MontyKi

Recipes 

day 7 into fermenting my first batch!!

contents: 5 gal apple juice + 5 lb honey (too much?), champagne yeast, temperature 60-66 F, bubbling is reduced now compared to day ~2 peak bubbling.

I just tasted it, 'not bad'

hydrometer reads 1.01 (if I add the temperature correction 0.01), have a reading of 1.02+/-0.01

I would like to increase alcohol

when to bottle?

or should I get mesef a keg??

Thanks from a newbie,

Monty

MontyKi

Recipes 

ps. I'm wanting a relatively high alchohol, dry, bubbly end result. Any advice please.

kapribadi

Recipes 

what was your original SG? After you added all that sweet stuff?

Blanchy

Recipes 

5lbs of honey is definitely not too much. You should have no problem at all completely drying that out, especially with the champagne yeast. I've done 5 gal AJ/5 lbs honey, and it usually finishes with around 10-13% abv. The apple flavor is definitely in front, but that ratio of honey adds some nice flavors and body. I usually wait two months before I bottle. If you want it sparking, 22oz bombers are definitely the way to go- you only have to sanitize and rinse half as many. 5 gallons will get you about 25 bottles. Conditioning takes about three weeks.

kapribadi

Recipes 

those 22oz bottle definitely BOMB easier than the 16oz bottles!

MontyKi

Recipes 

Thanks for valuable feedback/confidence, means A LOT, e.g. re: not too much honey, and use bombers.

To have some fizz and end up dry and highish alcohol, what is recommendation for timing of bottling? We're now on day 8 and bubbling on the decline.

I failed to measure SG at outset Live and learn.

Procuring 25 22 Oz bombers shouldn't be too much trouble in the coming week+ I'll just have to put my beer/cider consumption into overdrive. And I'll ask friends who have bombers.