Bottled and aging, getting anxious to bust this out and let my friends try the finished product. Should be good times!!!!
Colossal Wassail (spiced cider)
Primary Brew - OG 1.064
4 gal cider/juice
**(probably want to get a fifth gallon for topping off and enjoying what's leftover)
~1 gal fresh juiced apples (and maybe a couple pears), sweet or tart depending on desired finished taste
**(14 pounds of apples ~ one gallon) [I used Golden Delicious and Gala 4:3]
2 lb dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp Potassium metabisulphite (or 5 crushed campden tablets) (wait up to 24hrs to pitch yeast if this is used)
2 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
2 tsp Yeast Nutrients
Cooper's Ale Yeast or other appropriate yeast
**You can skip the pectic enzyme and campden if you don't use fresh apple juice or cider, you also would not need to pasteurize but a small amount of juice to dissolve the brown sugar in**
Juice apples first and pasteurize by raising temp to 160 F then removing from heat. (pasteurizing not required with the use of potassium metabisulfite or campden tabs) Once it's removed from heat you can stir in the brown sugar and other additives. If you didn't have enough juice to mix everything, just add some of your bottled apple juice to increase volume. Once the pot has cooled to under 90 degrees (Temp will depend on how cold your remaining juice is) you can empty this into the Primary. Then top off with remaining apple juice, aerate and pitch your yeast!!
Secondary: spices/flavorings - SG 0.998 (8.5% ABV)
1 cup spiced rum
1/2 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 tbs ground)
2 tbs whole cloves (or 1 tbs ground)
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbs orange extract
2 tbs lemon juice
After primary fermentation has slowed down considerably (Less than a bubble per minute): Simmer spices in spiced rum and water to help extract flavors. Strain or scoop out cinnamon sticks and cloves if you used whole instead of ground. Add a little extra brown sugar to thicken the sauce before it cools. Add lemon juice and orange extract once the "flavor sauce" has cooled down. Then add it to the empty secondary and rack the cider, mixing well before placing the airlock.
Let sit for at least two weeks then transfer to a tertiary fermenter for another week or so to settle out more sediment before bottling OR just leave in secondary for about three weeks...
Bottling for carbonation: - FG 0.996 (9.1% ABV)
3/4 cup Dextrose (corn sugar)
1 1/2 cup Lactose (optional for sweetness)
Boil 1 cup water for five minutes, slowly stirring in 3/4 cup dextrose (corn sugar) and add to bottling bucket before racking.
OPTIONAL: Mine went a bit dry for my taste so I also boiled another 2 cups of water and stirred in 1.5 cups of lactose to sweeten and added this to the bottling bucket. I honestly think this was a wise addition!!
Stir well and bottle!! Let age for about one month, should be carbonated within two weeks.
Colossal Wassail (spiced cider)
Primary Brew - OG 1.064
4 gal cider/juice
**(probably want to get a fifth gallon for topping off and enjoying what's leftover)
~1 gal fresh juiced apples (and maybe a couple pears), sweet or tart depending on desired finished taste
**(14 pounds of apples ~ one gallon) [I used Golden Delicious and Gala 4:3]
2 lb dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp Potassium metabisulphite (or 5 crushed campden tablets) (wait up to 24hrs to pitch yeast if this is used)
2 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
2 tsp Yeast Nutrients
Cooper's Ale Yeast or other appropriate yeast
**You can skip the pectic enzyme and campden if you don't use fresh apple juice or cider, you also would not need to pasteurize but a small amount of juice to dissolve the brown sugar in**
Juice apples first and pasteurize by raising temp to 160 F then removing from heat. (pasteurizing not required with the use of potassium metabisulfite or campden tabs) Once it's removed from heat you can stir in the brown sugar and other additives. If you didn't have enough juice to mix everything, just add some of your bottled apple juice to increase volume. Once the pot has cooled to under 90 degrees (Temp will depend on how cold your remaining juice is) you can empty this into the Primary. Then top off with remaining apple juice, aerate and pitch your yeast!!
Secondary: spices/flavorings - SG 0.998 (8.5% ABV)
1 cup spiced rum
1/2 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 tbs ground)
2 tbs whole cloves (or 1 tbs ground)
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbs orange extract
2 tbs lemon juice
After primary fermentation has slowed down considerably (Less than a bubble per minute): Simmer spices in spiced rum and water to help extract flavors. Strain or scoop out cinnamon sticks and cloves if you used whole instead of ground. Add a little extra brown sugar to thicken the sauce before it cools. Add lemon juice and orange extract once the "flavor sauce" has cooled down. Then add it to the empty secondary and rack the cider, mixing well before placing the airlock.
Let sit for at least two weeks then transfer to a tertiary fermenter for another week or so to settle out more sediment before bottling OR just leave in secondary for about three weeks...
Bottling for carbonation: - FG 0.996 (9.1% ABV)
3/4 cup Dextrose (corn sugar)
1 1/2 cup Lactose (optional for sweetness)
Boil 1 cup water for five minutes, slowly stirring in 3/4 cup dextrose (corn sugar) and add to bottling bucket before racking.
OPTIONAL: Mine went a bit dry for my taste so I also boiled another 2 cups of water and stirred in 1.5 cups of lactose to sweeten and added this to the bottling bucket. I honestly think this was a wise addition!!
Stir well and bottle!! Let age for about one month, should be carbonated within two weeks.
