Hard Apple Cider

[peterCooper]

On another post I talked about the cranberry apple I have going and it looks
like the potential alcohol is around 13.5% which sounds a lot compared to
what you guys are doing.

Scrumpy cider in the UK is very high alcohol 12%+ but still drunk like beer,
uncarbonated and not clear. So I guess in the end, you make what you want
and then you drink it

Edited by: peterCooper

 

[NorthernWinos]

UPDATE:
Went ahead and bottled the Hard Apple Cider almost 2 weeks ago..it had cleared fairly nicely....I didn't want to wait it out too long as I wanted the residual Yeast to be able to ferment the priming corn sugar.Had thought of using SUPER KLEER K-C to really make it brilliantly clear, but thought it might strip the yeast.....any thoughts on that???
So we racked it into a priming bucket and added 3/4 cup of corn sugar, stirred and bottled in beer bottles.Opened one last night just to try it and..."Yum-O"...that's going to be another hit around here...it was already beginning to carbonate....will be great by summer, if we can leave it alone that long. It sure was a pleasant drink, like apple flavored beer...think the Ale Yeast gave it a hint a of beer taste....am sure it will change with time.

BTW...
I read an article lately, it said that APPLE WINE is made from apple juice with added sugar to bring the S.G. and alcohol to a higher level.
It said that HARD APPLE CIDER is fermented with only the apple juice sugars....guess I kind of go with that idea....but we all have our own ideas about that issue...

 

[masta]

I have yet to make a carbonated apple cider but it is on the to do list. From what I have read, finings agent should not be used to clarify if you plan to prime and carbonate in the bottle.


Letting your cider rest in the bottle a few months will certainly help develop the flavor and I am sure it will continue to clear quite nicely.


Then it is all in the pour when you are ready to serve!!!!

 

[NorthernWinos]

I have yet to make a carbonated apple cider but it is on the to do list. From what I have read, finings agent should not be used to clarify if you plan to prime and carbonate in the bottle.


Letting your cider rest in the bottle a few months will certainly help develop the flavor and I am sure it will continue to clear quite nicely.


Then it is all in the pour when you are ready to serve!!!!

Masta....what yeast are you thinking of using???

I used Munton's Ale Yeast and now notice that Red Star Cotes Des Blanc is recommended for apple cider...think I will try that next time, tho I am open to suggestions....

Going to be watching for sales on gallons of apple juice and this time I am going to have enough frozen apple concentrate to boost the S.G. without adding any sugar....

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[masta]

I really didn't give too much thought to the yeast as of yet but it might be interesting to make two or three small batches side by side with different yeasts to compare the results.


....Sounds like a good plan for the gallon jugs I recently acquired!

 

[Curt]

Northern,


Ifyou ever get to Bemidji find Brigit's Cross downtown. It's an Irish pub right across the street from Kelsey's As You Like It jewelry shop. They have a hard cider on tap called Strong Bow. I didn't think I was going to like it but was pleasantly surprised when I took a sip. Clean, crisp andfresh.

 

[peterCooper]

Strongbow is not very high in alcohol though, I think not more than 4-5%.
There is a sweet and a dry version.

I am still waiting for my canberry apple to clear. I fined it twice so I daren't
do any more than that. It's bee two months clearing and still no
improvement. I did try to filter but it clogs after about a liter or two.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Hummm.....doesn't sound good...what did you use to fine it??? How clear is it now...????
Hope it work's out...always wonder about others problems...and wonder if they are just more fussy than I...? How clear is clear enough???
I have been impressed with Martina's filtering projects...she takes what I would consider clear wine and turns it brilliant...pretty impressive.
Would cold stabilization help????

 

[PolishWineP]

Hmmm... Downtown Bemidji... Briget's Cross... Do they serve food? That sounds like a nice day trip...

 

[peterCooper]

No chance of cold stabilization in Huntsville Texas... unless I put it in my
freezer, then I could stabilize AND turn it into apple jack in one easy step

 

[Funky Fish]

Northern,


Ifyou ever get to Bemidji find Brigit's Cross downtown. It's an Irish pub right across the street from Kelsey's As You Like It jewelry shop. They have a hard cider on tap called Strong Bow. I didn't think I was going to like it but was pleasantly surprised when I took a sip. Clean, crisp andfresh.

Mmmm...Strong Bow. I first had Strong Bow on tap on my honeymoon. We were sitting in a small crowded Irish pub (in Ireland

) - so it always brings back good memories!

 

[earl]

When making a Cider do you add K-meta at all during the process?? I would think that it would inhibit the fermentation in the bottle if you were trying to make it "sparkle."


If I were to rack off the lees would I need to add it??


earl

 

[Curt]

Polish,


They do serve food and good food at that. There is usually a dialy special on the menu too. The kicker is Guiness on tap.

 

[NorthernWinos]

When making a Cider do you add K-meta at all during the process??  I would think that it would inhibit the fermentation in the bottle if you were trying to make it "sparkle."


If I were to rack off the lees would I need to add it??


earl

I had Campden tabs in the primary, then none after that. At bottling there was no Sulfites added, nor any sorbates....the bottles were rinsed in One Step and rinsed in water then the wine/cider was primed with corn sugar as you would do with beer....this was my first batch....so, kind of was unsure myself.
Opened the sacrificial 'one bottle per Saturday night'..it is getting more carbonated...should be great in a few months....my honey has beer he made almost a year ago and it gets a nice head now...hope the cider might get that way with time.....got to make another batch so can stay on top of trying one every now and then....

 

[NorthernWinos]

The Hard Apple Cider is getting more 'fizzy' every week....we are trying to ration it out and make it last till summer.....

We better start looking for sales on more gallons of apple juice/cider at the grocery stores and make up another 6 gallon/60 beer bottles of it....for sure it's a winner at this house.....

 

[earl]

Northern


I made a cider with apple juice and brown sugar. I primed it with 1/3 cup sugar and apple concentrate. I put it in the bottle on a Saturday and on Wednesday had to chill it because it developed soooooooooo much carbonation. I bottled it in the easy cap bottles. When I open one up it sounds like a champagne cork popping. I develops a fantastic head when pouring and tastes great. I currently have a kit going but when it is out of the Primary I am going to make an apple/raspberry cider.


Cider is so easy and quick it has been a lot of fun.


earl

 

[maize]

Earl:


Could you give me a complete run down of the recipe and process you used for cider? Did you use a clarifier? When you primed - did you add more yeast? I am interested in trying a 6 gallon batch next month and want to nail down the details and order anything I need beyond the juice from George soon.


Thanks,

 

[earl]

Maize


I will give you a run down and a few things I would do differently.


3 Gallons Store bought CHEAP apple juice


Yeast nurtient per directions on the bottle, I think 3 teaspoons


2 lbs brown sugar, melted into about 2 cups of apple juice


1 packet champagne yeast


Mixed yeast nutrient, apple juice and brown sugar solution into a 7.5 gallon primary.Mixed really well thenchecked SG, it was around 1.070 at 74 degrees.


I sprinkled the champagne yeast on top then lightly covered it with the lid of the primary. Within about 24 hours it had taken off like crazy. Had about 3 to 4 inches of foam on top.


After about 5 days checked sg and it was at about 1.010 so I racked into a 5 gallon carboy. That is all I had and I was a little concerned about oxidation. I put it in my basement, which is about 60 degrees on a good day for the next 7 days. I then racked it off the lees into my primary which I use for bottling. I then mixed 1/3 cup of corn sugar with 1 can of apple juice concentrate and melted it on the stove. When it was room temp I just poured it into the primary and with a spoon mixed it up with the cider. I then bottled it in the easy cap bottles. I opened a bottle after about 5 days and it was VERY carbonated so I put the bottles in my garage to cool off and stop the fermentation process. I have had 1 bottle per week since bottling and it is only getting tastier.


Everything that touched the Cider was completely clean and sanitized. Cleaned with easy clean, sanitized with K-meta then rinsed with boiling water.


I would not add 2 lbs of brown sugar. My next batch I will get the SG up by adding frozen apple juiceconcentrate.


If you want a good tasting easy recipe just use the apple juice and the yeast. Friends of mine do it all the time and never check sg or add k-meta andit tastes great about a week after bottling.


I did not use a clarifier, I was told that a clarifier could make it difficult for it to carbonate within the bottle. If I was doing a "still or flat"cider I then would. I also did not add any potassium sorbate to it. I did not need to add any more yeast to it at bottling. Mine is certainly not clear and the bottles have some lees on the bottom. This is just fine with me, it reminds me of a good German Heffy Veisen. (I think I spelled that wrong butyou get the idea)


It's a pretty easy recipe and is pretty darn good.


earl

 

[maize]

Thanks Earl -





Sounds good. I noticed a lot of recipes use honey - have you tried that. I have a good source of fresh honey I could use. What do you suppose the taste difference is of not using the brown sugar?


Also, how clear was the cider when you racked to the primary for bottling and did you get a SG? My real concern is if I let it go too long in the secondary and then don't have a good yeast population to take advantage of the priming.

 

[earl]

Maize


I had heard that using regular cane sugar can add a tartness to the cider. So I thought that brown sugar would round it out a bit. The taste of brown sugar, instead,overpowers the apple a bit. I have read where honey is a pretty good primer, but it may take a whilelonger for the cider to get carbonated. If you want to use honey try 1/2 with honey and 1/2 without. I have had "apple juice" cider with only a couple offrozen grape juice concentrates used to bring the sg up and it was great. Your call on the brown sugar or not.


The guy I got this recipe from is strictly a beer brewer.Everything he does is about fermenting stuff in bottles to get carbonation. If you ferment in the primary then rack to a secondary, you could leave it for awhilebefore you would not get a fermentation in the bottle when you sweeten it up. If you read the posts on making wine youwill find folks, Medpretzel recently brought this up, complaining about a secondary fermentation occuring within theirbottles of wine. Don't worryabout trying to induce a fermentation in the bottle, worry about leaving it in the carboy too long and spoiling it.


My suggestion is to buy a few gallons of juice, and 1 can of apple juice concentrate. Mix it up in a primary with yeast nutrient. When the temp. is right then pitch the yeast on top of it.Cover it up and let it sit for 5 days. Rack it to acarboy then let it sit for about a week or so thenprime with a 1/3 cup of sugar in solution then bottle it. Tast it along the way to see if it is what you want to make, if notthen tweak the recipe for next time.


It was not very clear when I racked it to my primary to bottle, but I still left a bunch of lees on the bottom of the carboy.


This was a fun easy to do recipe, and if it didn't turn out I was only out a few bucks.


earl