Here are my notes:
10-4 purchased 5 gallons of non pasteurized fresh pressed cider. Initial 1.056. Added 5 Camden tablets.
10-5 brought cider down to the shoulder of the Carboy (4.5 gallons now) and pitched a vial of white labs English cider yeast. Temp 70 deg.
11-5 fermenting long done, racked off to another 5 gallon Carboy. Specific gravity check is about 1 or less. I filled right to within 3 inches of the bung with crushed blueberries (I purchased whole and frozen at SAMs club.) It took about 5lbs. Turned the temp down to 50 degrees.
11-8 very light 2nd fermentation taking place.
12-4 2nd fermentation ended. Racked a third time to another 5 gallon Carboy. I racked through a cheesecloth to strain. Great deep blue color. Down about a gallon + now, I brought the cider right back up to 2" of the bung with glass marbles.
2-23 racked into a bottling bucket 3.25 gallons of deep blue but clean cider. Flavor is medicinal with a hint of blueberry. (I seem to get this effect with English cider yeast until a little aging takes place.) Added 8 oz. of pure blueberry concentrate purchased at the health food store. Taste is better already. I now loaded into a 5 gallon keg, pressured to 12 psi
Two weeks later...... Perfect light carbonation. Color is deep blue, taste is semi - dry with a hint of blueberry. Just what I was looking for! You could add more blueberry, but I was looking for blueberry infused cider NOT blueberry wine. I got just what I wanted. Carbonation a must. Very good now, but I think as this ages, it will only get better. Before adding the blueberries, the ABV was 7.4 %. I would image with the 2nd fermentation it's around 8%
A definite do again for fall 2013!
