what do you think about this recipe?

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billybrew said:
http://www.brewery.org/brewery/cm3/recs/11_01.html

This is the first cider recipe on Cat's Meow and it looks simple and straitforward enough. Do you think it will be sweet enough? Should I use Ale yeast instead of champagne? How much sugar should I use to prime?

FWIW, I considered using a mead yeast to keep this recipe sweeter. Or camden tablets to kill off the yeasts before I move to secondary. But I used the Lalvin EC-1118 champagne yeast and the honey sweetness has really stayed in mine...though the apple is not as prevelant as I would like (hence my plan to do the next batch sans honey and maybe even with a cider or sweet mead yeast).
 
I'd leave the honey out also and just replace it with light brown sugar. I made one batch using honey with brown sugar, didn't really like how it turned out. Every batch since I've used 1 pound of light brown sugar per gallon and they've turned out great. Rack every 2 weeks and drink in about 12 week. I use 3 gallon carboys and when it's ready for drinking rack out a half gallon at a time as needed. Haven't had any problems and saves bottling.
 
I'm sure everyone has their own routine as to what works for them. Mine is to leave in primary for 2 weeks, secondary for 2 weeks, and just keep racking every couple weeks until about 3 months when I drink it. I start the primary out in a carboy and every couple weeks rack it to another. Probably overkill, but I like to get it off the sediment and dead yeast that settles to the bottom while clearing.

I make all my stuff out of the frozen concentrate, real cider may take longer to clear. Don't know, never tried making any with fresh pressed cider.

Most times I have 6 carboys all going in various stages. Like to start one every couple weeks to be sure that one is always ready to drink.

:drunk:
 
raynor said:
I make all my stuff out of the frozen concentrate, real cider may take longer to clear. Don't know, never tried making any with fresh pressed cider.

Doesn't that stuff contain preservatives that kill the yeast off?
 
I've been buying Hannaford brand that's 100% juice with ascorbic acid. Says nothing about preservatives, not sure if there's any in it or not. Some say that preservatives don't harm anything anyway, might kill off any wild yeast I guess. It's alway real active for me in about 24 hours after starting the primary.

I haven't had a problem, started another batch a couple minutes ago..

This time I used 6 can of concord grape juice, 2 cans of apple juice, 3 pound of plain old sugar, and Red Star Montrachet dry wine yeast for a 3 gallon batch. Can't wait to see how this one turns out. I like experimenting!! :D
 
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