[Joe Sr.]

Here's a link to way too much cider info, but this guy has done more experiments with different yeasts than most of us will ever do, so you can learn from his experience.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/results-juice-yeast-sugar-experiments-83060/

I've had good success with Nottingham and have also used champagne and premier cuvee yeast.

I preferred the flavor of the cuvee to the champagne, but in all honesty cider is not my thing.  It's super easy to make, though.

I've got some fifteen or twenty gallons of it that needs to be consumed.  Makes a nice brine for a turkey, though.

[brushvalleybrewer]

I was at a friends tonight who moved here from England and he was commenting that cider here was sweeter than cider in Britain. Do all the yeasts make a dry cider that is back sweetened or do some yeasts finish drier than others?

I agree with mtnrockhopper regarding using yeast to affect residual sweetness in cider. As far as what your English friend said, I might guess he was referring to what some cider producers may do to their product to make it more appealing to a wide audience, like back sweetening.

The naturally occurring sugars in apple juice are very simple and are completely consumed by yeast during fermentation. This results in a naturally dry-tasting product. Many people prefer a sweeter product. The problem with adding sugar to achieve that sweetness is that if the yeast are still present and alive, they will ferment out whatever sugar you add and the cider will be dryer still.

You can add unfermentable sugars, like lactose, as I do, but if your consumer is one of the 60% of adults that is lactose intolerant, they will not be thanking you.

Most people who back sweeten either filter or pasteurize, and then add either sugar or apple juice to raise the sweetness.

[thetooth]

What a coincidence. I was at a friends tonight who moved here from England and he was commenting that cider here was sweeter than cider in Britain. Do all the yeasts make a dry cider that is back sweetened or do some yeasts finish drier than others?  I said I'd try a cider for him so this is a great thread to see active.
I was going to use unpasteurized cider pressed fresh from the orchards down the road. Any apples that are better than others?

I learned to love hard cider when I was working in England, so I know exactly what your friend is talking about.  I really don't like all the back-sweetened ciders... just too sweet and cloying for my tastes.

I like the white labs english cider yeast.  I let it ferment out completely (.998-ish, I think, although it doesn't really matter.), keg it, and let it age in the keg for 3 - 6 months.

[gmac]

My cider made with Wy2035 is gonna be gone soon. It was quite good after some back sweetening. I thinking will do another but the only yeast I have is Wyeast Kolsch yeast. Thoughts on this for a cider?