Do I really need to clarify cider?

Question

I have 2 one gallon batches of cider that have been fermenting away nicely for a month. They are Motts 100% natural cider with no preservatives. I used Nottingham, hoping to get a little residual sweetness.

They have cleared a lot, but they are not crystal clear. Normally, I would just let them sit for a couple of months, and they would be fine. But now, I want to carbonate them and serve them at thanksgiving. One is going to be dryhopped with Saphir, the other served with no hop additions.

Can I fine with Gelatin?

If I do fine with gelatin, will they still carb up like beer.

I have never made carbonated cider before, only still. Sorry for the newbie type questions.

Answer 1

In answer to your question, whether or not you clarify cider depends primarily on your end use. If this is tasty cider you want to share with friends and family around the Thanksgiving table, then I would say no, you don't need to clarify it because there should be no flavor impact. If you want to show it off for competition (keep in mind clarity only counts for two points out of fifty), or you are planning on showcasing it in your finest crystal, then you might want to clarify.

How you clarify will depend upon the nature of the haze. If it is suspended particulates, like yeast, then you can try something like gelatin. However, if you have a pectin haze, perhaps as the result of heating the juice before fermentation, then a fining agent won't be very effective and you might want to try adding a pectin enzyme to break it down (though it won't be as effective post-ferment).

Answer 2

Different finings are used for different purposes and sometimes you end up using two because the first didn't work. For cider, I would try egg yolk or isinglass first. If you want crystal clear you may be forced to filter. Apple is notorious for not clarifying on its own.

Answer 3

Yes, you can clear it with gelatin, or any other common way. Most should work.

For carbonation - forced carbonation in keg will work all right, no reason for it not to.

Bottle conditioning will still be possible. Unless you filtered, you should have some yeast in suspension, so slowly, slowly they will do their job. If you filtered, or don't want to wait so long add fresh yeast slurry. Yeast drop to the bottles' bottoms pretty fast when they are done with their job.