Apple cider

Here is my apple cider recipe. I have had lots of luck with it and it has caused many forgotten nights!

5 - gallons of apple cider. (no preservatives but pasteurized is ok)
10 lbs of sugar
12 - cinnamon sticks
1tsp wine tannin
4tsp acid blend
2 - teaspoons of yeast nutrient
1 pack of Cote De Blancs


For those of you that are in the Lancaster County Pa area, Cherry Hill Orchards is the best place for the cider. As a side note, they also sell cherry/apple cider. Don't use this!! It comes out tasing like Robotussin.

Sanitize your fermenting bucket and pour in a gallon of cider. Add the wine tannin, acid blend and yeast nutrient to the gallon in the bucket. Simmer the other 4 gallons on low heat with the cinnamon sticks. DO NOT BOIL. Once you bring it up to a simmer turn off the heat. Add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Pour it into the bucket with the other ingredients. Start the yeast while the cider is cooling. Once it's cool enough to add the yeast stir it in with a big stirring spoon. Put the lid on and attach the air lock. Within 24 hours you should see the air lock bubbling. After about 4 weeks start timing the bubbles in the air lock. Once they are more than 1 minute apart rack it into a carboy. This will not clear completely, its ok that way. Wait 3 weeks and then bottle. I have used beer bottles and wine bottles. Either way it has always come out great! I know that there isn't any sg measurements, but this is they way I've always done it. I did measure a batch once and it came out to 15%. ENJOY!

Cheers for that Monica!

Allie

Second batch

After getting feedback for the 4th time, I'm going for apple cider, instead of wine.
I'm trying an experiment, using a variety of techniques. Wish me luck.
I've ground the apples as you would do before putting them in a pressing bag and then in an apple press. I ground them into a 5 gal bucket lined with a straining bag. Now I'm taking the ground apples and freezing them. After a day, or two, at 5-15 degrees F, I'll thaw them.
I'll get some juice that way. The next step is to add pectic enzyme and let it work for 24-36 hours around 70 deg F. I'll drain that, and hand squeeze what's left.
I may have to add just enough sugar to get a SG of around 1.070.
If it goes like the first batch, it'll be ready to rack to secondary in about 7-10 days. At some point, I'll have to filter it.

I stated in the first post that the cherry cider came out gross. I have now changed my mind! I started 2 more 5 gallon batches awhile ago because everyone else liked it. I'm not sure what is different (I noticed that my local home brew store started carrying different cinnamon sticks at the time I was making this these batches. Possible that this made a difference?) but it is delicious!! Just wanted to share the update....

I think you should send us all some so we can give you a real good feed back*hic*

Long term storage?

Monica,

Wanted to ask......does the cider need to be consumed in any time frame? I recall another post like this stating to drink it within a few weeks...but 5 gallons would be difficult to do that....FUN but difficult.

Also, is it best served cold?

Darren

Darren, I haven't ever had it last longer than 2 months. Our friends love it! My first batch I bottled in beer bottles. Big mistake. My husband and his buddies thought that they could consume it at the same pace/quantity that they drink beer. Lets just say that it turned into a long weekend for them! I now bottle it in wine bottles and pour it over ice. I think that it is best served cold. I have one person that warms it up and drinks it from a mug. They swear its best that way. I have a friend who also makes it using the same recipe. After he bottles it he lets it age for 3-5 months. I don't think he has ever had an issue with keeping it that long. Hope this helps!

Question

I think my question in another thread got lost in woods, so I'll ask here.
I have 2 gallons in 1 gallon jugs. I believe it's going to need more sweetening. It probably won't get consumed for another few months.
My question is, should I sweeten it to taste now, or wait a couple months for it to "mellow" and then check the flavor? Would there be a problem of adding a little syrup later, if it IS not sweet enough then?

Monica,

We've got 6 gallons going as we speak...the airlock is bubbling nicely.

Question, no mention how long you leave the cinn sticks in. We still have them in the primary.

What do you do?

Darren

Monica may be on walkabout. Anybody wanna pipe in on if we should keep the cinnamon sticks throughout the fermentation. We're opting for YES as it smells so Freakin' good.

Have never added cinnamon to cider. Am not a big fan of mulled spiced wine at xmas.. so I probably wouldn't add it, just a personal preference..

Allie

Thanks Allie. The recipe called for it, it smellssssss so goooood.

Guess I'll leave 'em in and see what we get.


By the way, this is one of those ferments that SIZZLES on the top of the must like a freshly poured ginger ale.

I like spices in baking and cooking.. just prefer a dry and clean palate in a finished wine.. if that makes any sense?


"Fizzing"...peach and nectarine does the same thing.. you can hear it.. it's like a radio being "off station'.

lol

Allie

MMMmmm....smells so great. The Cider is coming along nicely.

On 1/28 the starting SG was 1.10 (so nice). 6 gallons of cider and 10 lbs of suger made for one sweeeeet must.

On 2/3 SG was 1.074
On 2/4 SG was 1.062
On 2/5 SG was 1.052

I didn't measure it today, but I'm guessing it's progressing nicely.

Darren

Sorry I was gone for awhile. I ended up getting sick and being admitted to the hospital for a week Anyway ~ I leave the cinn sticks in until I rack it into the carboy. It does smell great, doesn't it?!?!

Hope you're feeling better Monica .

Wow glad you're OK.

Actually if you check my other post you'll see that I've already racked to secondary. The fermentation ripped right along and then stopped cold after 10 days or so. The ABV won't be as high as you've gotten but it sure tastes good.

Yay! Glad you like it! I can't drink it anymore, which sucks. I was racking it while I wasn't feeling so hot and now every time I smell it my belly isn't too happy. Don't worry, I didn't contaminate it while I was sick. It turned out to be a neurological disorder so at least its not contagious!!! I'll still make it though. My husband and friends would be devestated if I didn't. Did you try it yet? Other than just taste testing?

Yes, when we racked we had more than 6 gallons as we started with 6 gallons of cider and added the ten pounds of sugar that was in a simple syrup so it brought the primary closer to 7 or more gallons.

We dumped a lot but both had a glass.

Nicely sweet, with a def. alcohol kick to it. Not quite the GROGG you make, but maybe we'll achieve that next time.

Gonna let it sit another few weeks before we bottle.

I'm thinking of cutting back the sugar or changing the yeast. I'd really like to get a lower alc content.