is my cider infected or is this normal for safaleUS05

Made a batch of cider with granny smith apples 13%brix. Juiced my self. used half or maybe less of Kmeta than what is suggested on the packet

July 3: saf-ale US05 yeast. Starter was 2L apple juice with 1 packet left to ferment for 24 - 48 hours. took a couple of days to start fermenting. Apple juice was very appley and nice.

July 8: I wanted to try adding pectic enzyme at the start of fermenting.

July 10: Started tasting and smelling like vomit and it lost the strong apple smells and tastes. Had milky haze that would stick to the side of drinking glass.

22 July: vomit smell/taste was gone and juice sweet but insipid 7%brix

I want to re-use the yeast but am concerned the yeast might be infected with something. Perhaps cider sickness? seems strange to get infected while fermenting though. Is this to be expected from safale US05(first time using it) when used with cider,or could it be the pectic enzyme addition, while fermenting giving off the vomit smell?

edit: want to use the yeast for beer.

Topic reusing-yeast yeast cider beer homebrew

Category Mac

1
answered at

Vomit taste is butyric acid,

produced by anaerobic bacteria such as Clostridium butyricum, C. kluyveri, and Megasphaera spp 1 during glucose fermentation

I would not recommend re-using the yeast. I would also not recommend drinking any of the cider unless you are certain the alcohol content is at least 2% ABV as there may be other more harmful bacteria present, like e. coli or clostridium botulinum.

If something smells awful (where awful is like rancid/vomit/fecal aromas), it's really time to toss the batch. If the alcohol content is low, it could cause food poisoning.

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answered at

IMHO it is not worth trying to reuse a Saf05 yeast that has been fermenting in questionable circumstances. The yeast is too cheap to buy to risk an infection or even a failure. More over it is not really a good yeast to use for cider - although I am sure it will cause fermentation in most situations. traditional farmyard Apple cider is usually made with the wild yeast that lives on the apple skins and enters the juice while crushing.

I would also question why Potassium metabisulphite needs to be initially added to the brew. If infection is a real worry then pasteurise (or even boil) the apple juice before cooling and pitching a commercial yeast. Many commercial ciders are made with pasteurised apple juice and quite often with glucose syrup. Making cider with pasteurised juice has been covered in this question

Fermenting apple juice often has a malodorous or slightly sulphurous aroma. In most circumstances it will fade over time while ageing/conditioning. Ciders that are obviously infected with a very sour taste can often be opened to the air to make apple vinegar.

Generally speaking cider is not a quick drink to make. Good cider ferments for more than a month and is then bottled and aged for something like one year. Cider less than a year old often tastes "less than optimal" and many would say it is not fit to drink before that time.

1
answered at

Yes, but expect the same results.

Sounds like a wild yeast that doesn't flocculate and stays in suspension.

If it tastes good then use it.

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