Looking for a strong winter cider recipe

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jmooney

jmooney

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Hi All,

I'm looking to make a cider for winter use to chase away chills and warm from the inside. I haven't found a recipe that looks good yet so I was hoping to get some ideas from the fine folks here. Here's basically what I'm looking for:

-Strong
-Heavy body
-Balanced but leaning toward sweet
-Heavy mouth feel
-Not rocket fuel

For logistical ease I'd like to used bottled juice or concentrate and avoid mass quantities of white sugar as much as possible.

Thanks in advance,

Jim
 
Not a recipe, but a suggestion. I've been thinking of mashing 4# of 2 Row and 1 pound of Crystal 20 for around 30 minutes at about 158F, do a 2 gallon boil (just to help moderate the grain flavor), NO hops, then add Apple Juice and use an ale yeast to ferment. This could be carbonated and served cold, or you could heat it up and toss in a shot of Cinnamon Schnapps when it's really chilly out.
 
I was kinda toying with doing a port style apple cider/wine for the winter months or as a dessert wine. in making port they let the must ferment for a bit, then put brandy in it to reach the alcohol toxicity of the yeast, killing it. this leaves the wine sweet yet still strong, I think you could do this with apple cider, letting it ferment for a few days then putting in some apple brandy or apple jack to reach the alcohol toxicity of the yeast, then perhaps spice it in secondary, and let it age it out the bumps. If you're not looking for anything super strong I suggest using a clean ale yeast, perhaps notty or us-04/05, as this will probably leave out at about 10% or so.
 
For that style you are going to need real cider (if you can get it in your area apple farms) or the next best thing, unfiltered apple juice. Usually found at the slightly fancier grocery stores. Avoid apple juice, it will not get you there.

You can follow the apfelwein recipe and use just about any yeast but montrachet, cotes, etc. (too winey like). And up the sugar a bit.

I made a gallon batch at 9% abv using Mott's Unfiltered, Premier Cuvee yeast, and brown/table sugar. It hits heavy and thick and "cider" comes to mind on first sip. But even young it was VERY drinkable and TASTY. Much tastier and more explosive on the tongue than AW ever will be--with sharp tartness that burns off slowwwwly with age.

Apfelwein aint a winter drink...but I think that stuff definitely is. :drunk:
 
How much sugar did you add?

I should be able to get the unfiltered juice, I live in a suburb of Philly and we're awash with fancy grocery stores. I do have an apple farm nearby but all I've ever seen them sell is pasteurized and filtered cider. I'll have to ask.


Toppers said:
For that style you are going to need real cider (if you can get it in your area apple farms) or the next best thing, unfiltered apple juice. Usually found at the slightly fancier grocery stores. Avoid apple juice, it will not get you there.

You can follow the apfelwein recipe and use just about any yeast but montrachet, cotes, etc. (too winey like). And up the sugar a bit.

I made a gallon batch at 9% abv using Mott's Unfiltered, Premier Cuvee yeast, and brown/table sugar. It hits heavy and thick and "cider" comes to mind on first sip. But even young it was VERY drinkable and TASTY. Much tastier and more explosive on the tongue than AW ever will be--with sharp tartness that burns off slowwwwly with age.

Apfelwein aint a winter drink...but I think that stuff definitely is. :drunk:
Click to expand...
 
Last Christmas I took 2 gallons of Tree Top, two cans (12oz) of concentrate, and 2 lbs. of dark brown sugar, and used a sweat mead yeast. It was a big hit with a variety of people, including some serious homebrew-beer-snobs who only drink double-stout-motor-oil kinds of drinks. We drank it still and at room temperature. It was very good, with a big and complex flavor. Nothing earth shattering about the recipe though. It was named "The Asswhooper", because it took a couple of people out after some extended sessions. :tank:

When I make it again I will use a fresh pressed juice, and had thought of letting it finish on some medium toasted oak for a couple of weeks. And it will be five gallons this time.
 
placervilledan said:
Last Christmas I took 2 gallons of Tree Top, two cans (12oz) of concentrate, and 2 lbs. of dark brown sugar, and used a sweat mead yeast. It was a big hit with a variety of people, including some serious homebrew-beer-snobs who only drink double-stout-motor-oil kinds of drinks. We drank it still and at room temperature. It was very good, with a big and complex flavor. Nothing earth shattering about the recipe though. It was named "The Asswhooper", because it took a couple of people out after some extended sessions. :tank:

When I make it again I will use a fresh pressed juice, and had thought of letting it finish on some medium toasted oak for a couple of weeks. And it will be five gallons this time.
Click to expand...


hmmmm....this has potential. I bet it would give an asswhoopin:rockin:
 
placervilledan said:
Last Christmas I took 2 gallons of Tree Top, two cans (12oz) of concentrate, and 2 lbs. of dark brown sugar, and used a sweat mead yeast. It was a big hit with a variety of people, including some serious homebrew-beer-snobs who only drink double-stout-motor-oil kinds of drinks. We drank it still and at room temperature. It was very good, with a big and complex flavor. Nothing earth shattering about the recipe though. It was named "The Asswhooper", because it took a couple of people out after some extended sessions. :tank:

When I make it again I will use a fresh pressed juice, and had thought of letting it finish on some medium toasted oak for a couple of weeks. And it will be five gallons this time.
Click to expand...


I did something similar, with fresh cider, some Tree Top concentrate, and some brown sugar. It was a bit tart to begin with, so I added some lactose to sweeten it up a bit, and then added some vanilla, some allspice, and some cinnamon. It has the flavor of a good apple pie now, but with 16% abv, it is an apple pie that will knock your head off it you are not careful. We were cutting it 50/50 with fresh cider, and throwing it in the crock pot for a family party this last winter, and it was a big hit.

I still have a few gallons of the stuff left, and can't wait to see how it ages out over a year or two.
 
Has anyone tried freeze concentrating fresh apple juice (called apple cider in my neck of the woods) and fermenting the result? It would be kind of an apple-ice-wine. I would think you could get the SG up as high as you wanted with out having to add any sugar.
 
effigyoffaith said:
Has anyone tried freeze concentrating fresh apple juice (called apple cider in my neck of the woods) and fermenting the result? It would be kind of an apple-ice-wine. I would think you could get the SG up as high as you wanted with out having to add any sugar.
Click to expand...

Look up "apple jack" or "apple brandy". There are some good discussions on it. What you are describing is an old method of distillation. Still very illegal, and actually hard to do (from what people say).
 
placervilledan said:
Look up "apple jack" or "apple brandy". There are some good discussions on it. What you are describing is an old method of distillation. Still very illegal, and actually hard to do (from what people say).
Click to expand...

Not quite, it looks like he wants to concentrate the juice prior to fermentation which will work, is not illegal, nor as dangerous as post fermentation.

+1 on it being hard to do though...
 
Oh, Ok. I think I get what he was saying. What benefit would that bring? A super concentration of sugar would require a super yeast. I have read about some that go way up, but again, most reviews are too positive about them. Am I missing something else?
 
I'm not thinking super concentrated, just moderate SG increase. Normal apple juice has an SG of around 1.050 which is I think around 6% alcohol fermented to dryness. Adding just sugar adds no more flavor, but concentrating the juice also concentrates the natural acid, and aromatics of the apples. If the volume was reduced by say half, then sugar concentration is doubled, yielding a beverage of about 12% or about the right for a white wine. It wouldn't take a super yeast just a good wine yeast.
 
Strong, heavy, sweet, warming, not rocket fuel...

Hmmm.
Drop some honey in it. That tends to warm things up a bit. Then make yourself a cyser for next year.
 
rabidgerbil said:
I did something similar, with fresh cider, some Tree Top concentrate, and some brown sugar. It was a bit tart to begin with, so I added some lactose to sweeten it up a bit, and then added some vanilla, some allspice, and some cinnamon. It has the flavor of a good apple pie now, but with 16% abv, it is an apple pie that will knock your head off it you are not careful. We were cutting it 50/50 with fresh cider, and throwing it in the crock pot for a family party this last winter, and it was a big hit.

I still have a few gallons of the stuff left, and can't wait to see how it ages out over a year or two.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of doing something similar, how long did it need to age before being tasty?
 

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