Simple cider recipe

Question... Why do you need to add the Potassium Sorbate? Cant you ferment it down to <1.010, add priming sugar, bottle and let it bottle carb/condition for ~3-4 weeks just like beer?

nvm... I guess the Potassium Sorbate is for kegging after introducing the back sweetener... Otherwise it would ferment out again...

That said, any tips for bottling this stuff?

Canuck,

1. For some reason I love your name.

2. Any idea about where the ABV winds up?

Thanks

Nagorg said:

Question... Why do you need to add the Potassium Sorbate? Cant you ferment it down to <1.010, add priming sugar, bottle and let it bottle carb/condition for ~3-4 weeks just like beer?

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Because cider/fruit juice is mostly sugar unlike wort. The yeast continues to eat all the way down to 1.000 or even less. 0.98 is common with champagne yeast. There is another post that solves this problem with pasteurization. It's sticky'ed, take a look.

Just a couple questions about the starter:

Can it be done without a stirplate?
Did you do it right in the original container?
Airlock needed?

rickalex said:

Just a couple questions about the starter:

Can it be done without a stirplate?
Did you do it right in the original container?
Airlock needed?

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I do it in an erlenmeyer, on the stirplate because I happen to have one, and because I use propagated yeast. If you used a pack of fresh US-05, you likely wouldn't need a starter. I use foil on top of the erlenmeyer.

MC

This is my first shot at cider, did two batches, one with apple juice and one with a local cider. I am moving them both to secondary tomorrow and have a question. What am I looking for to know when secondary is complete? Is it just clarity or should i be checking gravity?

Thanks

rickalex said:

This is my first shot at cider, did two batches, one with apple juice and one with a local cider. I am moving them both to secondary tomorrow and have a question. What am I looking for to know when secondary is complete? Is it just clarity or should i be checking gravity?

Thanks

Click to expand...

I always check the gravity just to make sure the fermentation is done it where I want it. The first I did till 1.01 (1.5 weeks) and it tasted great, still had some apple flavor. The second is still in the bucket (about 4 weeks now) but at 0.06 last I checked and losing it's flavor. For me, I prefer the sweet but want the higher %, so next time I'll add more sugar and pull at 1.01 for the taste. Once I figure this all out I'll stick to one method.

Shoot sorry was on the mobile and didn't read it right. I personally don't put mine into a secondary, even most beers I don't bother (search "is a secondary necessary", my mad elf clone I'll be putting into a secondary since I'll be adding cherries). But ya your looking for clarity, but you can always check gravity... gives you an excuse to get a sip or two as well.

rickalex said:

This is my first shot at cider, did two batches, one with apple juice and one with a local cider. I am moving them both to secondary tomorrow and have a question. What am I looking for to know when secondary is complete? Is it just clarity or should i be checking gravity?

Click to expand...

I use a secondary simply for clarity. One could just do a longer primary and go directly to keg. I've done that in the past. I mostly do secondaries because I always have a bit of extra yeast that gets moved when I rack.

Did batch #8 of this same cider, last night, FYI.

MC

Misplaced_Canuck said:

I use a secondary simply for clarity. One could just do a longer primary and go directly to keg. I've done that in the past. I mostly do secondaries because I always have a bit of extra yeast that gets moved when I rack.

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I move to the secondary to get rid of the dead yeast and spent pulp that falls out. Once in the secondary the fermentation usually goes from fast to a nice slow process that makes for a nicer flavor/odor.

At bottle time, my FG was 1.001. The cider was fairly tart. Hoping this will be alright after being carb'ed.. I bottle so back sweetening wasn't really an option though I am thinking about trying some non-fermentable sugars.

Any pointers for what to use when bottling while adding sweetness and avoiding the dreaded bottle bomb? Should I look to another thread?

Nagorg said:

At bottle time, my FG was 1.001. The cider was fairly tart. Hoping this will be alright after being carb'ed.. I bottle so back sweetening wasn't really an option though I am thinking about trying some non-fermentable sugars.

Any pointers for what to use when bottling while adding sweetness and avoiding the dreaded bottle bomb? Should I look to another thread?

Click to expand...

I bottle and carb also. Usually dry with just enough sugar. But I just did a batch of 50 that I back sweetened. Then when the test bottle got hard, I sampled one and it was carbed nice. Then I pasteurized stove-top method.

I put 2 pounds brown sugar in 5 gal. dry & still cider to sweeten and prime.

Took a third place at the Palmetto State Brewers Open this past week-end.



MC

Right on man! Thats sweet.