wooda2008

Recipes 

What mix of apples did you use?

indigo

Recipes 

It was 75 pounds of apples, in roughly this blend:

45% Pippin
20% Gala
15% Macintosh
15% Granny Smith
5% Gold Rush

I also added a half-gallon of Cranberry juice, and some cinnamon sticks in the boil.

I kept some out, unfermented, as a flavor comparison, and it's a fantastic cider blend. Very full-flavored and not too tart. I'm surprised it came out so dry on this end.

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Just Another Oregon Homebrewer
Planning: Peated Stout, Mudder's Milk
Fermenting: Cranberry Cider
Bottled: Laser Brain ESB, Beamish Stout Clone, Irish Breakfast Stout, Saccharomyces' AG Irish Red, Oatmeal Milk Stout

indigo

Recipes 

Okay! Got a second opinion on the cider, and it seems that it hasn't gone vinegar after all, it's just extremely dry. We mixed the hard cider with some of the unfermented cider from the same batch (at about a 3:1 ratio), and it tasted perfect - the apple flavors really came out, and I could taste the cinnamon again.

So, I think all I'll need to do next time is to backsweeten with reserves of the cider instead of just adding splenda. But the problem then becomes, what's the best way to make sure that the yeast is all dead before backsweetening?

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Just Another Oregon Homebrewer
Planning: Peated Stout, Mudder's Milk
Fermenting: Cranberry Cider
Bottled: Laser Brain ESB, Beamish Stout Clone, Irish Breakfast Stout, Saccharomyces' AG Irish Red, Oatmeal Milk Stout

bottlebomber

Recipes 

You keep saying bitter, but I think what you may mean is acidity or tartness. It is very normal for a dry cider to seem very tart. As far as the apple flavor being absent, that only means the cider is too young. After several months the acidity will level off, and the apple flavor will return. I think you may be taking a little too rushed of an approach.

dr_al

Recipes 

i would put it away for 6 months try a bottle and put it away for another 6 months.

indigo

Recipes 

Wow, really? I had no idea cider would take that long to mature! The first two batches I made a couple years ago (using store-bought cider, not fresh) were perfectly drinkable right away without much work needed, so I keep thinking that's how all cider should be.

But yeah, I'm happy to put it aside for six months if it means it'll be drinkable then. Thanks!

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::=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=::
Just Another Oregon Homebrewer
Planning: Peated Stout, Mudder's Milk
Fermenting: Cranberry Cider
Bottled: Laser Brain ESB, Beamish Stout Clone, Irish Breakfast Stout, Saccharomyces' AG Irish Red, Oatmeal Milk Stout

dr_al

Recipes 

some are fast some are slow, i do most of my ciders to dry then bottle prime and let them sit for at least 6 months, they mellow out nicely the longer it sits the better it gets if you don't sweeten.

MarkKF

Recipes 

Exactly. A week is not enough time. A couple of months minimum. 6 months to a year is more like it!