Apple Cranberry Cider?

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Xantus954

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Going to be putting together a Apple Cranberry cider for SWMBO. Here's what I'm looking at right now. This is only my third batch of cider so I'm open to suggestions.

5 gallons Apple Juice
2 lbs dextrose
4-5 lbs frozen cranberries
Nottingham Ale yeast (What I have on hand from previous batches)

Going to combine Apple Juice and dextrose in primary and let them go for about 2 weeks.

I'll rack on top of the cranberries in the secondary and let go for 2-4 weeks. (Depends on amount of cranberry flavor, tartness, etc that it picks up)

Rack to a tertiary, and let it clear for a week or 2, then back-sweeten with frozen aj concentrate, bottle, and pasteurize after it carbs up.

I also have Red Star Montrachet yeast but figured it would be better to use a yeast that leaves the finished product slightly sweeter to offset the tartness the cranberries are going to add.

Also, since I'm pasteurizing the final product if I add fcaj to sweeten to taste and then add 5 oz of dextrose to make sure it has enough to sugar to carb up will that work?
 
I just used Craisins run thru the food processor. Gave plenty of flavor and some extra sugar=alcohol.
 
Never thought of using craisins. For some reason I thought they'd have preservatives. Out of curiosity how much did you use and how long did they stay in?

I still think I'd rather try fresh fruit if possible, but its good to know that craisins can be used.
 
Consider using Old Orchard Apple Cranberry frozen concentrate for backsweetening instead of just FCAJ. It should be available at walmart. 3 cans should do it.

old-orchard-apple-cranberry-97415.jpg
 
Consider using Old Orchard Apple Cranberry frozen concentrate for backsweetening instead of just FCAJ. It should be available at walmart. 3 cans should do it.

old-orchard-apple-cranberry-97415.jpg

I was considering that, just not sure how tart the cranberries will leave the cider and how much of the flavor will ferment out. I've never brewed with them before.

Also considering aging with a Cinnamon stick. Guess the first one will just be a bit of trial and error.

UpstateMike, thanks for the Caramel Apple cider recipe. Mine just finished a week or so ago and its delicious!
 
I can't say for cranberry, but I added 1lb of frozen blueberries in primary and another 2.5lbs in secondary and got really nothing but color from them. I backsweetened with Old Orchard Blueberry/Apple concentrate and it tastes AWESOME!

P.S. You could also make your own extract which would also be better than just adding the cranberries.
 
I made a batch last spring with 5 gallons simple juice, 1 can of cranberry apple concentrate at the beginning, 1 can for priming sugar at the end. Very good very young, terrible after a few weeks, awesome after a couple months. Didn't take notes, but pretty sure I used 1118.
 
48 oz bag of Craisins in a 5 gal carboy. Added after the fermentation slowed. Left it in maybe a month then racked. The secondary sat several months.
 
I've had a very popular cranberry cider recipe that I love and holds residual sweetness in spite of using Red Star Champagne yeast, the catch is it takes a long time, you won't drink mine until August or September of next year, you can drink it over the summer but it'll taste like a cranberry cocktail. That said, good things come to those who wait.

Basic formula is as follows. Keep in mind this is more of a crancider wine.

5 or 6 Gallon batch:

1 Lb sugar per gallon of juice (warm a gallon or two of cider enough to disolve the sugar)
1 12 oz bag of fresh whole cranberries (this time of year you should start seeing the Ocean Sprey bags in the produce section)

You start to make a homemade cranberry sauce, by bringing 1 Cup water and 1 Cup Sugar to a boil, then dump in the Cranberries, boil for only 5 min instead of 10, or until the cranberries just start to pop open. Then pour the "Syrup" (cranberries and all) into the carboy with the cider. Leave in Primary for about 6-8 weeks with (as mentioned) Red Star Champagne yeast. When you rack to 2ndary, do the same method as you did with the cranberries with an 8 oz package of fresh Raspberries (in the winter my grocery store still caries product of Chilie or Mexico raspberries fresh) and top off to the top with a little more cider (I freeze a couple 1/2 gallons for racking)
Leave in 2ndary for 2 months, rack to tertiary and add 1 tsp of pectic enzyme per gallon disolved in a little water, top off with a little more juice. Leave in tertiary for at least 4 weeks and it will by CRYSTAL clear. Bottle and leave to bottle condition for at least 2-3 months...Last year I bottled in early May.

I've tried this both ways and quite honestly it works better as a still cider rather than a sparkling. Last year I ended up using about 7-8 lbs of sugar in a 6 gal batch, THIS CIDER IS DECIEVINGLY STRONG!!! With proper bottle conditioning the residual sweetness of the fruit comes through but with a warm alcohol feeling, really great with Thanksgiving dinner. The three fruits come together to produce something unlike any of them. If you're willing to commit to the long haul, this is a great recipe to try! You still get a great cranberry tartness, and a raspberry sweetness and a definate apple flavor coming through on the initial sip with a warm feeling in the back of your throat during the swallow.

EDIT: if you do want to sparkle, with champagne yeast simply put a heaping teaspoon of white table sugar in a 750 ml champagne bottle, or a 1/2 teaspoon in a 12 oz beer bottle.
 

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