dmtaylor wrote:They're all worthless, IMHO. It's all unnecessary insurance.
Not quite... now don't take that to mean you can't make great cider by just throwing yeast at some apple juice (who hasn't made at least one tasty cider this way?). But these things are not worthless. Largely unnecessary, perhaps, but not worthless.
"Yeast Nutrient" is a horribly vague term. But cider must typically lacks many of the nutrients yeast require for growth, such as FAN. Adding in nutrients like DAP and/or Fermaid K can provide for a healthier, faster fermentation. If you supplement your apple juice with a lot of sugar to raise the gravity, you might consider nutrients to prevent stressing the yeast. Acid blends are used to balance the cider; adding some acid can help an otherwise flabby cider balance out to a nice refreshing one. I wouldn't worry about acid blends until you know what you're doing. Pectic enzyme is used to reduce a haze caused by pectins, which can set if you boil the cider (or any other fruit juice) before fermentation. Don't boil your cider, and you don't need to worry about it.
I have no idea what the heck a Carlson tablet is. Do you mean campden tablets, perhaps? Carlson most likely refers to the LD Carlson brand.
