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Gelatin fining on a cider

cowboygun

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I had pitched my yeast to my cider on the evening of April 24. i racked to secondary on May 16. So I have been cold crashing my cider for 5 days since june 2 and was considering using a gelatin fining agent to clear it up, but i am afraid of not having enough yeast for bottling.  should i add the fining agent the day of bottling that way it settles in the bottle, add to secondary and keep cold until bottling a couple of days after, not add gelatin at all.  whats going on with the cider is it is just really dark. there is nothing floating in it, it just has an orangeish color to it. i am trying to upload a photo but cant figure that out. 
 
My experience with gelatin finings is to ensure it is added after fermentation has slowed to a stop. I have added finings , let it settle out, and bottled without a carbonation problem. But it does take a month or so. If you are concerned about lack of yeast, you can rack the cider and save the yeast in a sterilized jar in the fridge , do your finings then add some of the yeast back to your batch when you bottle.
 
When you open your gelatin finings you might find that you don't want it to end up in your bottles. Porcine-based gelatin smells like a pig farm, at least until you get it dissolved in water. I've used gelatin finings twice (on beers, not a cider) two days before bottling. Both beers carbonated fine.
 
I've never used gelatin, but I have used isinglass to clear wine. It worked great. Of course it was a still wine, and the whole point was to remove the yeast.

The cloudiness should go away in the bottle.  I didn't use finings when I made mine, and it came out very clear in the glass. The sediment was quite loose though. Had to be very careful when pouring.

Have you made hard cider before? If not you might want to taste it before you bottle it. It ferments out bone dry. As in plan to pucker up. I have successfully bottled hard cider and carbonated it in the bottle, and to be honest I didn't like it that much. It was difficult to get past the dryness and the tannins. I made another batch and force carbonated it in a keg, and same deal. I ended up making some simple syrup which I used to sweeten the cider a bit in the glass. That wasn't too bad. Next time I make it I plan to kill the yeast with potassium sorbate before sweetening to taste, and then force carbonating in the keg.

If you have a local homebrewing supply store, I'd consult them and see if they have any suggestions. Especially if it is a sole-proprietorship.  The owners can be a wealth of information.
 
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