Caramel Apple Hard Cider

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Ahh, thanks for the info. I have brewed a few beers(all of 3), but not a cider. Of the three that I have done I have had a mess with two of them so I wasn't sure about the Krausen. Thanks again!
 
I just checked on mine a few minutes ago. The orange-ish milkiness is gone and it's starting to clear nicely. It's at about 10 days in primary. I'll take a reading next weekend and hopefully keg it up.
 
I made this and waited 2 weeks to bottle it. When I went to bottle my fermentation was done with no bubbles coming through the airlock. I followed the updated recipe with 3 cans FCAJ and the cinnamon syrup. It has been 5 days and my bottles are not carbonating. When I opened one it gave a small sound of carbonation sound but it has no carbonation. I used red star yeast and am thinking that i waited too long to bottle and all the yeast fell out. Any ideas? I got 39 bottles and 4 quart flip tops. It tastes ok but not great. Thanks in advance. Oh and long time site stalker, first post. I make cider, applejack and am getting started in mead when my 60 lb bucket of honey arrives from PA next week.

cider flip tops.jpg
 
kstone803 said:
I made this and waited 2 weeks to bottle it. When I went to bottle my fermentation was done with no bubbles coming through the airlock. I followed the updated recipe with 3 cans FCAJ and the cinnamon syrup. It has been 5 days and my bottles are not carbonating. When I opened one it gave a small sound of carbonation sound but it has no carbonation. I used red star yeast and am thinking that i waited too long to bottle and all the yeast fell out. Any ideas? I got 39 bottles and 4 quart flip tops. It tastes ok but not great. Thanks in advance. Oh and long time site stalker, first post. I make cider, applejack and am getting started in mead when my 60 lb bucket of honey arrives from PA next week.
I think they just need a few more days.
I definitely don't think you waited too long to bottle. Mine spent about four weeks in the fermenter and had dropped crystal clear before I bottled and they carbed up just fine.
 
Excuse me if this has been asked before: did you take multiple hydro readings or only use the airlock as an indicator to the end of fermentation?
 
Excuse me if this has been asked before: did you take multiple hydro readings or only use the airlock as an indicator to the end of fermentation?

I did not take hydro readings during fermentation, just waited for the airlock to no longer bubble. My starting OG was 1.062 and finished was 1.022. I think I may not have let it go long enough, as the OP stated his finished was 1.10ish.
 
Even though I've read it here hundreds of times, people don't listen. Airlock activity is NOT a reliable way to assess fermentation. Why do people still do it???

1.022 is way high for FG.
 
Just finished bottling this up. All I gotta say is....sweet baby Jesus that's good stuff! Thanks for the recipe!
 
Mine finally carbed up and I pasteurized last night. Took 11 days but it turned out great. Now to start another batch lol
 
I made the updated recipe per instructions and kegged a couple months ago. It has been a smash hit among visitors. I have been planning on making another batch once I got a good deal on apple juice again. Well the grocery store just put it on sale for half off this week so now is the time.

Question: I am interested in trying something a little different. What would be the best flavor to substitute for the cinnamon? I was thinking about blueberry. My local home brew supply has several different flavors like cherry, raspberry, etc.
 
Question: I am interested in trying something a little different. What would be the best flavor to substitute for the cinnamon? I was thinking about blueberry. My local home brew supply has several different flavors like cherry, raspberry, etc.

Instead of a fruit flavor, what about peppermint or regular mint? McCormick's has those as extracts.

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5210007077_1007x545.ashx
 
Instead of a fruit flavor, what about peppermint or regular mint? McCormick's has those as extracts.

5210007079_1007x545.ashx


5210007077_1007x545.ashx

I actually put a dab of mccormicks raspberry in a flip top quart when I bottled and it turned out OK. I think I used too much flavoring, as the start is fine but the aftertaste is severe raspberry overdose.
 
I have a bunch of wired floaty things in the bottle, almost like small amounts of moss. There is sediment in the bottom, but you think the floaty things are an infection?


Jp
 
I have a bunch of wired floaty things in the bottle, almost like small amounts of moss. There is sediment in the bottom, but you think the floaty things are an infection?


Jp

That'd be your syrup. It's weird lookin' but it's not bad to drink. Adds that extra "kick"

Regarding the flavored extracts, that's an interesting idea. I'm a little curious myself about that and may experiment a bit.
 
pwortiz said:
That'd be your syrup. It's weird lookin' but it's not bad to drink. Adds that extra "kick"

Regarding the flavored extracts, that's an interesting idea. I'm a little curious myself about that and may experiment a bit.

So the syrup make it look like swimmers in the cider in the bottle? They don't all have it, but...freakin me out man!
 
yeah man. I liked to think of them as "tendrils".....that didn't help me get over the initial "ick" factor, but the taste was not bad at all. My bottles didn't have them all either. The more everything settles in your bottling bucket, the less the bottles themselves have - that was what I noticed anyway.
 
I'm just getting ready to pasteurize my first batch. This stuff is great! Will definitely be keeping some of this on hand at all times. I think the the floaties just add some uniqueness to the stuff.
 
Just kegged up a half barrel, and had just enough left over to fill three 2 quart soda bottles to freeze for apple jack. Woo-hoo!!! :D
 
Started 1.065 on 5 gallons and 2#, 8 days in and at a 1.008. Temp held at 67 through it all. Was it to fast? Nottingham yeast pitched with a nutrient. Racking it off tomorrow and plan to bottle this weekend if it last that long.
 
Okay I really want to make this but I am not sure about the pasteurization stage. Is there a way to do the same recipe and then just add all the sugar into the carboy. Allowing everything to ferment out and then move from there to the bottling stage.
 
Alright... I tried something with my second batch of CAHC and got an unwanted result. Instead of the cinnamon apple pie flavor in upstatemike's recipe, I went for a more caramel flavor and substituted two 12.25oz jars of Smucker's Caramel Favored Topping. I checked for preservatives and it has none that kill yeast, and I now have proof of that because it carbed. What I also have is about 1/2 inch of sediment in the bottom of each bottle. In the fermenter I had about 1/2 inch of Nottingham yeast cake, and I siphoned slightly cloudy cider off of that and into my bottling bucket. I then mixed in 5 cans of FAJC and the 2 jars of Caramel Topping (1.030!). That's when I saw sediment forming in the bottling bucket, which got stirred and went into the bottles. I assume the sediment is the Caramel Topping... but why didn't it dissolve in the cider? Thanks in advance!
 
Why can't you dissolve the caramel, concentrate, and sugars all at once in the carboy. Then pitch yeast and wash it all down with a gal of juice. Does that not sound easier? Let it ferment out for a month, secondary to clear it up, then bottle.

Another question... Should you double pitch yeast with all these sugars? Just wondering about that.
 
Maybe I left out some important details. I fermented 5 gallons of juice, then backsweetened with FAJC and Caramel Topping, then bottled. I wanted all the sugar in the concentrate and caramel, and I only pitched once.
 
You can buy caramel extract, just like cinnamon extract. For my syrup I used both. I haven't tasted the final product yet (still carbing in the keg), but the syrup was fanfriggintastic!!!
 
Why can't you dissolve the caramel, concentrate, and sugars all at once in the carboy. Then pitch yeast and wash it all down with a gal of juice. Does that not sound easier? Let it ferment out for a month, secondary to clear it up, then bottle.

The yeast would eat ALL the sugars, and you would not be left with a caramel apple pie taste.

Another question... Should you double pitch yeast with all these sugars? Just wondering about that.

No need to double pitch, but feel free to make a yeast starter a day ahead of time.
 
rdneckbrew said:
I agree! I need to find a BIG bottling bucket. Is there 7 gallon or larger buckets out there for bottling? I suppose I could use any big food grade bucket and add a spigot to that.

US plastic sells 7 gallon food grade.
 
Is it possible to Camden tablet the batch then add the caramel slurry to the bottling bucket. Follow everything up with a CO2 tablet for each bottle. Kinda like kegging without the keg.
 
Is it possible to Camden tablet the batch then add the caramel slurry to the bottling bucket. Follow everything up with a CO2 tablet for each bottle. Kinda like kegging without the keg.

I may be wrong here as I am pretty new to this but I think the carb tabs need the yeast that you would kill off with the Camden tablets.

Someone correct me if I am wrong here.
 
richlong8020 said:
Is it possible to Camden tablet the batch then add the caramel slurry to the bottling bucket. Follow everything up with a CO2 tablet for each bottle. Kinda like kegging without the keg.

rdneckbrew said:
I may be wrong here as I am pretty new to this but I think the carb tabs need the yeast that you would kill off with the Camden tablets.

Someone correct me if I am wrong here.

You are correct rdneckbrew. The carb tabs do not supply CO2. They are just priming sugar. You need yeast to eat the sugar and produce the CO2 to carb them up, which won't happen if you stabilize the cider first.
 
So I made a second batch of this.

6 gal apple juice Walmart Great Value
2 lbs dextrose
5 tsp DAP
Washed Nottingham from last batch, revived in a starter of 2 qts apple juice(forgot the DAP)

OG of juice 1.040
Dextrose added OG 1.052

Wish I wudve added another 1 tsp of DAP
Wish I wudve aerated more.
It fermented real slow.
7 days at 62,
7 days at 65
7 days at 68.
FG 1.007
Should be 5.8%??

Began racking to bottling bucket.
Boiled 2 cups light brown sugar in 2 cups water. Added to bottling bucket hot.
Added 3 cans FAJC.
Added 1/2 tsp cinnamon extract and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract.
Bottled. Carbonated in 4 days. Put in lagering unit at 38 in bottles.

Um, it is tart. Tastes like Granny Smith Apples! Its good!! And maybe its more than 5.8%?? After two, im seeing a lil bit funny. Maybe Im jus dried out from the day on the lake :) cheers!!
 
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