Newell's Groundhog Cider (woodchuck amber clone) - Page 5

Shaw237 · 01-02-2012, 11:08 PM

Thanks for the recipe. Anyone try this recipe with bottles. Is there a way to bottle it carbonated without having glass shards shoot around my basement.

**nukinfuts29** · 01-02-2012, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nukinfuts29

Here's a question, and sorry if it has been covered:

I have this going right now. How is woodchuck back sweetening when they bottle? I want to bottle it, carbed, and am thinking about using splenda like with Apfelwein. I just want to maintain the great flavor.

still looking for an answer ^^

**CidahMastah** · 01-03-2012, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nukinfuts29

still looking for an answer ^^

My understanding is woodchuck is backsweetened and force carbonated. I would assume that yeast is taken out via filtering and that they use preservatives like sorbate and k-meta.

my best results for making a woodchuck styled cider using backsweetening is to use what I call double sweet cider (process below).

1. Take cider that is fermented dry
2. Add 1/4 rounded tsp of sorbate per gallon of finished product.
3. Rack cider into bottling bucket, onto sorbate leaving any yeast behind.
4. add double sweet cider to taste (this is fresh unpasteurized cider that I have let thaw about half way, then I pour off the liquid and leave the ice chunk behind. this results in a very sweet "double sweet" cider to backsweeten with). I usually end up adding about 1/3 double sweet cider to 2/3 hard cider for gravity in the 1.022-26 range.
5. Once you have it tasting the way you want, add 1 crushed campden tablet per finished volume gallon into your keg.
6. Rack in the cider from the bottling bucket into a keg, force carb and give a couple days before you try.

Note: The sulphites will possibly taste funny for about 24hrs, then the flavor will dissipate. If you don't sulphite and only sorbate there is potential for the sorbate to interact with malolactic bacteria causing an unpleasant geranium smell. Sorbate is sometimes attacked by malolactic bacteria. Malolactic bacteria will likely only be present in fresh pressed unpasteurized cider.

diabeastie · 01-11-2012, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CidahMastah

Note: The sulphites will possibly taste funny for about 24hrs, then the flavor will dissipate. If you don't sulphite and only sorbate there is potential for the sorbate to interact with malolactic bacteria causing an unpleasant geranium smell. Sorbate is sometimes attacked by malolactic bacteria. Malolactic bacteria will likely only be present in fresh pressed unpasteurized cider.

Are there any rough guidelines on how long it takes for the malolactic bacteria to start their attack? I have some friends with sulphite sensitivities who love cider and I would love to be able to make them a sulphite free cider.

I will be kegging this and it will most likely be consumed quickly after force carbonating.

Thanks for the help!

**nukinfuts29** · 01-11-2012, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CidahMastah

My understanding is woodchuck is backsweetened and force carbonated. I would assume that yeast is taken out via filtering and that they use preservatives like sorbate and k-meta.

my best results for making a woodchuck styled cider using backsweetening is to use what I call double sweet cider (process below).

1. Take cider that is fermented dry
2. Add 1/4 rounded tsp of sorbate per gallon of finished product.
3. Rack cider into bottling bucket, onto sorbate leaving any yeast behind.
4. add double sweet cider to taste (this is fresh unpasteurized cider that I have let thaw about half way, then I pour off the liquid and leave the ice chunk behind. this results in a very sweet "double sweet" cider to backsweeten with). I usually end up adding about 1/3 double sweet cider to 2/3 hard cider for gravity in the 1.022-26 range.
5. Once you have it tasting the way you want, add 1 crushed campden tablet per finished volume gallon into your keg.
6. Rack in the cider from the bottling bucket into a keg, force carb and give a couple days before you try.

Note: The sulphites will possibly taste funny for about 24hrs, then the flavor will dissipate. If you don't sulphite and only sorbate there is potential for the sorbate to interact with malolactic bacteria causing an unpleasant geranium smell. Sorbate is sometimes attacked by malolactic bacteria. Malolactic bacteria will likely only be present in fresh pressed unpasteurized cider.

I don't want to keg it

**CidahMastah** · 01-12-2012, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diabeastie

Are there any rough guidelines on how long it takes for the malolactic bacteria to start their attack? I have some friends with sulphite sensitivities who love cider and I would love to be able to make them a sulphite free cider.

I will be kegging this and it will most likely be consumed quickly after force carbonating.

Thanks for the help!

you can probably get away with it in a keg, just be careful and don't bottle it. Yeast has a crazy way of fermenting along even if slow. cold crash the cider and try to rack minimal yeast off the bottle (or none) to slow down their chance to start reproducing.

As for the sulphites not really sure what to do about that. THe malo bacteria would happen well within the aging period for a typical cider. ckville has experienced it first hand - geranium smell t the cider.

**CidahMastah** · 01-12-2012, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nukinfuts29

I don't want to keg it

then try reading posts 36 and 38 in this thread. "Bottle carbing" it has already been covered there. You can still bottle cider from a keg (keg carb and then bottle).

**nukinfuts29** · 01-12-2012, 12:29 AM

I have read those, my question is more specific. I asked how woodchuck is doing it, because the original is a highly carbonated, sweet hard apple cider. I do not want to make it still, and I don't always have time to monitor the bottles on a daily basis before pasteurizing. I doubt that WC is doing it that way.

I would guess that they keg and force carb it, and bottle from there but I'm looking for the actual answer and not my guess. SWMBO is picky about alcohol and loves WC, so this all interests me greatly.

**CidahMastah** · 01-16-2012, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nukinfuts29

I have read those, my question is more specific. I asked how woodchuck is doing it, because the original is a highly carbonated, sweet hard apple cider. I do not want to make it still, and I don't always have time to monitor the bottles on a daily basis before pasteurizing. I doubt that WC is doing it that way.

I would guess that they keg and force carb it, and bottle from there but I'm looking for the actual answer and not my guess. SWMBO is picky about alcohol and loves WC, so this all interests me greatly.

Not sure what else to tell you on this one that the thread hasn't already answered.

Woodchuck is force carbonated - take look at a bottle of the cider; there isn't any yeast in the bottle's bottom from bottle carbonation. Woodchuck uses sulphites and/or sorbate (can't recall which but read the label on the bottle for ingredients and it is listed)

The techniques described by newell and in this thread get you a woodchuck draft cider (the thread is called woodchuck amber clone). If you don't have a kegging system, then you are stuck bottle pasteurizing to get a woodchuck styled cider. Either way gets you to your carbonation needed for a draft cider.

Hope that helps.

**nukinfuts29** · 01-16-2012, 08:29 PM

>>Woodchuck is force carbonated

thats what i was wondering, guess i missed it. I can keg it, was just curious