The perry (hard pear cider) is nearly done!
I switched recipes for the completion of my perry, as it provided more detail:
I added 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient and 1/2 teaspoon of pectin enzyme to the must. I had the nutrient from past winemaking, but I needed the pectin enzyme to help clear the perry, and some yeast. I found both at Northern Homebrewer, which is about 15 minutes from our city house. I used Lalvin 71B yeast. My starting specific gravity was 1.042
The must bubbled happily away on our kitchen table for about a week. The fermentation seemed to stop at the start of week two. I checked the specific gravity, which had dropped to 1.001. I racked the must into a new gallon carboy and let it set another week.
Today was bottling day. I washed and sanitized eight bottles of varying shapes and sizes. I boiled 1/2 cup of water with 1 ounce of priming sugar, and mixed it into the carboy. I did not rack the must again as it looked pretty clear. My bottling setup for beer is best for a 5-gallon batch, so I just used a funnel to fill my bottles. I probably could have gotten one more bottle, but there was some sediment at the very bottom. I poured a sample into a wineglass to try. It is not a strongly flavored beverage - Maggie called it 'delicate'. We'll see if the carbonation adds anything to it.
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