Why Did I Wait So Long?

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Brewsmith

Brewsmith

Home brewing moogerfooger
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I've been homebrewing for about two and a half years, but I just did my first cider last night. What a piece of cake to get started! I made a starter of WLP-775 English Cider Yeast with about a quart of apple juice and some yeast nutrient Sunday night and then threw it all together last night for a total of 5.5 gallons of juice with 1 lb of brown sugar added. It's bubbling like crazy and smells great. Why didn't I make one of these sooner?
 
Sounds like a personal problem...... :ban:

Im making my third batch of cider, but its a cheap Roundys version.

15 bucks for a six gallon batch. Im a college guy so this is strictly for parties only.

Made some organic cider the first time, wow turned more into a wine.

:rockin:

Good luck!
 
Brewsmith said:
I've been homebrewing for about two and a half years, but I just did my first cider last night. Why didn't I make one of these sooner?
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I have been harping on about about ciders forever but no one ever took any real notice - That's a shame really. I'm not worth taking notice of but cider is!!!! It's consumption is on the increase again after years of decline in the UK as people discover just how good it can be when it's well made.

Someone (no names, no vitriol.........Okay! It was Edwort! :p ) started a 'cider' thread in the wine section and gave it the German name and suddenly everyone's thinking it's a 'amazing re-discovered German traditional wine'. No, it's a f*&king cider unless you bought german apple juice.

At least people are giving it a try and that's a positive thing though....
 
Caplan said:
Someone (no names, no vitriol.........Okay! It was Edwort! :p ) started a 'cider' thread in the wine section and gave it the German name and suddenly everyone's thinking it's a 'amazing re-discovered German traditional wine'. No, it's a f*&king cider unless you bought german apple juice.
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You mean Apfelwein is cider?!?! Yuck, I changed my mind, I'm not making that!!!
 
Chairman Cheyco said:
You mean Apfelwein is cider?!?! Yuck, I changed my mind, I'm not making that!!!
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It's okay. Just hold your nose whilst drinking it and think of Dusseldorf.

Or boil each glassful with a pound of molasses, a good hand full cloves and 15 cinnamon sticks for the true American cider.....;)
 
Caplan said:
I have been harping on about about ciders forever but no one ever took any real notice - That's a shame really. I'm not worth taking notice of but cider is!!!! It's consumption is on the increase again after years of decline in the UK as people discover just how good it can be when it's well made.

Someone (no names, no vitriol.........Okay! It was Edwort! :p ) started a 'cider' thread in the wine section and gave it the German name and suddenly everyone's thinking it's a 'amazing re-discovered German traditional wine'. No, it's a f*&king cider unless you bought german apple juice.

At least people are giving it a try and that's a positive thing though....
Click to expand...

I don't mean to quibble but is the distinction between cider (hard) and wine ABV or is it more than that? Ed's is ~8.5%.
 
I've made 11% ciders. As far as I'm concerned, cider is cider. 8.5% is wimpy wine, but pretty good for cider.
 
olllllo said:
I don't mean to quibble but is the distinction between cider (hard) and wine ABV or is it more than that? Ed's is ~8.5%.
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Apple juice plus extra sugar is just a higher ABV Cider - you can call it Margaret if you like, It's still cider, not a wine.;) :D

My personal favorite ciders in the UK have an ABV between 7.5% and 8.5% - Many used to be higher but have dropped there ABV because of tax brackets imposed on Alcohol levels.

France creates some of the best wines (i.e grape based brews) in the world.
Normandy in France also has some fantastic Cidreries. They don't call it apple wine....
 
Caplan said:
Someone (no names, no vitriol.........Okay! It was Edwort! :p ) started a 'cider' thread in the wine section and gave it the German name and suddenly everyone's thinking it's a 'amazing re-discovered German traditional wine'. No, it's a f*&king cider unless you bought german apple juice..
Click to expand...

I actually started the Apfelwein thread by accident in the Commercial Wine, Mead & Cider section and it was moved to the wine section.

You can call it cider or whatever, but my recipe is for German Apfelwein which is not like any UK sweet cider. I guess you could call it German Dry Cider, but it is a fruit juice fermented with wine yeast.

Call it what you will, but I call it Apfelwein as it tastes just like it.
 
Yeah I like cider. I have pondered getting some trees. Maybe FoxWhelp which I believe you can make a good single variety from. This year we just used the stuff from our two other trees, went to the local press. It seems to take quite a long time to mature though.
 
I just transferred over to secondary and took a sample for gravity and tasting. Gravity is coming out at about 1.005. Aroma is fruity and a little yeasty, no more sulphur. The flavor is a little tart, but you can still taste apples, and the finish is a little sweet. Kinda like sucking on a good, tart Granny Smith apple. I really like it! Again, why did I wait so long??? :rockin:
 
The commercial examples to look for are Wyder's, and Ace or from England, Blackthorn and Strongbow. There are some restraunts that have Wyder's products on tap.

-edit- According to Wyder's website they are available in Texas
 
Brewsmith said:
Aroma is fruity and a little yeasty, no more sulphur. The flavor is a little tart, but you can still taste apples, and the finish is a little sweet. Kinda like sucking on a good, tart Granny Smith apple. I really like it! Again, why did I wait so long??? :rockin:
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The 'tart', 'yeasty' flavours mellow when aged and leave you with a much rounder tasting cider. Glad you've been seen the light!:D

Edit - Strongbow and Blackthorn aren't the best of commercial versions though
 
Caplan said:
The 'tart', 'yeasty' flavours mellow when aged and leave you with a much rounder tasting cider. Glad you've been seen the light!:D

Edit - Strongbow and Blackthorn aren't the best of commercial versions though
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It begs the question Cap. What are they then?

I've only had Bulmer's in Eire, so I'm pleading ignorance.
 
They may not be the best examples, but they're the most commonly found, especially this far from the UK.
 
Yes. Weston's are one of the UK's best cider Manufacturers. Well worth checking their ciders out. I'd recommend their '1880' and 'Old Rosie'.
 
jrtomsic said:
I'm partial to Woodchuck ciders.
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Wood Chuck is hit or miss. I have had it on and off quality-wise. Sometimes its very sulfury sometimes not. If you taste suflur, try another brand.

I have had Strongbow & Woodpecker on tap. Both were awesome. No sulfur-like taste to speak of when I drank them.

I was drinking some in Portsmouth, UK, after sucking down two Whitbread Best Bitters then switched to Strongbow. It took about half a mug to get use to the tartness. After that it was my drink of choice in England and Spain!!

:mug:
 
Well, after about almost 2 months conditioning in bottles my first batch of hard cider is coming along. Amazing to see. It has a beautiful clarity, sparkling with a golden hue. All the early 'meaty' flavors have disappeared leaving a semi-dry finish. I am really digging this. Interesting I am getting a wintergreen flavor now. *shrug* that's what it tastes like to me anyway, not like chewing on wintergreen gum or anything...just ever so slight, almost imperceptable. Next year, I am going to have to press 10 gallons worth and then bottle in Belgian style bottles with corks and wires. This would make a great gift for the following year.
 
Good work zoebisch01!

As you've found it's the easiest thing to make and as long as you have the sense to just wait and let it mature it's great - simply 'forget' it when it's bottled and get on with brewing beer as normal!

I'm collecting 'ceramic' type bottles (La Trappe from the Netherlands - blond & dubbel, good beers!) to bottle with corks and cages to do a 'special' cider with.
 
Caplan said:
Good work zoebisch01!

As you've found it's the easiest thing to make and as long as you have the sense to just wait and let it mature it's great - simply 'forget' it when it's bottled and get on with brewing beer as normal!

I'm collecting 'ceramic' type bottles (La Trappe from the Netherlands - blond & dubbel, good beers!) to bottle with corks and cages to do a 'special' cider with.
Click to expand...

Thx! It is nice because we have a local cider press. It is a fun trip to take all the apples out in the fall and have them pressed. I used the apples we had from our trees, I hope to get maybe some Foxwhelps going or something...if time allows! Those sound like nice bottles to use. I am curious to see how this cider tastes at the end of this year.
 

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