Berry rocket fuel...

[abrewnoob]

I made some mixed berry cider and and kinda went a bit overboard with the sugar haha my o.g was 1.100 and my final reading was 0.995. Let it carb for a couple days (i was impatient) and i cold crashed it. Just having a glass now and i think ive dislocated a testicle... Im no alcohol meter but this tastes waay over 10-12%
The berry taste is great but its cronic hooch, is there any way to tone it down a bit?? Or will just aging mellow it out?? Cheers!

 

[fuelish]

I made some mixed berry cider and and kinda went a bit overboard with the sugar haha my o.g was 1.100 and my final reading was 0.995. Let it carb for a couple days (i was impatient) and i cold crashed it. Just having a glass now and i think ive dislocated a testicle... Im no alcohol meter but this tastes waay over 10-12%
The berry taste is great but its cronic hooch, is there any way to tone it down a bit?? Or will just aging mellow it out?? Cheers!

Your probably sitting near 13.75 % or so, give or take......it should mellow out with age...just how long is the mystery - might be several months, might be years....dunno. In the meantime, if compelled to drink it, perhaps you could mix it with a bit of juice, or perhaps some Sprite...try it and see, no harm in that.

 

[ThatChefGuy]

You will turn into one of the Wurzel's after a pint of that. Just remember that adding sugar at the start of fermentation increases the potential abv, you shouldn't need to add much sugar for a cider although I am sure you know this by now

 

[CGish]

You are not alone.

The first time I made apple juice cider, I did something similar. I was attempting to follow BrewFrick's Sweet Cider recipe. I was used to adding corn sugar to my beers one pound at a time since I was buying it from my LHBS in one pound packages. I misread the recipe as two packs of sugar instead of two pounds. I put two five pound packages in the mix. My O.G. was unknown, but it was 1.120 on 4/1/12. I started it on 3/26/12, and several days later it looked like this:



I did not know that you needed to stir wine, so I was uncertain what to do when a yeast cake began to develop on top of that dark band on the bottom.



When I racked it at two months, it tasted like cheap fruit juice that someone had mixed with way to much cheap vodka.

The final gravity was 1.048.

I finally bottled on 12/1/14 and the taste is better, but it is still very sweet and very strong.



It came out very clear, but I don't know if it will ever taste good! However, it can get you smashed and leave you with a nasty hangover it very short order.

Cheers!
Cody

 

[abrewnoob]

You are not alone.

The first time I made apple juice cider, I did something similar. I was attempting to follow BrewFrick's Sweet Cider recipe. I was used to adding corn sugar to my beers one pound at a time since I was buying it from my LHBS in one pound packages. I misread the recipe as two packs of sugar instead of two pounds. I put two five pound packages in the mix. My O.G. was unknown, but it was 1.120 on 4/1/12. I started it on 3/26/12, and several days later it looked like this:

View attachment 270623

I did not know that you needed to stir wine, so I was uncertain what to do when a yeast cake began to develop on top of that dark band on the bottom.

View attachment 270620

When I racked it at two months, it tasted like cheap fruit juice that someone had mixed with way to much cheap vodka.

The final gravity was 1.048.

I finally bottled on 12/1/14 and the taste is better, but it is still very sweet and very strong.

View attachment 270627

It came out very clear, but I don't know if it will ever taste good! However, it can get you smashed and leave you with a nasty hangover it very short order.

Cheers!
Cody

Haha woah! Thanks for sharing that Yeah thats quite a bit of sugar! Turns out the berry is starting to mellow out already only after a few days, its actually not that bad.

However im wondering how much your taste for alc changes once you start home brewing. I bought a pint of apple cider the other night ( your usual 4-5%) and it tasted like sparkling apple juice! Haha the stronger is starting to taste nicer...guess the road to alcoholism awaits

 

[MindenMan]

Given enough time the "cheap hooch" flavor will mellow. If it has a lot of alcohol and residual sugar, put some away in a dark and cool place for a year or so, and I am quite sure your wait will be rewarded. I found two bottles of applejack that were almost a year old, and I could not believe it was the same "alcohol burn" marginal flavored stuff I originally bottled.