Benenantor
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- Jan 4, 2015
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16-1-15:
I decided to give cider a try, but wanted to have some fun while at it, so I changed the recipe that came with the Magnum Cider Kit I purchased. What I did was the following. I used a neutral Champagne yeast instead of the "yeast and sweetener" that came with the kit. I also added 2 litres of unpreserved, pasteurized, pear nectar I found at a local shop. Finally I only added enough water to end with a final volume of 20 litres rather than the indicated 23. Finally I used 2 kilos of sugar, rather than 1.3kg. The kit came with apple flavouring to add before bottling in order to sweeten the cider, but I'm not sure whether I'll use it. It'll depend on the taste before bottling.
The OG was 1.065 at 26C. I am now going to leave it alone for 2 weeks (30-1-15) before I check the gravity again, not sure what FG to aim for, was thinking somewhere between 0.090-1.010, at which point I'll rack it.
Depending on the taste, I might rack it onto some sort of purée if I think it could use with more flavours. If I'm happy with the taste, Ill rack it anyway to try to reduce the amount of sediment that makes it to bottling. The kit recommends adding a teaspoon of priming sugar per 750ml, but I think ill do it per 500ml since I like my drinks very carbonated.
I will update this threat as the "experiment" progresses. But in the meantime I have some questions I think the experienced cider makers might shed a light on.
Will I benefit from leaving the cider in primary for a couple more weeks so the yeast can finish processing all the flavours? (like in beer making)
How long should the cider be in secondary? (if at all)
I'm sure I have more questions, but I can't thing of them now.
Cheers,
Benji
I decided to give cider a try, but wanted to have some fun while at it, so I changed the recipe that came with the Magnum Cider Kit I purchased. What I did was the following. I used a neutral Champagne yeast instead of the "yeast and sweetener" that came with the kit. I also added 2 litres of unpreserved, pasteurized, pear nectar I found at a local shop. Finally I only added enough water to end with a final volume of 20 litres rather than the indicated 23. Finally I used 2 kilos of sugar, rather than 1.3kg. The kit came with apple flavouring to add before bottling in order to sweeten the cider, but I'm not sure whether I'll use it. It'll depend on the taste before bottling.
The OG was 1.065 at 26C. I am now going to leave it alone for 2 weeks (30-1-15) before I check the gravity again, not sure what FG to aim for, was thinking somewhere between 0.090-1.010, at which point I'll rack it.
Depending on the taste, I might rack it onto some sort of purée if I think it could use with more flavours. If I'm happy with the taste, Ill rack it anyway to try to reduce the amount of sediment that makes it to bottling. The kit recommends adding a teaspoon of priming sugar per 750ml, but I think ill do it per 500ml since I like my drinks very carbonated.
I will update this threat as the "experiment" progresses. But in the meantime I have some questions I think the experienced cider makers might shed a light on.
Will I benefit from leaving the cider in primary for a couple more weeks so the yeast can finish processing all the flavours? (like in beer making)
How long should the cider be in secondary? (if at all)
I'm sure I have more questions, but I can't thing of them now.
Cheers,
Benji
Last edited:
