6/17/2023 0 Comments Apple juice ph![]() Lalvin 71B™ is an example of this type of yeast. You can also pitch or inoculate your juice with a commercial yeast strain that will convert malic acid into a weaker acid. Many hard ciders go through malolactic fermentation (MLF) during aging where malic acid is converted to softer or weaker lactic acid. Yeast can convert stronger acids into weaker acids. Interestingly, there are ways to reduce the total acids in your hard cider. An apple with a pH of 3.5 can easily be fermented as a single variety, but it would have a significantly different taste with 3 grams per liter of total acid versus 10.5. That is a huge difference if you are trying to create a balanced hard cider. That data says that apple juice with a pH of 3.5 could have a total acid measurement from 3 to 10.5 grams per liter. In Claude Jolicoeur’s book, The New Cider Maker’s Handbook, he shows a plot of data that has been collected for apple juice comparing pH and total acid. This is the corrosion we associate with acids. ![]() Free hydrogen ions want to attach themselves to other ions, which breakdown the material in which they are in contact. In strong acids, this does correspond to the total acids, but acids like malic, lactic, critic, tartaric, and acetic are weak acids so you can’t accurately correlate pH and total acid. The pH of a solution assesses the amount of free hydrogen ions in a solution. ![]() I modified the standard kit shown on my recommended products page by adding 1ml and 3ml syringe and a small 10ml graduated cylinder. So how do you measure total acid? You have to titrate your juice or cider. I also make drier hard ciders so it’s important for me to understand my total acid level so I can decide how to bring it into balance or accentuate it. Balanced hard ciders are what you want to make great hard ciders. Understanding the total acid will give you insights into your apples or your juice and how to make a balanced cider. I often choose GoldRush which has a lower pH and around 8-10 grams per liter of malic acid versus the 3-5 found in Ambrosia apples. Ambrosia contributes to the hard cider by adding sugar and aromas but needs to be blended with something to lower the pH and add a touch more acid. It’s usually above 4, which tells me to blend it with something that has more acids to lower the pH. I’d love to make a single variety hard cider from it but the pH is too high. I consider them a modern “Sweet” cider apple. They are a great eating apple with medium sugar, low acid, no tannins, but a huge amount of aroma and crunch. Understanding the total acids allows you to develop better blends and figure out how to best use the apples or juice you have available.Īt a basic level, pH is about making sure your juice is safe to ferment without risk of spoilage. A hard cider with high total acids will be harsher to drink the drier it is and the less tannins it has. Total acid on the other hand gives you an indicator of how acidic your hard cider will taste. Also, if you use sulfites, it’s critical to know your pH so you can dose the proper amount. Bacteria won’t live well in acidic solutions. That’s because it lets you know whether your juice and cider are more susceptible to spoilage. Are pH and acid the same? Is one more important than the other? Why should you even care? For the craft home hard cider maker, your pH is the most important of the two measurements.
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