern France (Alsace), the home of pucker your mouth dry ciders and it got to where it was hard to decide between beer, wine, or cider I'll probably add it in a couple days, they should be under 1 by then.

As far as hopped cider goes I had a batch that wasn't spoiled but tasted a little off so I did some searching for what to do to correct it and stumbled on a dry hopped cider recipe. Seemed to be your standard recipe with 1.4 oz. of Cascade shoved in the carboy for 4-7 days when it was more or less ready to bottle. I siphon off enough to make room for the hops. It really does have a unique taste and that hoppy finish but it definitely isn't overwhelming the taste. I'm gonna do 2 this time. I talked a buddy into doing hopped mead and he went nuts over it but I know he likes what I think of as over-hopped beer (like those crappy IPAs that I think brewers are covering up with an insane amount of hops). I've never tried adding anything except fruit to mead because we have so much cheap U-pick fruit around here (including a buddy who gives me the "friend price" cuz I leave him with a 750 of melomel from his fruit lol) that I can't help but pick too much and fill up my freezer!