Spiced Dark Cider

Here's a good one I made recently:

1 gal apple juice (I used Great Value from Wal-Mart)
2 lb dark brown sugar
3 T ground coriander
3 whole cloves
Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast (my fave)

I simmered the spices in about 2 cups of the juice, then fermented it all together in the usual manner with a dose of yeast nutrient at the beginning and about 1/3 of the way through. The hydrometer reading was initially 15% P.A., and I let it ferment down to taste, so it's probably about 13% alcohol or something like that. It's got a little sweetness to it, and the spices work really well with the warmth of the alcohol. After racking and filtering, it's got a nice dark color to it. Tastes great just the way it is if you like it a little rough, but for the purists I suggest some aging. This would also make a good fortified wine with the addition of some white (or maybe even spiced) rum!

hybridspecies725 said:

1 gal apple juice (I used Great Value from Wal-Mart)

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Hi, I hate to ask this question but every Great Value apple juice from Wal-Mart I have seen has preservatives in it.

Do you see any bad effects or flavours if it does? I have been able to ferment with good yeast starter, but the final product was just a little off.

Most of the Tree Top's I see now also have them, I just made a mead / cyster and I wanted to use all AJ instead of water and add a little blueberries just to kick it up a bit. But all I could find where 3 2quart's without preservatives (Motts).

Wal-Mart is the only place I can get AJ at a reasonably high price, every place else is really 50% more.

Kauai_Kahuna said:

Most of the Tree Top's I see now also have them, I just made a mead / cyster and I wanted to use all AJ instead of water and add a little blueberries just to kick it up a bit. But all I could find where 3 2quart's without preservatives (Motts).

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What are you seeing in Treetop? ascorbic acid? thats just vitamin C.....

Sodium usually at 1.
Sometimes I see with and sometimes like now out of season I can not find treetop without sodium. All the wall mart brands of Great Value I also see sodium from 1 to 3 percent.

I don't want to high jack the thread, I'm just wondering if any off flavours are showing up.
I really like to make ciders, but it is hard to find ones at a good price without preservatives here.

I use Great Value all the time from Walmart, I have never noticed any off flavours.

Kauai_Kahuna said:

Sodium usually at 1.
Sometimes I see with and sometimes like now out of season I can not find treetop without sodium. All the wall mart brands of Great Value I also see sodium from 1 to 3 percent.

I don't want to high jack the thread, I'm just wondering if any off flavours are showing up.
I really like to make ciders, but it is hard to find ones at a good price without preservatives here.

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sodium what? and what do you mean 1 to 3% are you reading that off of the nutrition info? if so thats not an issue

here is treetop info
http://www.treetop.com/ProductDetai...ategoryID=39&SubSubCategoryID=63&ProductID=79

there are no preservatives in it, it is apple juice + vitamin C, Ive used it many times without an issue, I do prefer their 3 apple blend though as its a bit more tart

The only preservatives that you have to look out for, as far as I know, are Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Metabisulfite. If neither of these is explicitly listed in the ingredients, you're good to go! And yes, it is a delicious recipe! If I did it again, I would definitely use a spice bag, but I did just dump them in this time.

hybridspecies725 said:

Here's a good one I made recently:

1 gal apple juice (I used Great Value from Wal-Mart)
2 lb dark brown sugar
3 T ground coriander
3 whole cloves
Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast (my fave)

Click to expand...

Hybrid, I am getting ready to make a fresh batch of cider for the holidays and am thinking I might want to try your recipe, but I am still concerned about the amount of ground coriander listed. 3 tablespoons not 3 teaspoons? That just seems like a lot of coriander. I am thinking of making a couple of gallons of the stuff.

hybridspecies725 said:

The only preservatives that you have to look out for, as far as I know, are Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Metabisulfite.

Click to expand...

Thank you, I think I have been far too discriminating.
I just saw some Musselman apple cider on sale at Walmart and grabbed 8 gallons, and two gallons of Tree Top to start up two 5+ gallon batches.

Is it just me, or is the amounts in this recipe seem more for a 5 gal batch than a 1 gallon batch?

MeadWitch, I probably was a little excessive with the coriander, but I was just improvising without having done the research. It still had a nice flavor, but you could definitely tone it down a bit. As for the amount of sugar, I was aiming for 12-14% ABV but I might've overshot it a bit.