Good Cider Yeasts?
I've been brewing mostly ciders and cysers with 10 packets of cote de blanc I bought last year with wonderful results (in my opinion). I just used the last one on an apple-honey-habenero concoction. Anyone have a good recommendation for yeasts that bring out fruity flavors?
The choice of yeast should be influenced by what you want the end result to taste like.
For my champagne-like ciders with oak and based on belle de boskoop juice I use EC-1118. For my sweeter ciders backsweetened with erythritol I use Nottingham Ale yeast. For my summer-cider based in Discovery & Red Aroma apples and crab apple juice I do a wild ferment.
So the question is more - what are you trying to accomplish?
Natural yeast The best I've used was the yeast on the skins of my apples from my backyard It's the only way I've had a rich apple flavor
I've heard good things about Mangrove Jack's M02 yeast. I've ordered some, but sadly the shipment didn't get in in time for the apples. So for this batch I'm using a kveik yeast as an experiment.
Last time I tried to use different kinds of yeasts that I can get from local wine making shop.
Now I mostly use some strain for aromatic wines. These in my opinion gives most the fruity flavors. Also the strain for fruit wines had good flavor.
Wine strains like to ferment cider dry, if you want sweeter cider ALE strains are better.
I haven't made any in a long time, but I always liked using Safale S-04 for my ciders.