hard cider
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WilliamSlayer
Well-Known Member
Just from the straight cider with no additives? About 7% from a 1.060 SG.
LeBreton
Well-Known Member
About 8.5% with no additives.
WilliamSlayer
Well-Known Member
Hmmm. Must be some very sweet apples! Were they a very late harvest crop? I've heard that late harvest apples have a higher sugar content.
I usually buy my cider in august/september/october. How late in the year do they harvest in the different areas of the country?
I usually buy my cider in august/september/october. How late in the year do they harvest in the different areas of the country?
I would really like to know what apples are yielding such sweet musts so I can plant a couple. An early frost is supposed to help boost the sugar content. Late harvesters like the "new" frostbite is supposed to be good for this. The climate here should be perfect for that.
LeBreton
Well-Known Member
The consistently highest sugar content apple I've come across in my research is a French cider variety called Médaille d'or. Been known to go above 1.100/13.5% ABV in the right conditions on a good year. Never personally worked with it though.
Holy...wow!
WilliamSlayer
Well-Known Member
I'm really starting ti get a sense of how many varieties there are out there. It's a bit daunting. I read a bit on the Wittenham Hill Cider Pages, and realised I had NEVER heard of any of the varieties of apple being discussed. Now, that's not to say I probally couldn't find some apples with SIMILAR characteristics in my area, but I can see I have a LOT to learn!
swampcider
Active Member
A orchard here let me pick the rebels that were still hanging on the tree after 5 good frosts and got 1.071. And there's Apple ice wine,where the apples are left on the trees till it's 20 below and than picked.....I picked dessert apples/fuji/honeycrisp/red delicious. Had to add to some frozen crabapple to it for some balance.Its sitting in a oakkeg till next fall.
For mine at 9.7% I just used Apple Juice from the store. We are in the middle of winter here 
I plan on making a bigger batch soon with Apple Juice, and will try and go over 10% by adding more sugar. I'll probably start at 1.085 this time, and see if I can get it down to 1.000 again.
Probably in the summer, then I'll hit up the orchard, and see if they will fill up a bucket for me with juice.
I plan on making a bigger batch soon with Apple Juice, and will try and go over 10% by adding more sugar. I'll probably start at 1.085 this time, and see if I can get it down to 1.000 again.Probably in the summer, then I'll hit up the orchard, and see if they will fill up a bucket for me with juice.
