Decoction/Maillard reaction in a Cider

[GrumpyAndGrey]

With the increase in crossovers of various types of brewing, I began thinking about making a cider using a common method in Pilsners and other styles. Especially older German beer recipes call for a decoction mash to be done, with one result being the production of melanoidins. These create a more complex flavor, and I started wondering whether something similar could be achieved in a cider recipe. The initial thought was to boil down 2 gallons of cider to 1 over relatively high heat, stirring constantly. This would be added to approx 4.5gal of the original cider, and then fermented normally. Just wondering if anyone else has done this, what your results were, or even idle speculation. Thanks

 

[doublejef]

I did fire cider which is basically, hadr cider from boiled down apple juice.
The result is like ice cider, high alcool, high residual sugar but with also a after taste of cooked fruit like applesauce.
I guess you will have something similar.

 

[Yooper]

I don’t like a ‘cooked juice’ flavor in my wines or ciders, but I think that would be really great as a graf. If you did a decoction with some grain, and then mixed that wort in with your apple juice, that could give it more complex flavor than a typical graf maybe.

 

[Shadowfire]

With the increase in crossovers of various types of brewing, I began thinking about making a cider using a common method in Pilsners and other styles. Especially older German beer recipes call for a decoction mash to be done, with one result being the production of melanoidins. These create a more complex flavor, and I started wondering whether something similar could be achieved in a cider recipe. The initial thought was to boil down 2 gallons of cider to 1 over relatively high heat, stirring constantly. This would be added to approx 4.5gal of the original cider, and then fermented normally. Just wondering if anyone else has done this, what your results were, or even idle speculation. Thanks

I watched a city steading brews video on YouTube about concentrated apple wine where they cooked down and reduced apple juice alot and then fermented that and it supposedly was amazing! sounds similar to what your talking about minus the added back juice. I want to try it myself when my current batch of 6 different fruit ciders is done. I don't have enough fermenters(or space) for my curiosity! Definitely let us know how it turns out!

 

[bushpilot]

Rather than cooking it down, I would add Frozen Apple Juice Concentrate. I think the end result would be "cleaner" and without the cooked fruit taste.