bechbd

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So I am making some hard cider from cider. It started at 1.105 and is now at 1.010. The cider tastes excellent except for a small amount of alcohol flavor at the start. I realize with something this high in alcohol I will probably not be able to get rid of this taste but are there any ways to minimize it? I was planning on carbonating half of this batch in a keg and adding raspberries (~1 lb/gal) to the other half. Any guesses on if this would help with the alcoholic flavor?

Adolphus79

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wait... you're surprised that an alcoholic beverage tastes like alcohol?

ok, that said, a good cider should have a little twang of alcohol, I believe that cider should taste like a good wine, but still hold some of the original apple flavor. Is the problem that the cider is too dry? if so, maybe you should consider back-sweetening...

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Mike

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david_42

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Give it 6-8 months.

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Yooper

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It's 12.5% ABV (and probably not finished), so you made wine not hard cider! It'll be good, but it'll take a while to age out. I make apple wine all the time out of cider and in a year it's the best white wine I make.

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JeanLucD

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Lol at Adolphus, but David is right. I was a bit sceptic at first about the long aging time required for cider, but with my first cider I found that it didn't quite taste right, even after I'd had it aging for like 3 months. I thought that maybe I just hadn't made a cider that I liked, or maybe I was over the taste of cider, but I left 6 or so bottles in the back of the brew cupboard and one day about 6 months later I gave it a taste, and WOW, it tasted HEAPS better. Basically I think you should make a cider, in an extra fermentor and once it's in secondary just forget about it, bottle it, then put it all away and don't open the majority of it till much later. I was so bummed that I'd already consumed all but 6 bottles by the time that it tasted good >_<.
I must say mine was only ~7% and I tasted a slight alcoholy taste, but as it aged it seemed to have mellowed out a little, though it was hard to tell cos those 6 bottles were gone in no time .

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Primary: Empty - awaiting a second go at Cheesefood's VCCA

Secondary #1:My wash for distilling, yum yum.

Secondary #2: Empty

Bottled:my Belgian-like Wit, Mac's Lager (nz kit), James Squire Amber Ale clone, Cheesefood's Vanilla Caramel Cream Ale, Munton's wheat and possibly some of my cider hidden somewhere - it seems to pop up somtimes, lol I guess I should have labelled them.

Ericbo

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So i guess too much yeast to start with ?
Thanks for all the good comments ... enjoying learning about hard cider

Yooper

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Too much yeast? No, of course not. It's too much sugar, with too high of an OG, for the yeast. It's rocket fuel, not cider.

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Ericbo

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Thanks... keeping learning ... Wondering if I should buy whatever is used to measure sugar and alcohol content ...

Nogud247

Recipes 

Hydrometer I believe is what you want. They're cheap and handy to have.