GeorgeH
Well-Known Member
Most of the cider recipes I've seen say they are pretty dry, I'd like to try to brew a sweeter cider. My SWMBO is particularly fond of J.K. Scrumpy and I want to make something similar. Here's my plan:
Get a bottle of Scrumpy and fill my hydrometer sample glass (don't worry, I'll properly dispose of the rest
). After it goes flat and warms up to room temperature, take a hydrometer reading to find out the final gravity. Then, work backwards from the alcohol content (8.5% I think) to work out the original gravity.
Put 5 gallons of apple juice in my carboy, mix in the appropriate amount of honey to reach my O.G. and then pitch a sweet mead yeast. Take hydrometer samples every day and when I hit my F.G. stop fermentation by cold crashing and racking to secondary. Let it clear, then keg & force carb.
So what do you think of my plan as a whole? And do you have any other recommendations for yeast or stopping fermentation?
Alternatively, I was thinking of just making a standard cider recipe and back-sweetening to taste with apple juice, but I'm afraid of that re-starting fermentation.
Get a bottle of Scrumpy and fill my hydrometer sample glass (don't worry, I'll properly dispose of the rest
). After it goes flat and warms up to room temperature, take a hydrometer reading to find out the final gravity. Then, work backwards from the alcohol content (8.5% I think) to work out the original gravity. Put 5 gallons of apple juice in my carboy, mix in the appropriate amount of honey to reach my O.G. and then pitch a sweet mead yeast. Take hydrometer samples every day and when I hit my F.G. stop fermentation by cold crashing and racking to secondary. Let it clear, then keg & force carb.
So what do you think of my plan as a whole? And do you have any other recommendations for yeast or stopping fermentation?
Alternatively, I was thinking of just making a standard cider recipe and back-sweetening to taste with apple juice, but I'm afraid of that re-starting fermentation.
