Graff (Malty, slightly hopped cider)

[bfbf]

Anyone tried adding any other fruit to this recipe like a few strawberries, cheerios and raspberrys to give it a bit more of a fruity flavor?

 

[Coastarine]

Just wanted to follow-up on an earlier post where I asked about adding strawberries in the secondary. I didn't get much feedback on it, but I went ahead and gave it a shot anyway...sampled it today quite a bit as I was bottling and it's really a wonderful addition if you're looking for a change of pace from the original.

Two weeks in primary per original recipe and then two weeks in secondary. Started at 1.067 and finished at 1.006.

I added 3.5 lbs strawberries to the secondary, link to pic below. The strawberry aroma is gorgeous and quite present without being overbearing. The strawberries added a slight tartness that gives way to the base Graff's sweetness. The alcohol is perfectly blended, even hidden. A friend tasted and asked if it was non-alcoholic. Oh, no--not at all, friend. Really just a great recipe, Brandon O.

The berries add a slightly reddish hue to the Graff, but the base color is still dominant. All in all, I think it came out nicely...hopefully the aroma will hold through the carbonation weeks. Just wish I had this done earlier in the summer...

Did you see this post, about seven up?

 

[bfbf]

Thankyou

 

[Brandon O]

Anyone tried adding any other fruit to this recipe like a few strawberries, cheerios and raspberrys to give it a bit more of a fruity flavor?

stay away from fruit additions until you get the recipe down, it adds lots of tart. There is a TON of fruit flavor in this recipe as is.

 

[txtaquito]

Gotta measure the gravity. If it is indeed still fermenting and you are a bottler, you must let it finish to make sure you don't have exploding bottles. Beers do tend to bubble for a while after the yeast is done just because the co2 in solution slowly makes its way out (offgassing). Only way to know for sure is to get the same gravity reading twice in a row a few days apart. It has been almost three weeks for your batch, for me it would be very unusual to have something of a medium gravity not be done fermenting after three weeks.

What should the FG be? I did take a reading but I have forgotten what it was. I knew I was going to secondary it for better clarity so I really didnt pay it much attention or bother to write it down as I was going to write down my FG when I go to bottle. I bet you are right in that it is just letting off CO2 and not fermenting. I figure I will bottle tomorrow since that will be exactly three weeks. Will let ya know. Thanks.

TxT

 

[wscott823]

Anyone tried adding any other fruit to this recipe like a few strawberries, cheerios and raspberrys to give it a bit more of a fruity flavor?

I thought this recipe already had enough grains in it

 

[Coastarine]

Here is my next iteration of this: wanted to make things a little simpler, a little darker, a little sweeter...

2 gallons of wort from: 1lb DME, 1lb C120, 1lb C60. Ideally the wort comes out with about the same gravity as the juice, in the mid 1.050's.

Add to 3 gals of juice, ferment with S-04.

Brewed and pitched. I forgot to account for the less efficiency of steeping grains vs mashing, so I added another half pound of DME. I also couldn't find my hop bag so I just omitted the hops entirely. 2 gallons of wort at 1.044 + 3 gallons of juice and my OG is 1.050. Pitched 1 pack of rehydrated s-04 at 64F and will ferment at 66.

 

[Brandon O]

let me know how that turns out coasterine, i have been thinking of different ways to make a sweet cider. This might be a good solution.

 

[Coastarine]

I certainly will. I loved how quick and easy it was. last time I had to do a makeshift stovetop mash because of the wheat I was using and also 1 gallon isn't really enough to run through the CFC. This time because my wort was 2 gallons I did it on the brew-rig (propane flame instead of f#$king electric) and I used my CFC. This is my first brew in the new house and I've been hoping for colder tap water here in MS compared to FL. I didn't get a chance to see what it chilled to, but I can say that 2 gallons of CFC chilled wort plus 3 gallons of juice from the fridge gave me the pitching temp of 64. Also, I just noticed a typo in my recipe, I used C40 instead of C60.

This is also my first time using the "brew builder" feature of brewmasterswarehouse.com. They put all of the grain for your recipe into one sealed bag, which is pretty nice for organization in the grain bin. The one drawback is that you cannot remove any of the grist if you decide to change your recipe, only add. I'll just have to keep that in mind when ordering. It also saves your recipes for easy reordering.

 

[maximus]

My AG batch of this has been on gas for a couple of days now. I couldn't resist drinking a few pints of it over the last two days. The tartness I noticed out of the primary has mellowed out some. This stuff goes down very easy, especially when it is above 100 outside. I don't think this keg will last very long. Came out much better than I expected.

My next batch I will try to find some higher quality juice. I am not too sure if there are many options for fresh pressed apple juice in Southern Arizona though.

Thanks for the recipe. I see you live up north in the Valley of the Sun. Will you be heading south for the Tucson Beer Festival next month.

 

[saburke17]

Hey brandon, I used store bought AJ from walmart pasturiezed not from concentrate. I did open the top of the pail twice during ferment to get readings. You think that is whats causing the bitterness. I did sanatize everytime i took a sample. if i secondary it for a few more weeks will that bitterness come out or am i gona have to start over? i guess i misread about stuck ferminting, where the guy used his brewing spoon to mix it up and it started again.

 

[knotquiteawake]

Just brewed this up lastnight. It was super easy and I had airlock activity within 2-3 hours of pitching. Also my OG ended up being 1.06 so I think I'm all set. Thanks for putting this out there!

 

[imprez25]

How clear does this stuff end up? Is it "sparkeling" clear or more of a hazy ale clear? Will gelatine/cold crashing help clear it? I used Irish Moss during the boil, but I'm not sure how much that helped due to the small (1 gallon) boil size.

Any thoughts would be great.
Thanks!

 

[Coastarine]

Pretty darn clear for me. If you ferment apple juice by itself it becomes brilliantly clear, so one gallon of wort could only haze it up so much, and if you took measures to help clear that wort, you can expect an end product that will be pretty clear.

 

[Drew_101]

I just got through with my batch... I am looking forward to trying it out....

 

[knotquiteawake]

Mine is very cloudy, I'm assuming it clears up a bit in week two? Also its day 3 and now it looks like that nice layer of foam that was building on the top is disappearing, still steady airlock activity though. I can't really control the temperature in my apartment very well. I've got it in the bathroom which is the coolest room, the temp prob varys from 69 to 75 degrees. Ive also got it covered with a blanket to keep it from being light struck.

 

[bfbf]

Stuff has just arrived can someone explain how to Sparge and Steep

Does Steep just mean you stick them and add water and Sparge you poor water over the grains somehow?

 

[knotquiteawake]

Has anyone every tried a "Holiday" version of this cider? Like maybe adding some cloves, cinnamon, and maybe some citrus (like bitter orange peel)? After this batch if I start another (not a very big if, an almost certainty) I might give it a shot since it would be done around the holidays.

 

[knotquiteawake]

My krausen is already totally gone after 3.5 days. is that bad?

 

[Picobrew]

Stuff has just arrived can someone explain how to Sparge and Steep

Does Steep just mean you stick them and add water and Sparge you poor water over the grains somehow?

yes. read back a few pages and look for my avatar and you will see my describing this more thoroughly to someone else.

 

[txtaquito]

Im bottling the 5gal batch - how much priming sugar would be necessary? The standard 4.5oz priming sugar as per a 5 gal batch of beer?

Thanks,

TxT

Edit: OK, I went ahead and bottled with 4.5oz priming sugars. Hope I dont make bottle bombs. I know I aged in the 2ndary a bit long & I figured out what those bubbles were. It was not fermenting anymore, it was trying to carbonate. It was in the 2ndary for 3 weeks (only because I didn't have enough bottles after 1 week). When I added the priming sugar mixture, the carboy began to fizz up and overflow. I reccon since the carbonation process is already half way done, I wont have to wait for carbing up the bottles standard 3 weeks. The taste is "OK" I guess. May have lost some of the apply-ness as it aged in the 2ndary. I taste the apple in the aftertaste. I also taste the beer in the after taste and it aint bad. I think I would like a bit more apple flavor since this IS an apple cider. I thought about priming with apple juice concentrate or apple jolly ranchers. May do that next time. But as far as the drinkability, its not too shabby. I had some in the bottling bucket left over that wouldn't fill a 1/2 liter bottle so I drank it. Im definately feeling that 6-7% goodness. Thanks for the recipe. Can't wait to share.

OG: 1.066
FG: 1.004

Next recipe ready to go is watermelon wheat. Already have the ingredients, will make next weekend.

TxT

Primary: empty
Secondary: empty
Bottled & Enjoying: Imperial Stout clone 10% - 1/2doz or so left
my own IPA "Dont Worry, Be Hoppy" - last bottle
1st cider experiment: Apple, Pommegranite & Blueberry, carbonated - 3 or so bottles
Bottled and carbing: Graff's Apple Cider - 50 bottles
Planning: Watermelon Wheat

 

[karmabrew]

This stuff smells amazing coming out of the airlock!! I really can't wait to drink this stuff! I didn't use any hops or any wheat. But, this should still be very very tasty. Thanks for the recipe idea Brandon O!

 

[wscott823]

I've polished off about 1.5 gallons of this so far and everyone who's tried it is impressed with the drinkability. Suprisingly I can barely notice the hops present; this could be since I backsweetened. Similarly I'm desiring a little stronger beer flavor. I'll definitely be making more of this with a few tweaks in the future. Thanks BrandonO for contributing a great recipe.

 

[conpewter]

What are people back sweetening with? I am not sure if I want to use lactose. There's no perfect solution. I don't particularly like artificial sweeteners, lactose is not good for any lactose intolerant friends. I have been thinking of just using sucrose after putting the keg in the fridge and not taking it back out (so fermentation won't ever start). I suppose I could campden and sulfate it, but that might add other flavors especially if it doesn't have a long while to age out.

 

[wscott823]

What are people back sweetening with?

I used 2 cans apple concentrate, probably would only go with 1 next time.

 

[knotquiteawake]

can someone explain backsweetening, its effects, and when to do it? I am assuming it makes the whole batch a little sweeter? when would I add the sweetener?
I basically made the cider for all the many ladies who come to visit and don't like beer, so sweeter is better for them. I drank the SG sample I pulled out today and it tasted alright, not very sweet. Also, its at 1.012 after a week of fermenting. when I checked it about 1/2 way through last week it was at just barely above 1.012, I was kind of hoping for a little more fermentation from it...

 

[krazykaptain]

I had been wanting to do a cider for fall, I found Graham's English Cider, which looked good, then I saw that it takes 3 months. Then I found this, it sounds like it will be really good. I just made it today, as close to the original recipe as I could. I figure that will give me a baseline and will help me figure out what to change on my next batch assuming I like it. My house is 74 degrees so I have the pail in a tub of water with a t-shirt over it, hopefully that will get it a little cooler. My first beer has a slight banana smell, which has lessened with time. After reading on here I assume it was because I pitched around 79 and fermented around 74. Hope this one goes better.

 

[conpewter]

When to backsweeten somewhat depends on your method. It is done to make the whole batch sweeter, but you have to make sure fermentation won't re-start.

If using something fermentable you either need to kill the yeast (so no bottle conditioning) or keep it cold. If you use lactose or an artificial sweetener then you don't need to do so.

 

[knotquiteawake]

ok, so what are my unfermentable options? because I don't keg so I have to bottle carb. I think the cider tastes "ok" right now, after one week drinking it at room temp and un carbonated so I'm sure it will taste a little better, cold, carbonated, and after a few weeks in the bottle

 

[tim1088]

Hey guys, I'm pretty new to brewing and wanted to give this a shot, I tried to stick close to the original recipe except added 2 qts Apple Cider and a 1.5 cups of brown sugar? I went with the safeale-05, 2 lbs amber DME, .5 oz Cascade hops, and everything else was consistent with the recipe. Ended up with a OG 1.06 and a great taste to start.

After about 24 hours of fermentation its definitely bubbling away nicely with a LOT of turbulence. So much so that it seems to have pushed all of the sediment to the top of my glass carboy? I just walked in and saw that it also is much much cloudier today and wanted to show you guys pictures so let me know what you think.

Any opinions appreciated, I don't have a way of keeping a constant temperature at this point but the room is a constant 74-76 degrees?

 

[strangebrew]

I made a half batch tonight and omitted the hops. I boiled the water and DME but should I skip the boil next time since I am not adding hops? Hydro sample tastes great!

 

[Recluse]

I made a half batch tonight and omitted the hops. I boiled the water and DME but should I skip the boil next time since I am not adding hops? Hydro sample tastes great!

I'm a n00b brewer, so don't take this as gospel, but I generally see and use short boils (15-30 min) for All Extract brews to be sure of dissolving all the DME and of course for sanitization/sterilization process. I'm planning the same thing, half batch or maybe 3 gal with no hops as well.

Was thinking of adding some Mugwort for bittering, but this might be a little too weird for a first try at Graff! Especially since I probably won't get a taste of my Mugwort Ale before starting the Graff.

 

[tim1088]

I guess one more question.... Since all that has bubbled up out of the cider to the top of the carboy should I stir/push it back down into it???

 

[Coastarine]

That gunk on the top of the carboy is dried krausen, it is completely normal, and you can leave it just like it is. It is all yeast.

 

[wscott823]

+1 I get crusty krausen on nearly every brew I start in the carboy

 

[Recluse]

I guess one more question.... Since all that has bubbled up out of the cider to the top of the carboy should I stir/push it back down into it???

How much headspace did you have? I am considering a 3-4 gal batch in a 5 gal carboy or possibly a 2.5 gal batch in a 3 gal Better Bottle. Will probably rig a blowoff in any case, but I think the 3 gal/5 gal carboy should be pretty safe...but 4/5 or 2.5/3 might be pushing it depending on how frothy the Nottingham gets.

 

[Coastarine]

How much headspace did you have? I am considering a 3-4 gal batch in a 5 gal carboy or possibly a 2.5 gal batch in a 3 gal Better Bottle. Will probably rig a blowoff in any case, but I think the 3 gal/5 gal carboy should be pretty safe...but 4/5 or 2.5/3 might be pushing it depending on how frothy the Nottingham gets.

I got sick of thinking that I wouldn't need a blowoff then finding a mess in my fermentation chamber. I use one on every beer/cider in primary. I can't remember the last beer that I had that didn't need it. You might not need it with plenty of space but why not?

 

[Recluse]

I got sick of thinking that I wouldn't need a blowoff then finding a mess in my fermentation chamber. I use one on every beer/cider in primary. I can't remember the last beer that I had that didn't need it. You might not need it with plenty of space but why not?

+1 Good advice.. Most of my experience was with small batches of Mead. I treated my first batch of ale the same way..and quickly learned the wisdom of a blowoff.. and happily watched my 2nd batch of ale blowing off harmlessly. Just didn't know if malty cider behaved the same as 'normal' wort.

 

[imprez25]

Three weeks in primary. I brewed my graff on August 12, 2009 and I haven't had a chance to get it into bottles. The gravity started at 1.062 and is now at 1.008. I wont be able to get it into bottles until at least Friday, possibly Saturday. Should I be worried about letting it set for this long on the yeast? For beer I wouldn't really care, but this is my first cider (style drink .

 

[tim1088]

After 3 days my cider has seemed to stop "bubbling" completely should I just take a hydro reading to see where I'm at or is there any way of trying to get the yeast working again?

Also it is VERY cloudy still and kinda dark, anything I can do at this point? It went into the primary on sunday night.