madscientist451
Well-Known Member
I started with a Freeze concentrated cider that kicked off with wild yeast and then I added WL 565 Saison yeast. This cider had been sitting in a glass jug for 3 years. I remember I really didn't like it much when it was fresh. So tonight I poured some out and tasted it and it was OK, but it needed something. I had a jar that had 4 year old cider that "tasted OK", and 2 months ago I added Jack Daniels Oak chips that had been soaked in French Calvados.
That made it better but the oak/Calvados note was a little astringent. So I added an ounce of boiled "Simply Apple" from the grocery store. It had been boiled down to about 1/5 the original volume. That added a nice sweetness to the beverage, but the astringent back taste was still there. So I remembered I had some "Graff" made with a recipe from the Basic Brewing podcast.
It was Wheat LME, honey malt, Pallisades hops and local cider fermented with WY 1450.
I really didn't like this brew, but I bottled it and have been experimenting with it ever since.
So about 1/2 bottle of that in my pint glass and a mixture of the ingredients above and I had something I enjoyed drinking.
Repeatable? Well sort of, until my stash of the Graff and the other ingredients is consumed.
I won't re-brew the Graff and I'm not using the Saison yeast in my cider any time soon.
Moral to the story: Don't be too quick to dump cider and beer that isn't all that great. Its fun to blend with it later and you can learn something about what you like/don't like.
Please add your experiences dealing with cider that didn't suit your taste but was worth keeping.
That made it better but the oak/Calvados note was a little astringent. So I added an ounce of boiled "Simply Apple" from the grocery store. It had been boiled down to about 1/5 the original volume. That added a nice sweetness to the beverage, but the astringent back taste was still there. So I remembered I had some "Graff" made with a recipe from the Basic Brewing podcast.
It was Wheat LME, honey malt, Pallisades hops and local cider fermented with WY 1450.
I really didn't like this brew, but I bottled it and have been experimenting with it ever since.
So about 1/2 bottle of that in my pint glass and a mixture of the ingredients above and I had something I enjoyed drinking.
Repeatable? Well sort of, until my stash of the Graff and the other ingredients is consumed.
I won't re-brew the Graff and I'm not using the Saison yeast in my cider any time soon.
Moral to the story: Don't be too quick to dump cider and beer that isn't all that great. Its fun to blend with it later and you can learn something about what you like/don't like.
Please add your experiences dealing with cider that didn't suit your taste but was worth keeping.
