shadygrovebrewer

Recipes 

Ok so my wife and her sister love my cider, so I decided to do a 10 gallon batch for them. I use 10.5 gallons of pasteurized apple juice, 6lbs of Blue Agave Nectar and 2 vials of WLP775 (English cider yeast.) If I do this right I should have an OG of 1.089 and finish around 1.010, making a 10.5%abv Cider. Then back sweeten with a little more Agave. I will add the pectin enzymes at secondary then keg all of it and force carb before I bottle it all. Is there anything else you would recommend on doing? This will be my 3rd batch of cider, but my first of this size and ingredients.

m_stodd

Recipes 

Agave nectar seems like a good back sweetener due to it's high level of fructose, but seems like an expensive sugar to ferment. I'd suggest using apple juice concentrate as it will boost your gravity plus add flavor.

Are you using pectic enzyme because you have cloudy juice?

usfmikeb

Recipes 

[joking]

Mexican panties? There are Mexican panties? We don't need no stinking Mexican panties!

[/joking]

__________________
Primary: Apfelwein 6/12, Peach Pyment 2/12, Cherry Melomel 9/12
Secondary: Douglah Capsicumel 10/11, Chocolate Mead 10/11, Bochet Mead 11/11, Cranberry Mead 11/11, Elderbarrel Flanders Kriek 9/12, Skeeter Pee 6/12
Bottle Conditioning: Spiced Mead 5/11, Peach Mango Mead 7/11, Spiced Cherry Dubbel 8/11
Kegged: English Barleywine 11/11, Chocolate Stout 2/12, Apfelwein 2/12
On Tap: Porter 10/12, Cherry Dubbel 9/12, Yooper's Pale Ale 11/12
Gallons in 2012: 88

dinnerstick

Recipes 

why do you think the yeast will stop at 1.010? alcohol %?

shadygrovebrewer

Recipes 

I was able to get 3lbs for $10 and the other 3lbs for free, and i was going to use pectic enzyme to stop the fermentation on the back sweetening with the agave. Then i would cold crash it all and keg to carb.

shadygrovebrewer

Recipes 

I've had it ferment out that far before without any ill effects. I just do really big starters. Also I check the gravity and when it gets to 1.010 I transfer to secondary, and cold crash to 36 degrees.

Unferth

Recipes 

Sounds good, are you planning to throw a worm in it?

How long do you plan to age it?

shadygrovebrewer

Recipes 

No worm, but will age it 3-6 months in kegs at 36 degrees, then bottle.

dinnerstick

Recipes 

gotcha. was worried that you thought the yeast was going to magically stop at some beer-informed attenuation %. i have never used that yeast before but are you sure it won't hang around and kick off fermenting in the bottles? i play it safe and heat pasteurize my bottles after cold crashing, kegging and bottling, but that's with s05 which in my hands is a moderate flocculator at best (say that 5 times fast)
do you mean 36 degrees kelvin? that's pretty chilly

Jboyles123

Recipes 

Pectic enzyme will not stop fermentation.