'donia Cider

OK all here is the recipe for cider I am trying. I am a noob to this and I kinda just winged it. I will let you know how the final product comes out.

1.5 Gallons home made cider (from my trees in back)
4 Gallons Apple Juice
5 ponds plain white sugar

6 gallon primary fermenter
1 Airlock

I combined all the juices in the fermenter except 1 gallon of juice. I put the remaining gallon of juice in my brew pot and brought it to a boil. After boiling slowly stir in Sugar and dissolve completely add to fermenter. The I sealed it and put it in the basement which averages 60 F. It bubbled really well the first week so far. Thats all I got I will fill you in as it develops.

So you're using the natural yeasts left in the cider from mashing? Sounds like you've got a good ferment going already. Did you measure your specific gravity?

The only thing I have to say is that I've been told/read that boiling cider will cause the pectins to solidify, and they may show up in the finished product. I've made jelly before, and boiling is what causes the pectin to set in that process, which seems to jibe with what I've been told. If it does show up, maybe use some gelatin in the carboy to drop it out? Otherwise, sounds like it's going to be pretty tasty!

I didn't get the gravity like I said I'm new to all this and had actually forgotten until about 2 days into fermenting.

Twistingking said:

I didn't get the gravity like I said I'm new to all this and had actually forgotten until about 2 days into fermenting.

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So what was the gravity at 2 days? What kind of yeast are you using?

Generally this sounds fine, but I like my ciders on the low end of the abv range, like session beers, around 5%. The addition of a lb of sugar per gallon in this recipe will probably put you in the 1.070 range. If that ferments down to dry or almost dry (which, if you're using a wine yeast, will happen) you're looking at a abv range of around 9 percent. Little high for me, and tends to get winey.

Let this ferment all the way dry, it will probably take a couple weeks, then let it sit for a few weeks more, month total. Rack this to a secondary (leaving the trub on the bottom behind) and let that age for a bit. Once it has cleared (or stopped producing sediment) you might be able to blend back in regular juice to bring the sweetness back (this will be very dry and not taste very appley). This will bring apple flavor back to it and cut the abv a little.

Either way, this stuff will put you to bed

I didn't take the gravity at day 2 I thought it was to late. I am just using the natural yeast from the apples .

OK I racked my Cider today I am still new at this and don't think I read the sg right it was 1.22 shouldn't it be lower? Does it matter the primary was kinda thick with apple pulp? T had a glass and it tasted like a dry wine with that hint of cider. I plan on bottling in a couple of weeks.

It is definitely not 1.22, it might be 1.022, or even 1.002. Check out your hydrometer again, the scaling on it can be kind of tricky to understand if you haven't used that type of equipment before.

ok so I took another reading and i did read it wrong the first time it is at 1.020. Now if my starting gravity was 1.070. How do I know if its all the way dry yet? and what is the formula for ABV? I was using this
"Alcohol percentage by weight equals 76.08 times Original Gravity minus Final Gravity divided by 1.775 minus Original Gravity. It is easier to scribble this down: ABW = 76.08(OG-FG)/(1.775-OG).

You should remember that ABW is used mostly in the United States, while the rest of the beer world (as well as the wine and spirits world) measures Alcohol by Volume (ABV). That conversion is easy: ABV = ABW (FG/.794)." from Realbeer.com
and got 6.924 ABV doesthat sound right?

I estimate abv by doing (SG - FG) / .75, with this I got 6.67% so yeah, you are in that range. There are several estimating equations and I would rely on a more experienced brewer to say which is right, but this is close enough for me to get an idea.

Also, you can finish anywhere from .990 and up, that just depends on how much fermentables you had at the beginning and how much alcohol your yeast is up to make. With a SG of 1.070 I would expect this to drop down to at least 1.000 if not lower depending on your yeast. You will know its done when it gets down to a logical FG and stays there for a week or so as confirmed by multiple hydrometer readings.

the 1.070 was a guess in an above most from mike. with 5 lbs of sugar in this batch, the OG had to be much higher. i would bet more like 1.090

I estimate 5.5 gallons of cider and 5 lbs of sugar to have an OG of 1.084 for future reference.

OK, using a spreadsheet with 5.5 gallons of apple juice / cider (1.045 average), plus 5 lbs of sugar comes out to an OG of 1.084. If it goes down to 1.000 as it most likely will, your looking at an ABV of around 11% which I would rename to "brain dead cider". I just bottled a batch of that because it was too dangerous being on tap.

Hi all, my Cider has been finished for awhile but do to computer issues havent been able to log on. The end Gravity was 1.010 when bottled it has a very strong alcohol taste at first with a mild apple finish. I actually like it and think is goes down nice possibly next time I will cut it down with more cider in the secondary stage to bring out more apple taste.

glad to hear it came out ok. next time try using only about 2 lbs of sugar and use either dextrose or brown sugar. 5lbs will definitly leave you with a strong alcoholic product, but less would leave you with more apple flavor. i like the brown sugar which helps round out the flavor somewhat.

did it clear even though you boiled some of it?

Twistingking - Instead of "cut it down with more cider in the secondary stage" I would recommend adding in one can of tree top concentrate, take a sample and taste if, if needed add one more. It will improve the flavor, back sweeten a little, and not dilute the ABV. One to two is fine for me, but adjust to your taste.
Glad it came out for you, so you started your next batch yet?

Kauai_Kahuna said:

Twistingking - Instead of "cut it down with more cider in the secondary stage" I would recommend adding in one can of tree top concentrate, take a sample and taste if, if needed add one more. It will improve the flavor, back sweeten a little, and not dilute the ABV. One to two is fine for me, but adjust to your taste.
Glad it came out for you, so you started your next batch yet?

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+1
i use a single can in a 5 gallon batch and it's wicked sweet

+2
I Extensively use Concentrate in lieu of sugar in my Apfelweins in primary.
boosts gravity for Higher ABV, AND adds appley goodness in spite of the Higher ABV.
for a 5 gallon batch -anywhere from 4-6 16 ounce cans of concentrate will replicate about 2-4 pounds of sugar -but adds MILES of apple flavor to the finished product. with the Montrachet I prefer it still finishes dry as a bone and kick your ass ABV -but it tastes like a jolly rancher (sans sweetness)
I further hedge my bet on the apply goodness and prime the 5 gallon batch in the bottling bucket with an additional 16 ounce can of concentrate - I get carbonation within two weeks using this formula. you might want to give it a go some day - I call it the "all apple" recipe.

Wow thanks everyone for the great input I love you guys! I have not made another batch yet maybe next week . Right now I am making a fruit punch, and Irish Stout, and a heavy German Beer.