MattTimBell
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
In my "normal" life, I'm a homebrewer more than a cider maker, but my wife likes cider (and not beer), so I'm venturing into the world of apfelwein for the first time. Perhaps because I'm a mad experimenter and I've worked with basic technique in beer, already, I'm trying a few experiments at the same time. I know, I know -- bad science -- but I'm more an alchemist than a scientist, anyway.
Following some advice I received on this thread here (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/applejack-recipe-homebrewer-333390/), I'm trying the following recipe, and wonder if people have any comments? I'll post here as the results form.
Basic recipe:
2.5 lbs generic Montana honey, caramelized over the stove as for a Bochet.
5 cans cheap, frozen, concentrated apple juice (just apple juice and ascorbic acid)
2 gal. filtered Spokane water.
After caramelizing the honey, add water and disolve honey over continued heat. Add apple juice, raise to boiling. Stop, cool to pitching temperature and pitch pre-rehydrated EC-1118 with 2 tsp. diammonium phosphate as yeast nutrient.
That was <24 hrs ago. The EC-1118 has taken off and I've got a light krausen on the top of the amber colored must.
The plan is to drink some of this when its done, and take the remainder (probably about 1.25 gal, assuming I also lose some to trub during racking) and freeze concentrate it into a kind of applejack, then oak it with dark toasted American oak cubes until I like how it tastes.
-- Matt
In my "normal" life, I'm a homebrewer more than a cider maker, but my wife likes cider (and not beer), so I'm venturing into the world of apfelwein for the first time. Perhaps because I'm a mad experimenter and I've worked with basic technique in beer, already, I'm trying a few experiments at the same time. I know, I know -- bad science -- but I'm more an alchemist than a scientist, anyway.
Following some advice I received on this thread here (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/applejack-recipe-homebrewer-333390/), I'm trying the following recipe, and wonder if people have any comments? I'll post here as the results form.
Basic recipe:
2.5 lbs generic Montana honey, caramelized over the stove as for a Bochet.
5 cans cheap, frozen, concentrated apple juice (just apple juice and ascorbic acid)
2 gal. filtered Spokane water.
After caramelizing the honey, add water and disolve honey over continued heat. Add apple juice, raise to boiling. Stop, cool to pitching temperature and pitch pre-rehydrated EC-1118 with 2 tsp. diammonium phosphate as yeast nutrient.
That was <24 hrs ago. The EC-1118 has taken off and I've got a light krausen on the top of the amber colored must.
The plan is to drink some of this when its done, and take the remainder (probably about 1.25 gal, assuming I also lose some to trub during racking) and freeze concentrate it into a kind of applejack, then oak it with dark toasted American oak cubes until I like how it tastes.
-- Matt
