Blueberry Cider

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it will finish when it finishes. I have some Apfelwein going and its been fermenting for a montha dn im sure it will be another few until i can bottle. Check the gravity and then again a week later. If the two gravity numbers match then its done and you can bottle. Thats really the only way to know...
 
I know I know, I was saying that as a joke. I started this batch over 3 months ago, was more amazed at how crazy of a fermentation was kicked up after topping off. I don't plan on bottling it for several more months.
 
i never understood the purpose of bread yeast concept....what does it do that brewers yeast doesnt?
 
"71b yeast"

i guess i wrongly assumed you were using bread yeast because of the B....oops? sleep deparvation must be to blame... i have heard of people fermenting with bread yeast but i never knew why
 
The most common use of bread yeast in brewing, is JAOM. If you don't know what it is, search, its a good recipe and its quick. Bread yeast is used, because it is cheap (not that good yeast isn't) and its readily available without having to have a LHBS. The whole JAOM can be made up of things you buy at any grocery store.

It's like a starter yeast, setting the hook to see if this hobby will pull you in ;)

But no, this recipe does not use bakers yeast. And when I repitched a few days ago, I used ED-1118, which is creating a MUCH larger krausen, unlike the 71 which had next to none. This more prominent krausen is what is causing my overflowing airlock, since I was topping up based on the primary fermentation, I didn't expect such a difference, guess I was wrong! haha
 
Well I took 4 bottles home from my apt. Gave one to SWMBO on her move in day, which was last Saturday (new apt. for her). She is letting it age, per my advice. But I did drink one bottle unsweetened with a friend of mine. I had had a few drinks already, though not feeling a buzz. After enjoying just two glasses, that 10.5% really caught up to me fast. It was quite good, though I can't wait to see how this is in a few more months!
 
Tusch said:
Well I took 4 bottles home from my apt. Gave one to SWMBO on her move in day, which was last Saturday (new apt. for her). She is letting it age, per my advice. But I did drink one bottle unsweetened with a friend of mine. I had had a few drinks already, though not feeling a buzz. After enjoying just two glasses, that 10.5% really caught up to me fast. It was quite good, though I can't wait to see how this is in a few more months!
Click to expand...

10.5! Yikes :rockin:
 
its so hard to follow all of the changes in this recipe, haha. It sounds amazing. I'm looking to do something blueberry that I plan to age for a very long time. it's a competition between this, blueberry mead, and blueberry wine. (uhhhh... what else is there?) I think im going to go with this though since im not in the position to pay for the honey of a mead and the wine looks so so compared to this. now to go though all of your posts and find out what to add when...
 
Primary Recipe is as follows:
5 gallons Apple Juice
4 lbs. Frozen Blueberries
1.5 cups Craisins
2 lbs Light Brown Sugar
2 Cans Apple Juice Concentrate
1 pkt 71b yeast, rehydrated

Secondary:
added 5 pounds of blueberries
62oz of pure blueberry juice
1 gallon of apple juice

Secondary was for aging and adding a ton more blueberry flavor, plus I had to replenish the brew I took out for the four bottles.

Thanks for making me figure out what my final recipe ended up being. At first I was like, what's so hard about finding the recipe, then I tried to find it haha. It's been aging in secondary since april, won't be touching it for a while. The benefit of living in Indiana, but living in Ohio for 3 months, forced patience. I could post a pic of one of the beautiful bottles, labeled and nice and clear if anyone is interested.
 
Yea, I'm ready for some pictures. I really wanna see what the color turned out to be.
Thanks for summing up the recipe. I thought it was more complicated than it was, it was just a real challenge finding the post of what you added to the secondary. I'm ready to start this brew sometime this week.
 
Ok, will setup a bottle tonight to settle for a nice pic. Could take a day or two, have a CRAZY schedule, but love the enthusiasm Kahuna haha.
 
Wow, this sucker cleared again fast, the yeast is all nice and clumped together, so switching between laying on its side (sediment on side) to on its flat is incredibly fast.

Here's the money shots, showing on its color, clarity and that bitchin label (hooray for glue) but it isn't quite big enough for wine bottles, better for beer bottles.

BentPinesBrewery008.jpg


BentPinesBrewery016.jpg
 
Yeah, I go back and forth on the label size. The pics are a bit grainy, because I took them fast, but I assure you it is crystal clear. It has somewhat of a mix of a reddish brown color, changing with the light.
 
Will update original post, the only way it changed was in secondary. The only problem is the secondary additions don't add up to the original 6 gal, because I took 4 bottles out of primary.
 
Any update on how the secondary is coming along? I'm looking to make a variation of this very soon.
 
Just moved it to my new apt., but I'm gonna let it age for a while longer, no idea or plan yet. I will give it a taste and testing once I finish moving to that apt., should be either this coming week or in a month.

I love how I have gotten so much interest! I would love to hear anyone else's path if they do replicate. This was my first recipe I came up with (mostly, I mentioned the help I got) on my own so I can't wait for more final results!
 
I did your exact recipe but I pitched onto a yeast cake of cote de blancs. Its been in the fermenter for about a week and a half now. The blueberries floating up top have lost alot of their color, now they're more like a pale pink/blue. i used to 2 gallons of mott's apple juice and half a gallon of tree top apple juice to make the 3 gallon batch. It took off pretty good for the first week or so but its slowed down to, oh, only a bubble every 3-4 seconds now... It was crazy at first.

Ill try and post some updates in this thread as it goes along.
 
Awesome JWP, definitely keep updating, I would love to see how other's batches turn out, perhaps a bottle swap when all is said and done could be arranged?
 
Have you tasted it recently Tusch? How much blueberry flavor is there? Does it overwhelm the apple flavor or just blend alongside it? Have the blueberries affected the color at all?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, just getting to excited to make my own haha.
 
Yes the blueberries have a prominant flavor, but the apple is clearly the base. For color, check out the pictures on the previous page.

Granted both of these answers are based on the brew prior to secondary and the additions of more blueberries and pure blueberry juice.
 
This post inspired me to try some berries in a recipe for the first time. I took 5 gallons of fresh juice, 2 lbs of dextrose, and EC-1118, and let that go for two weeks. Next I racked it onto 4 lbs of crushed blueberries, and let that sit for about 1 month. It turned that gorgeous blue/purple that yours had in the photo's. After the color was gone from the berries I racked it off them and let it sit for 3.5 months. I bottled/carbed it two weeks ago, but have tried several still glasses. Just plain awesome. I'm curious to try your actual recipe next time with the added berries/and juice. This one is just dry enough to let the fruit come through. I tried it in a brandy-nosing glass the other night and that really helped with the aroma.
:ban:
 
Ok so little update:
After leaving all my brew in my apt in Indiana while I was in Ohio for 3+ months, I have finally returned to them. In this brew (big blue) the berries have completely dropped. It is also incredibly dark, hard to tell if it is just very cloudy, I am sure it will clear up in time, but the color has darkened considerably.

First is one of Big blue alone and then two of all the brews I have in primary and or secondary.

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OK update.

In the last update, I racked over all my other brews but didn't have the time for big blue.

I racked it off of the berries tonight and into tertiary aging. I of course took a sample. It is back down too .999 after the secondary additions of juice and more berries. It tastes amazing, though it definitely still has some young bite to it still. But after I drank a glass, I still think I will do part sparkling and part still, but now I definitely want to do mostly still, it is soooo good that way.

It also has an incredibly deep color. Its so dark, its even more intriguing. It still needs to clear, in which I expect the blues and reds to really come out, but I can't WAIT until this is done. Here's more pics, because its what I do. I know I wish more people posted pics of their progress, so I guess I go overboard to make up for others. Pictures make us easily amused individuals happy.

pics_673.jpg

Mmmmm
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That is one HAPPY baby

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Back home and safe.
 
alright, I havnt been on this board in ages... sorry guys.
I'm currently in my freshman year at RPI, so ive been displaced from my brewing. sadly brewing isnt allowed in freshman dorms... maybe next year at the chi phi house...
my cider is still sitting in secondary back home, about 2.5 gallons of it. i sadly didnt have enough time to add the secondary blue berries to it, so its kinda just aging now, i might try to get it alive again and add then when i go home for thanks giving, or maybe just let it keep going for a while, IDK yet.
I'll definately try to get some pictures up of it when i go home in a few weeks. maybe ill also completely restart the recipe up here if the house will let me do it.

I have really good hopes for it though.
 
I've got the apartment to myself for the weekend, and have some brewing "chores" (who considers this hobby a chore :) ) to get done. I picked up ole big blue out of her private fermentation cabinet and placed her on the kitchen table. Honestly, this sucker hasn't changed in clarity in a long time. I even used a hit of sparkalloid. That was over three weeks ago. I am starting to think it really is just this freaking dark. I LOVE IT. I hope it stays this dark, so I can trick people into thinking its a big robust red, when really lurking in the bottle is this deeply complex country wine, mua ha ha ha.

I have roughly 350 12oz clear bottles and will be purchasing synthetic corks for them. While I won't be bottling all of it in these, it should allow me to be really creative with some cool gifts. Perhaps some nice 750's with a deep blue wax seal, currently making my personalized seal. And a similar treatment to 6 packs of 12oz's. That way I can give 6packs to my 20 something friends but with a bit of class, while saving the larger bottles for family and SWMBO for bribes.
 
Man do I love pretty pictures. Sorry guys this one is just for my own enjoyment and anyone else that would like join me. Since I couldn't see through the wine at all, I decided to add a little light...

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EXPLOSION OF FLAVOR!!!!
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Again sorry, I was really bored and as stated, have the apt. to myself haha.
 
Yeah up close I could read every letter on the bulb, granted it was magnified through the carboy, but it was quite clear. There is still a decent amount of particulates floating around, so I may wait, I may re-sparkalloid, or I may rack. Who knows!
 
Hey Tusch The color is so beautiful its giving me a hard on. I think im going to try the same thing but with black cherries and hope for a blood red color is the alot of blueberry taste to it
 
Well I certainly wasn't intending on getting anyone aroused in that manner, but thanks for the compliment. After the initial 4lbs of blueberries, then a secondary addition of 5 more lbs as well as 1/2 gal. of pure blueberry juice, yeah it has some great blueberry flavor. What I wasn't expecting is how amazing it tastes bone dry. It is somewhere around .995 right now and is amazing. I still intend on backsweetening some for the ladyfolk, but this is fantastic (Tooting my own horn, hell it was my first original and unique recipe!)
 
Tusch - 8 months in carboys, I need to buy some more kegs for some serious ageing to try this.
I did not get a woody, but this does look great if I can find a good deal on blueberries. Never used them in a mead or cider but you got me thinking, which is always dangerous.
 
After yielding to the temptation of Edwort's Apfelwein, Tusch, can see I'm just gunna have to try your creation.
(Have to get to meet my neighbour down the road when his blueberrys come on first:))
 
I am humbled by that incidental comparison haha SO what is everyone's opinion on clarifying? The deep color I am sure is exaggerated by being in a 6 gal carboy, but should I expect much more clearing? I am beginning to think I could be bottling in a week or so. I plan on giving them out as gifts, I just didn't expect it to remain this dark.

I think a clear 750ml with this, a dark blue wax seal and my antiqued label will make some very cool hand outs. Plus, holiday spending cash is low so I guess I will be giving away some of my own brew to make up for it.
 

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