Malty cider, whadya think?

My first foray into cider. After last years Strawberry ale that was too dry, so didn't taste like the fruit, I figured some residual sweetness would be a good idea for berry cider. So Friday 10-13-06 I mixed up a 5 gallons of commercial juice, 3# frozen berry medley, mashed 2# of Munich and 3# of Pilsner malt. Brought the berries to a boil in some apple juice, then smashed with potato masher. Added the berry juice to my mash after 45 minutes, figured residual enzymes might do something beneficial. Boiled the wort, not the apple juice. Dumped it all into a carboy, including the berry bodies. OG 1.060. Pitched recycled ale yeast- from a malty Fat Ass Tired batch. Bubbler working in an hour. No blow-off like last years strawberry, when I added the berries after the yeast had multiplied in the primary. Slowing down now, after 40 hours.

Will I get ale speed? For this thanksgiving? Or christmas? Any pectin probs from boiling a quart of the apple juice? Will the Marion Berries add a cocaine kick?

I've tried mixing cider and ales, haven't found a combination that I liked. I'd say the Munich will be noticable, but the berries will dominate. Plan on Dec/Jan for drinking, if not later.

Let us know how it works.

Have you tried Brandon O's Graff?

I've tried Graff several times. Made a nice change at first, but really didn't cut it. I want a decent beer, or I want a decent cider. Mixing them just doesn't work for me.

First of all sorry to talk about graffiti again but its the malty cider that most of us have made. Mine seemed to ferment much faster and much more vigorously than my ciders, so i'd probably say yes to ale speed, although the apple taste will come out quite a lot after 6 months. Clearing is about the same as cider, it should almost definitely be ready for Christmas - I don't know when thanksgiving is
I've boiled 500ml of apple juice before and its resulted in a cloudy cider. It's good either way providing you let everything fall out that wants to first!