Drunken Emu Hard Cider

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Perhaps on the small batches the nutmeg should be omitted. That stuff can come on strong and really affect taste. I wonder if that is not the off taste that you got.

Just brewed my first batch, one gallon's worth. Left the nutmeg out. Scaled it like this:

1 Gallon Tree Top Cider
3.25 oz White Sugar
6.5 oz Dark Brown Sugar
1 packet Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate powder
1 cinnamon stick

Here's a pic. Left to right - JAOM, oldmate's Caramel Apple Cider, Drunken Emu Hard Cider

3drinksweb.jpg
 
Mine is done and it is pretty much the greatest thing ever! I will def do this recipe again! next time i wanna see what happens if i carb some of them though. I think it might be even better if that is possible! :drunk:
 
I just made a 10 liter batch of this if it ends up even close to how it tastes now this will be amazing! I will let you know how it goes.
 
will it hurt to cold crash this at 1010 or would it be to sweet its only been working 11 days tomorrow it started out about 1080 id like it semi sweet but not real sweet all information appreciated
 
seckert said:
Mine is done and it is pretty much the greatest thing ever! I will def do this recipe again! next time i wanna see what happens if i carb some of them though. I think it might be even better if that is possible! :drunk:

Sweet!!
 
This has been fermenting for 6 days now and has only gone down from 1080 to 1070. Now im a beginner and this is my first cider but does it normally start this slow? It still tastes awesome tho!
 
This has been fermenting for 6 days now and has only gone down from 1080 to 1070. Now im a beginner and this is my first cider but does it normally start this slow? It still tastes awesome tho!

Checking gravity after 6 days on a recipe that calls for a 1.000 FG is really just wasting cider. You're literally drinking a delicious apple juice at this point, with the ABV of a cough drop in it.

Just forget about the cider for a couple weeks at a minimum. In face, get another cider going (Try oldmate's Caramel Apple Cider) so you have something to tinker with while nukinfuts29's becomes an alcoholic beverage.
 
My scaled-one gallon batch is complete.

OG: 1.075 FG: 1.003 ABV: 9.5%

This stuff is good to go straight out of the primary. I can't imagine what a little age will do to it. I can't figure out if I want to bottle carb it or not...
 
Nukinfuts, thanks for posting this. I used this as a basis for my first cider (coming from making beer). I "modified" it (most likely for worse) in the following ways:

- 5 gallons of 100% Apple Juice (UV Pasteurized, NO preservatives, filtered - Safeway generic brand)
- 4 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1Lbs dark Brown Sugar
- 1Lbs Light DME
- 4 tsp Nutmeg
- 2 packets of champagne Yeast (Red Star)

Fermentation started within 8 hours. Steady activity. Smells like crisp apples, low amounts of krausen. Fermenting it in the mid-to-high 60F's.

My hopes is that the DME and sugar will give the filtered juice/champagne yeast more body, so it doesn't turn out like a dry wine.

In beer making, secondary fermentation isn't really needed - why is it used so often in cider. Is it because of yeast control?
 
In beer making, secondary fermentation isn't really needed - why is it used so often in cider. Is it because of yeast control?

Clarity is more often than not the reason. This is largely a comestic preference than anything.
 
Ok. I'm new to the whole brewing process, so forgive me if I'm wrong. In the OP it was said the cider finishes off sweet, like the original cider. If you let fermentation go all the way down to 1.000, doesn't that mean it will be dry, with no sweetness? Someone please explain this to me.
 
it is not sweet in the sense that it tastes like apple cider off the shelf. It maintains the sweet character of the original cider, it does not taste bitter or like it has been fermented out. This is a result of the sugar and ingredients going in.
 
I think I'm going to give this recipe a shot this weekend. Tried some cidar last week at the local brewfest that was real tasty.
 
Just finished up this Cider. Took a case over to a friends house for dinner last night. It went over fantastically. Great recipie. I will be making this one again for sure. One thing is true, it dose get better with age. Even cold crashing for a week after bottling inproves flavors. I can't wait to see what it will be like in a month.
My OG : 1.071
my FG : 1.012 7.72%abv
Backsweetened with 2 cans of F/CAJmixed with H2O to make 2 qt, to a bottling gravity of 1.030.
Finial alcohol content : 7%ish
 
Allright - nice to have found this recipe. Seems straightforward and I'm feeling brave. This will be my first ever brew attempt - starting tonight. I have some vanilla beans I may throw in there also, seems like the right thing to do as they're languishing in my pantry. Will keep you posted and probably will hop back with questions. Ideally I just want to get a cider going and aging more for the fall-ish timeframe - if it lasts that long. Lots of time and more than a few carboys - starting a beer on Sunday as well. Thanks for all the tips!!!
 
Second batch is in secondary. OG was a whopping 1.080. SG at transfer to secondary was already at 1.018. Thats 8.25%ABV.:drunk: Will be bottling this weekend. Should be good to drink by next week!:ban:
 
I am going to be trying this wonderful recipe in the next few weeks. Everything i've read says that cider mellows over time...so I'm going to make this middle of Sept and again in Oct and have it ready for Oct and then some christmas parties.

I'm going to scale it for 5 gallons though...so I can keg it!
 
I really wish I hadn't just started two ciders, cuz now I want to try this. Definitely my next batch!
 
Just started up a batch of this, followed it to a T, but couldnt find any nutmeg and I added 3 cups of white sugar instead of 1lbs, ended up with an SG of 1.080, should be fun when it is finished :D, also didnt have Nottingham, so I got premiere cuvee yeast from red star. I hope it is still good, as my LHBS doesnt sell Nottingham :(
 
I guess I don't understand why you would get bottle bombs if you let it completely ferment? Can someone help me understand this?
 
I will be starting this in a few weeks since we MAY have our first frost in Cincinnati tonight. Time to hit the orchard! My ultra basic recipe has been a winner and it's time to try something a little funky. I will not be doing nutmeg (because I despise it). I will be kegging though. Will consider any alterations to the plan to accommodate kegging over the next few weeks but it should be pretty straightforward. Potassium Sorbate and a CO2 cylinder eliminate so many problems!
 
Just brewed my first batch, one gallon's worth. Left the nutmeg out. Scaled it like this:

1 Gallon Tree Top Cider
3.25 oz White Sugar
6.5 oz Dark Brown Sugar
1 packet Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate powder
1 cinnamon stick

Just brewed a batch using this scaled version. Holy cow did it taste sweet and delicious before I pitched the yeast. I can't wait to see what this tastes like after it finishes fermenting!
 
My new TN home has 18 apple trees and we had a bumper crop of apples (Lord it can't be this many apples every year!). I made myself an apple grinder and press and have made about 40 gallons of hard cider. When I saw this recipe I just had to try it. Some variations:

In my primary I added:
5 Campden tablets (crushed)
1.5 teaspoons of pectic enzyme
1.5 teaspoons of yeast nutrient
5 gallons of freshly squeezed apple cider (raw).

Allowed to rest overnight. The cider really clears up do to the enzyme.

I pulled out a gallon and followed the recipe from there. One thing I made sure was not to boil the cider when dissolving the sugar and chocolate. Everything I read says not to boil cider but I have no idea why. Nottingham yeast is doing its thing. I'll be racking into a carboy in about a week. Plan is to have this brew during Christmas holidays to compliment some hot cider next to the fire.
 
I made the same recipe last weekend, scaling it to a 5 gallon batch. Using store brand Costco apple juice, I ended up with a very sweet/chocolate smelling starter at OG of 1.085. Since last weekend the Nottingham yeast has been very happily eating/bubbling away. Can't wait to see how this one will turn out :)
 
I know that Nottingham was highly! suggested, but I used a typical cider yeast. I've had it going now for about 3 weeks...smells delicious!

However, this is my first cider...any idea of home long till its done and I can bottle it? I've heard that cider DOES age...so leaving it for a month or 6 months isn't bad. But lets say, for all intensive purposes i will let it age in the bottle...and would love to get another 10 gallons going asap when should I expect it to be feremented out?

Also...should I add any clearing agents?
 
Was wondering what kind of luck people had with wine yeasts ie. Montrachet instead of the Notty. The Notty sure has increased in price from last year! A packet that was 1.99 last year is now 3.99. I believe the Montrachet is still 49 cents at least at my LHBS. I am not planning to take it all the way dry, so I was thinking maybe it wouldn't matter?
 
k00k said:
How many grams of Nottingham yeast per gallon are people using in this recipe?

I get an 11 gram pack and let it hydrate it all overnight. Then pitch it on the morning. When I get home from work, it's bubbling away.
 
1971hemicuda said:
I know that Nottingham was highly! suggested, but I used a typical cider yeast. I've had it going now for about 3 weeks...smells delicious!

However, this is my first cider...any idea of home long till its done and I can bottle it? I've heard that cider DOES age...so leaving it for a month or 6 months isn't bad. But lets say, for all intensive purposes i will let it age in the bottle...and would love to get another 10 gallons going asap when should I expect it to be feremented out?

Also...should I add any clearing agents?

I've made 40 gallons using both an Ale dry yeast and an English Cider liquid yeast. In both instances, I primary in my bucket for a week, then rack off in a carboy for two weeks. My s.g. has been .998 ish so sugar is all used up.
 
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