Looking for some recipe guidance

[HappyWino]

In preparing for my next brew I have being doing diligent research...in no small part by tasting several commercial ciders

Two in particular stand out for me, for completely opposite reasons.

Samuel Smith Organic Cider stands out because it tasted so artificial to me. I checked the list of ingredients and it really didn't seem any different from many of the recipes I have seen here, apple juice, cane sugar, malic acid, yeast...but I really didn't like it To me is was too tart and it seemed like I could taste the individual ingredients, they didn't seem to come together well at all, I don't want to make cider like this.

Then there was the Crispin Cider "The Saint"...what a cider! I don't think I have ever tasted a cider I liked more, anywhere, ever. Tons of apply flavor, balanced acid (IMHO), lovely yeasty smell, hint of the maple syrup, sweeter than the SS for sure, but not overly sweet...not to me anyway. If I could make cider that tasted anywhere near this good I would be one happy camper

So then I became a little concerned, I have seen many different recipes here on the site, all with their followings, how can I be sure to start with something that is going to be more like the Crispin, and as little as possible like the SS? I don't expect anybody to hand me a clone recipe, and frankly, that would take most of the fun out, but I want to know that I am starting with a recipe that is shall we say...at least more towards the style I like, and less like the one I really don't.

Hopefully my descriptions are straightforward enough that those of you that have tried different recipes yourselves can give me some guidance of where to start, maybe some of you have even tasted one of the ciders I mentioned and can identify which style you prefer, and provide some insight from that perspective.

Any experience you can share would be most welcome.

Cheers

HW

 

[Rockape66]

I'm with you on the SS; didn't like it at all. Crispin makes another cider called "Honeycrisp" that I liked better than "The Saint", although, the trappist yeast in "The Saint" was interesting. Have you tried "Original Sin" or another cider I think is called "Honest" or "Honestly"?

Slainte, Mack

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Great cider starts with great apples, specifically cider apples. There is a big difference between cider apples & other apples used for eating. Most of us here are using juice from eating apples cuz that's all we can get.

Odds are good that the cider you really like is made from cider apples. It's tough, maybe even impossible to get the same flavour from non-cider apples. Here's a link that you may find helpful on the subject: http://www.ukcider.co.uk/wiki/
Regards, GF.

 

[truckjohn]

Absolutely - it starts with the apples..... Good cider apples have an intense flavor and a lot of acid..... Frequently, they taste terrible when eaten out of hand.....

Cider made from standard "Eating" apples tends to be quite bland and we have to do all sorts of gyrations to make it taste right.....

Unfortunately the adage applies..... A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.... so we usually make cider out of what we can get.... not what would make the "Optimum" cider....

If you really like the stuff - it is probably worth giving them a call and asking what sort of apples they use... They may tell you.... Then, you can plant out a couple apple trees... and make your own cider in 5 or so years....

Thanks

 

[HappyWino]

I hear what you are saying about the apples guys, and I argee, but both of these ciders were made from cider apples and I liked one and really didn't like the other, so while the apples are important, I am trying to get at the stylistic influences of the many recipes available on the site.

CidahMastah's "Premier Cuvee" recipe (12-14% Alc back-sweetened with concentrate) is the one that sounds like it might turn out the most like "The Saint" to me, but I haven't tasted it so it's hard to say. Other recipes that start with concentrate for appleyness+sugar, topped off with apple juice rather than water also sound more in the right direction...but again, I have no experience, maybe they taste just like the SS when done

Cheers

HW