So, on 10 DEC 11, I started my first cider attempt.
I obtained 10 Gallons of Mott's pasteurized apple juice (in the gallon jugs), and I had 6 lbs. of Light LME on hand, as well as 2 x 11g Notingham packets.
I heated 3 Gallons of the juice to 120 deg. F, and added the 6 lbs LME to the mix.
I kept 6 of the gallon jugs of juice outside, where they would reach a temperature of approximately 40 deg. F.
After the LME was dissolved in the 3 gallons of apple juice, I added two of the chilled jugs of juice to the heated juice, so as not to risk cracking my carboys.
I then split this mixture evenly into two 6.5 gallon carboys, using a sanitized funnel.
I added the rest of the chilled juice, and grabbed the Nottingham yeast, which had been rehydrating in some room temperature (~75 deg. F) apple juice for the last 15 minutes.
I poured in the yeast, and rinsed it all down the funnel with some room temperature juice. I did not have any yeast nutrient, but I figured that 6 lbs. of LME would contain enough nitrogen to allow a fairly efficient fermentation.
Measured OG was 1.072. Flavor of gravity sample was very sweet and delicious, as one would expect.
Strong activity was shown at the 24-hour mark.
Peak kraeusen at 48 hours. Bubbles continued 1/second for the next seven days. Room ambient temperature 57-59; Fermentation temperature between 62-64 degrees F during this time. Apple smells filled room for first three days, turning to bready, yeasty, fermentation smell (that started to fill house) for days 3 through 5. Smells god significantly milder after day 5.
I decided to cold crash 1x 5-Gallon batch at 6 days. I put one carboy outside in a shed with 32 deg. F ambient last night (16 DEC 11), with gravity reading 1.022 (so ABV was approx. ~6%, so I wasn't worried about carboy freezing; also had vodka in airlock). Gravity sample was DELICIOUS, tasting very much like apricot juice.
This morning, 17 DEC 11, the Fermometer on the cold-crashed carboy read 38 deg. F, after approximately 12 hours outside in 32 deg. Ambient (and snowing). I racked off of lees to 5 gallon keg, and I purged & pressurized with 15 psi carbon Dioxide.
"Line purge" tap draw of cold "sweet cider" is DELICIOUS. Crisp, apricot flavor, with mild, wine-like astringency on back end, which compliments the fruity sweetness. The glass has a floral aroma, which smells almost like gardenias and vanilla. I am really pleased with how this 5 gallons has turned out so far.
I am carbing this 5 gallons in a kegerator at 40 deg. F. I think that the yeast will remain dormant at this temperature, and the cider will stay sweet.
The other 5 gallons is still bubbling away (about 1 bubble every 3 seconds now, though), and I plan on leting that five gallons go completely dry with the Nottingham (with an anticipated FG of about 1.001 or so... We'll see.).
Then, I may rack to secondary (perhaps after a month), and bulk age for another two or three months, before sampling and deciding whether to age longer or not...
I don't really have a question with this post/thread, but I just wanted to get the empirical evidence and documentation of my process out there for any other potential cider makers who would think of doing a cider enriched with LME, as I did.
Thanks- I love the HBT forums!
I obtained 10 Gallons of Mott's pasteurized apple juice (in the gallon jugs), and I had 6 lbs. of Light LME on hand, as well as 2 x 11g Notingham packets.
I heated 3 Gallons of the juice to 120 deg. F, and added the 6 lbs LME to the mix.
I kept 6 of the gallon jugs of juice outside, where they would reach a temperature of approximately 40 deg. F.
After the LME was dissolved in the 3 gallons of apple juice, I added two of the chilled jugs of juice to the heated juice, so as not to risk cracking my carboys.
I then split this mixture evenly into two 6.5 gallon carboys, using a sanitized funnel.
I added the rest of the chilled juice, and grabbed the Nottingham yeast, which had been rehydrating in some room temperature (~75 deg. F) apple juice for the last 15 minutes.
I poured in the yeast, and rinsed it all down the funnel with some room temperature juice. I did not have any yeast nutrient, but I figured that 6 lbs. of LME would contain enough nitrogen to allow a fairly efficient fermentation.
Measured OG was 1.072. Flavor of gravity sample was very sweet and delicious, as one would expect.
Strong activity was shown at the 24-hour mark.
Peak kraeusen at 48 hours. Bubbles continued 1/second for the next seven days. Room ambient temperature 57-59; Fermentation temperature between 62-64 degrees F during this time. Apple smells filled room for first three days, turning to bready, yeasty, fermentation smell (that started to fill house) for days 3 through 5. Smells god significantly milder after day 5.
I decided to cold crash 1x 5-Gallon batch at 6 days. I put one carboy outside in a shed with 32 deg. F ambient last night (16 DEC 11), with gravity reading 1.022 (so ABV was approx. ~6%, so I wasn't worried about carboy freezing; also had vodka in airlock). Gravity sample was DELICIOUS, tasting very much like apricot juice.
This morning, 17 DEC 11, the Fermometer on the cold-crashed carboy read 38 deg. F, after approximately 12 hours outside in 32 deg. Ambient (and snowing). I racked off of lees to 5 gallon keg, and I purged & pressurized with 15 psi carbon Dioxide.
"Line purge" tap draw of cold "sweet cider" is DELICIOUS. Crisp, apricot flavor, with mild, wine-like astringency on back end, which compliments the fruity sweetness. The glass has a floral aroma, which smells almost like gardenias and vanilla. I am really pleased with how this 5 gallons has turned out so far.
I am carbing this 5 gallons in a kegerator at 40 deg. F. I think that the yeast will remain dormant at this temperature, and the cider will stay sweet.
The other 5 gallons is still bubbling away (about 1 bubble every 3 seconds now, though), and I plan on leting that five gallons go completely dry with the Nottingham (with an anticipated FG of about 1.001 or so... We'll see.).
Then, I may rack to secondary (perhaps after a month), and bulk age for another two or three months, before sampling and deciding whether to age longer or not...
I don't really have a question with this post/thread, but I just wanted to get the empirical evidence and documentation of my process out there for any other potential cider makers who would think of doing a cider enriched with LME, as I did.
Thanks- I love the HBT forums!
