WLP775 English Cider Yeast

Classic cider yeast. Ferments dry, but retains flavor from apples. Sulfur is produced during fermentation, but will disappear in first two weeks of aging. Can also be used for wine and high gravity beers. 
Attenuation: >80%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 68-75°F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium-High

A yeast starter must be made when using White Labs Yeast

Reviews provided by White Labs:

" ... I tried this monster"
By: J Parrone
Date: Nov. 11, 2011
Beverage brewed: Cider
Comments: After using several other types of yeast that were recommended to me, I tried this monster. From now on, this will be the only option for me as far as my cider is concerned. Even young, it tasted wonderful.

" ... far superior to anything else ... "
By: Jim
Date: Oct. 21, 2011
Beverage brewed: ciders
Comments: We have experimented with several types of yeast for our homegrown apple and cherry plum ciders. From now on we will use only the WLP775. The clarity and pure flavor of the WLP775 ciders is far superior to anything else we've used.

" ... loving fermentation ... "
By: Eric Hedge
Date: Feb. 12, 2011
Beverage brewed: Hard Cider
Comments: Worked great right out of the tube. Transferred to a secondary where left to ferment another three months at 54 degrees. Excellent results will use again as fermenting at a low temp allowed for a long slow but loving fermentation with crisp clean results. O.G. 1.095 F.G. 1.030.

"Will use again"
By: Glenn 
Date: Jan. 8, 2009
Brewery name: My kitchen
Beverage brewed: Very Hard Cider/Apple Wine
Comments: Fermented a bit slowly, but I used real apples and still tasted them in the finished product ... I was happy! Also, the yeast fermented all the way up to 17% EtOH. I thought I was going to have to re-pitch, but it just kept going. I plan on using this one again next fall.

FAQ for this yeast

Q: What is the origin of this yeast?

A: Our English Cider Strain came from a working cidery in England. The actual cidery is a trade secret. Once we received the strain, we re-cultured and cleaned up the strain. We really like the strain due to its unique ability to retain apple character, while still fermenting to dryness.

Q. I recently purchased a vial of your English Cider Yeast for a batch of cider I am making. I was unable to find out what percent alcohol I can expect. I will be adding sugar and fruit to it and don't want it to end up terribly sweet.

A. 12% would be the highest you would want to go.

Q. We're making cider here and using your 775 English Cider yeast, which we love. One question, my basement's constant temperature is about 55F and I see that the optimum fermentation temperature for this yeast is 68-75F. What ill effects might we have from our below optimum temperature fermentation? 

A. You may see a very slow and sluggish fermentation, and there is a possibility of the yeast shutting down entirely. What I would recommend is to get fermentation active in a warmer environment before you place it in your basement. Or try a "fermwrap" blanket for the carboy.

Q. Do I use apple juice (freshly pressed) as a base for culturing and if yes how much juice do I need with one vial of yeast?

A. You can use either juice supplemented with nutrients or a malt-based medium to culture the cider yeast (as you would do with yeast for a beer starter). I would recommend making a mixture of half juice and half malt in order to acclimate the yeast to the cider environment, while still getting a good deal of nutrient and food from the malt. You can make a 2 liter starter with one vial of yeast.

Q. How long do I have to let it ferment before putting it into the fridge?

A. For 2 liters, it will take 2 days to get the correct cell volume (about 240 billion cells). If you want to make a smaller starter (1L for about 150 billion cells), you can culture it for 18-24 hours. This yeast will keep for 4-6 months in the refrigerator.

Q. After the fermentation, do I stir the yeast mix up before adding to individual bottles?

A. No. You don't want to mix up what has already settled out.

Q. After culturing it what would the quantity of my cultured yeast be?

A. Culture to 2 liters (one vial directly into 2 liters) and pitch entire starter for 5 gallons of cider.

Q. After I made the 2 liter starter, how much of it do I use to make another 2 liter starter as I want to make about 15 gallons of cider?

A. You can pull 50-100mls of the two liters to pitch another 2 liters. After this, I would not pull from the new 2 liter batch - it gets risky at that point as far as contamination and mutation goes. The method I would recommend to make a larger slurry, however, is to take the original 2 liter starter and pitch that into a bigger size, say 2-3 gallons. Aerate and let that go for a day or two and that should give more than enough yeast to pich 15 gallons of cider.