Bluespark

Recipes 

I made this on a whim, got some cheap sun rype juice Boxing Day and tried an experiment. Recipe is:

1 gallon cheap sunripe apple juice
1 clove
1 cinnamon stick
2 green caramom pods
Pectin enzyme, nutrient and energizer.
1 1/2 cup carmelized sugar.
Pack of coopers ale yeast

Start date 12/26/12
SG 1.070

I ignored this until 1/9/13, then I sampled and thought it was a bit bitter and should be racked off the spices. Gravity 1.000. Cold crashed, racked and forgot it until today. Tasted and it is AWESOME! A tad dry for my family, so I back sweetened a bit with agave, but this really is fantastic. Apple flavour up front, then the cardamom and a hint of other spices.

I'm kind of shocked that this is so good at 3 weeks old. According to my calculations it's around 9% abv.

Not bad for 5$ a gallon...

Unferth

Recipes 

Never would I have thought to put cardamom pods in a cider. instead of spiced apple cider you should call it curried apple cider.

Bluespark

Recipes 

I grew up in a very multi cultural area where cardamom is very common in desert, so it seemed like a natural choice

jackfrost

Recipes 

Did you use whole clove? I had to use 2 to get it to come through. But half a cinnamon stick

Bluespark

Recipes 

One whole clove. You get apple up front, then cardamom( almost a pine kind if taste, super interesting when fermented) then just a complex spice back ground. Just finished a glass. Yum....

jackfrost

Recipes 

Nice I have 4 bottles left of my last batch...now I have a kind of cyser going 1cup honey half orange juice half lemon juiced 1/2 cup corn syrup with vanilla one clove sg 1.06 finish around 1.02 or 1.01 I hope... first time with d47 in cider. Usually use Nottingham

WilliamSlayer

Recipes 

Hmmm. Makes me think I might be a bit timid on my spice additions. My first 'spiced ' cider is being racked onto the spice today. 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1/2 oz Bitter orange peel

Sounds like you used just a bit less for a one gallon batch, and my batch is 7 gallons!

Did you find your spices too strong? Sounds like your cider sat on them for about two weeks...?

Bluespark

Recipes 

Two weeks fermenting on them, then a few days in the fridge.

I decided on that amount of spices because
1) it was only one gallon, and an inexpensive gallon at that. I could dilute if necessary.
2) I like strong flavours typically, especially cardamom and cinnamon.

To me (and the few others that have tasted so far), no they were not over powering, you taste apple, then cardamom, then the other spices.

WilliamSlayer

Recipes 

Ok! Thanks for the feedback. I racked over today onto some STRONG smelling spices, but I know now that its not too much. I've never spiced before, so I am a bit wary. :-)

Bluespark

Recipes 

Just had to brag a smidgen, here is my gorgeous, crystal clear cider bottled, though it won't stay in them long....