It's been too long but cider making & brewing season are off and running for me this year! I made a test gallon batch of hard cider using motts apple juice, cote des blanc yeast, and a bottle of apple syrup I purchase months ago. I loosely followed the 5 day sweet country cider recipe, but never took a gravity reading. After the 7th day I tried it and it was delicious! I'm not sure if it is the yeast, or usng the apple syrup or both but everyone who sampled it thought it was excellent. I just started 6 gallons of this cider Saturday.
I couldn't remember where the hell I bought that apple syrup, and after visiting 3 grocery stores with no luck, I made my own. I took 1 gallon of apple juice and let it simmer, never boiling, on medium heat for over 4 hours. I added 2 cups of white table sugar at the end to sweeten it up some more. I reduced it down to 4-2/3 cups of apple syrup and it tasted damn good on its own I might add! I cooled it down in a salt water ice bath before mixing it in with the 6 gallons I had already waiting for me in my fermentation bucket.
The gravity before the syrup addition was 1.045. With the syrup it was 1.062 which is what I was aiming for. I'm going to take a reading this Saturday and a taste test to see where it's at and go from there. If its strong enough and good enough i'll bottle early and pasteurize it then start one to bulk age. If it tastes too young then I'll bulk age that batch and start another few gallons to have as my quick cider. I want to have a slow aged cider and a quck to drink cider going at the same time, and I hope I can use this recipe for both.
Back to my point: Anyone else use apple syrup, homemade or otherwise, in their cider?
I couldn't remember where the hell I bought that apple syrup, and after visiting 3 grocery stores with no luck, I made my own. I took 1 gallon of apple juice and let it simmer, never boiling, on medium heat for over 4 hours. I added 2 cups of white table sugar at the end to sweeten it up some more. I reduced it down to 4-2/3 cups of apple syrup and it tasted damn good on its own I might add! I cooled it down in a salt water ice bath before mixing it in with the 6 gallons I had already waiting for me in my fermentation bucket.
The gravity before the syrup addition was 1.045. With the syrup it was 1.062 which is what I was aiming for. I'm going to take a reading this Saturday and a taste test to see where it's at and go from there. If its strong enough and good enough i'll bottle early and pasteurize it then start one to bulk age. If it tastes too young then I'll bulk age that batch and start another few gallons to have as my quick cider. I want to have a slow aged cider and a quck to drink cider going at the same time, and I hope I can use this recipe for both.
Back to my point: Anyone else use apple syrup, homemade or otherwise, in their cider?
