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Tubbster85 · 10-27-2012, 12:39 AM

What do you back sweeten with?

buellulysses · 10-31-2012, 12:53 AM

Hello all, new to the scene I live in Central MA so raw cider is plentiful here so I only use that. Made a few batches of dry apflewine and loved it but i wanted to try something diferent. Just brewed a batch if this but I'm not good at following recipes. Just wanted to know how you guys think this will turn out?

5gallons of raw sweet cider from the mill down the street
.5lb of torified wheat
2lbs amber DME
1cup real maple syrup
1oz fuggle hops (4.6 AA)
Nottingham ale yeast

I forgot the crystal 60/120l and the LHBS was closed so I left it out.

Will it be too bitter with this much hops?
How will the absence if crystal 60l affect the head retention?
is .5 lb of wheat way too much?

**mike_in_ak** · 10-31-2012, 06:02 PM

Gonna be a wild ride, should be interesting results to post about later. People talk about torrified wheat going crazy at 2 oz. Crystal is for residual sweetness, without it there will be remaining sweetness. Usual hops is a quarter of what you uses, so obviously yours will be more bitter. Which should compound the lack of crystal.

But I bet whatever you get will be drinkable, if not good. And if it's too bitter, you could always backsweeten.

Tubbster85 · 10-31-2012, 10:27 PM

So I just bought 4 gallons of Honeycrisp cider (all natural, no preservatives,100% juice and pasteurized). So I plan on making it this weekend sometime after I go to the lhbs. I was wondering how I would make this more towards the sweeter/malty side? I am not against a dry cider, just happen to like the sweeter ones.

buellulysses · 11-01-2012, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike_in_ak

Gonna be a wild ride, should be interesting results to post about later. People talk about torrified wheat going crazy at 2 oz. Crystal is for residual sweetness, without it there will be remaining sweetness. Usual hops is a quarter of what you uses, so obviously yours will be more bitter. Which should compound the lack of crystal.

But I bet whatever you get will be drinkable, if not good. And if it's too bitter, you could always backsweeten.

Thanks for the input, I realized I had forgotten the crystal too late to get it and had no room in the fridge for the raw cider so I just went for it. I have read that maple can leave some residual sweetness any chance I helped my case with that?

buellulysses · 11-01-2012, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike_in_ak

Gonna be a wild ride, should be interesting results to post about later. People talk about torrified wheat going crazy at 2 oz. Crystal is for residual sweetness, without it there will be remaining sweetness. Usual hops is a quarter of what you uses, so obviously yours will be more bitter. Which should compound the lack of crystal.

But I bet whatever you get will be drinkable, if not good. And if it's too bitter, you could always backsweeten.

Also what do you mean about the torified wheat "going crazy" ?

Clifton · 11-01-2012, 02:20 PM

CrotchRocket S. Grant,
"going crazy" = super foamy head retention

2 lbs of amber extract will leave a little residual sweetness. I've not heard that about maple syrup. No matter what you made beer. Smile.

Tubbster85, use more caramel malt, backsweeten, halt fermentation, try Ffarg. There are lots of ways to make a sweeter cider. They just won't be Graff. Graff is good. Try it. Try Ffarg. Try making a simple sweet cider there are several good recipes here.

https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homebrewtalk.com%2Ff81%2Fdaves-carmel-apple-cider-244656%2F&sa=U&ei=2ISSULXSD-eW2AXG0YHQAQ&ved=0CAcQFjAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNEsDeSlIxCZ62D08ScV-CyfCDH5dA

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/ffarg-apple-ale-287198/&sa=U&ei=8ISSUJX3OuLM2AX85IGACg&ved=0CAcQFjAA&clie nt=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNEVuBEtJ04HrduCx-iDizOPjZhz1g

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f81/5-day-sweet-country-cider-265986/

buellulysses · 11-01-2012, 04:38 PM

Haha! "CrotchRocket S.Grant" took me a minute... For the record my 09 Buell Ulysses xb12xt is more if an adventure tourer and thus is named the Latin name of the hero in Homers Odyssey not the Civil war General that tried to kick all the Jews out if Tennessee.
But I digress...
Thanks for clearing up the wheat question, as for the maple perhaps I confused maple having some "unfermentables" with residual sweetness are the two not the same?
Obviously I have a lot to learn perhaps I should have brewed a few more extract beers before trying graff but I've been reading the dark tower series and I'd rather brew something I can't just buy a better version of.

pithed · 11-02-2012, 01:44 AM

Count me as another satisfied customer.. er brewer of this recipe. I love it and am not a huge cider fan but made it at the urging of friends and family to make something other than crazy hoppy beer. It was so successful that I felt it needed a label and have been giving it out as gifts. Sadly I only brewed 2 gallons.

I am about to make another batch but was thinking of adding fresh guava (we have a bunch of guavas around) but have no idea how to go about that. Ideas?

buellulysses · 11-06-2012, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buellulysses

Hello all, new to the scene I live in Central MA so raw cider is plentiful here so I only use that. Made a few batches of dry apflewine and loved it but i wanted to try something diferent. Just brewed a batch if this but I'm not good at following recipes. Just wanted to know how you guys think this will turn out?

5gallons of raw sweet cider from the mill down the street
.5lb of torified wheat
2lbs amber DME
1cup real maple syrup
1oz fuggle hops (4.6 AA)
Nottingham ale yeast

I forgot the crystal 60/120l and the LHBS was closed so I left it out.

Will it be too bitter with this much hops?
How will the absence if crystal 60l affect the head retention?
is .5 lb of wheat way too much?

Just tried it after 1week in the primary. Had low expectations due to my lack of ability to follow directions, but I was pleasantly surprised! It's not really that bitter at all, just enough to balance out the sweet and sour apple flavor it rounded it out nicely! Just hope not too much more sweetness goes away as it is just about as dry as I like and I'd assume the bitterness will stay the same and would then be out if balance...