Pumpkin cider too alcoholic

So, when my gravity measured over 1.1, I thought I'd made a mistake, but yesterday when I moved it to the secondary (after sitting I the primary for 2 weeks), it measured out at 1.05 and it smelled like alcohol. I tasted a little and it tasted very strong. I dropped a cinnamon stick in the secondary, but I don't know if there is a way to salvage it. I think I just made an apple whiskey. Suggestions?

Add 2 - 3 gallons of apple juice at bottling time.

Upstate Mike, thanks for replying. I appreciate your posts. In fact, earlier this week I bought some Nottingham ale yeast (I usually use EC 118 or 116) because I'm going to try to brew your Caramel Apple cider.

Personally, I'd rack it onto some oak of your choice and age it for a while. It'll be smooth with some age and oak.

Just my 2 c

My first ciders were very alcoholy and undrinkable right out of the fermenter however aging them for a month did wonders. I have some saved for 6 months and a year from now to see how they turn out. I definitely wouldn't worry too much and would just wait them out.

Cider is always harsh coming straight out of primary. There is more going on than alcoholic fermentation. There is malolactic fermentation, where acids are converted from harsh types to more mellow ones, as well as other ester changes. Just wait it out, especially if you are using spices. Spiced ales take months to develop their flavor profiles, and they don't have all of the fruit complexities that wines and ciders have to work out. Six months is the minimum, a year is better.

So I've had my cider in the secondary for three weeks. While I can tell its mellowed a little, I'm faced with a problem. Should I bottle it now--so I can use the carboy--and let it age in the bottle (I can let them sit for months, even a year if need be) or should I leave it in the secondary for a few months? I have absolutely no clue.

P.S. I' would love to age my cider in oak barrels, but since I lack oak barrels, it is not feasible.

I wouldn't bottle yet and you will see a big difference if you can bulk age. If you really need the carboy for other projects (a good problem to have), simply rack into 5- 1 gal carboys and let time do it's magic.

As for oaking...we'd all love a few barrels laying around. But for practicality, you can get oak chips or cubes at your LHBS or online.

GAHokie said:

So, when my gravity measured over 1.1, I thought I'd made a mistake, but yesterday when I moved it to the secondary (after sitting I the primary for 2 weeks), it measured out at 1.05 and it smelled like alcohol. I tasted a little and it tasted very strong. I dropped a cinnamon stick in the secondary, but I don't know if there is a way to salvage it. I think I just made an apple whiskey. Suggestions?

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That cider is pretty green yet, especially considering that it might have still been actively fermenting when you racked it. Alcohol flavors are common in green booze. Give it some time in secondary and then backsweeten.

One thing that is done for spirits is to oak them with American white oak charred cubes. The surface area allows you to oak very rapidly ( you have all 6 sides exposed to alcohol as opposed to 1 side). My cider is sitting for 4 wks and I haven't tasted but was thinking of throwing some cubes in there.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have pieces of JD oak barrels that I bought for a bourbon barrel stout. Would this work?

GAHokie said:

Thanks for the suggestions. I have pieces of JD oak barrels that I bought for a bourbon barrel stout. Would this work?

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Wonderfully. However, if they were expensive, LHBS probably has some for cheaper. 1.00 per pack here, and one pack is good for a 6 gallon batch.

The finer flavored of JD cured oak might not come through with the cinnamon. Who knows?

If I may ask, what was your original recipe?

Here is the original recipe, which I got from Mead Safari:
Here is the recipe:


7-007

4.5 gal Mott's Apple Juice
64 oz water
3 lbs Golden Light DME
1 can (30 oz) Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix
2 lbs C&H Dark Brown Sugar
2 tbs pectin enzyme
1 pkt Lavlin K1V-1116
OG: 1.082
Should make 5 gal in secondary

It should be fine but wound just buy oak from LHBS. They have it b/c I guess they use it for wine. I use it to flavor neutral spirits and use about 10 cubes per gallon of spirits and then let it sit for 1 month or so. Try it and if you don't get enough flavor, then add more and repeat.

I wish I had a LBHS, the closest is 1.5 hours away so I usually order a bunch of supplies online once in a while. That's why I was trying to make due with what I have lying around.