Hello all,
I've been an avid reader of these forums since last April, but haven't posted much. I've been to Ireland a couple times over the last year, and I've developed quite a liking to cider (Bulmer's and several English varieties my friends bring over from London). I made my first attempt at cider using Brandon O's Graff recipe. While I thought it was a success at first, only myself and 2 of my friends claimed to have enjoyed drinking it.
Most people made bitter/sour faces and wouldn't finish it (I admit it was a bit overly sour). I also got a lot of comments from my BMC drinking friends that it tasted just like beer. Curious. So anyway, I tried again, but this time with fresh pressed, unpasturized sweet cider from a local Michigan orchard. I got it at the start of the season; I know it was geared towards drinking and not cider making. However, it has turned out beyond my expectations.
It tastes like apples and it isn't overly sweet, but does have a bit of sweetness to it and a bit of acidic bite. Its crystal clear and a pale straw color. The only complaint I could find is that it smells like sulphery, applely farts if you put your nose over the glass and just smell it. Maybe that goes away after its been in the keg for a while?
I went down to take my first hydrometer reading tonight (its been in the basement at 61F for 7 weeks), and I ended up siphoning off a whole glass just to drink. I'm enjoying it right now, right out of the primary, its un-carbonated and room temperature, and its fantastic. I felt I had to post something! Not sure how I could store and serve it if I wanted to leave it this way (as I keg my beers). Maybe kept at 5 psi it would be alright?
I will definitely try this again next year (and maybe buy extra cider and freeze it for brewing in the spring). I'm not sure what made a better contribution to this cider vs. towards the Graff I made first: the juice or the yeast. I used fresh pressed apple juice with White Labs WLP775 (English Cider)for this one vs. store bought Kirkland apple juice with Nottingham yeast for the Graff.
The fresh apple juice didn't have a high gravity, so I added sugar and honey to bring up the gravity (I read in the book Cider by Annie Proulx, she said you didn't want the ABV less than 5% for safety reasons). I think I ended up with 9%... my hydrometer reading was less than 1.0000 which I had never seen before making beer.
Here's my recipe and notes if anyone else wanted to try it or give feedback.
5 Gallons fresh pressed apple juice
1 lb wild flower honey
8 oz dark brown sugar
8 oz Turbinado raw sugar
5 campden tablets
pectin enzyme
yeast nutrient
1 vial English Cider Yeast (White labs WLP#775) made into a 2L starter
Add the campden, pectin enzyme and yeast nutrient to each gallon jug and leave to sit for 24 hours.
Bring 1 gallon of apple cider to 170F and mix in honey and sugars for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature and add to carboy with remaining 4 gallons of apple cider and yeast starter. Ferment at 60F for 2 months.
OG: ~1.058, FG ~0.098
I've been an avid reader of these forums since last April, but haven't posted much. I've been to Ireland a couple times over the last year, and I've developed quite a liking to cider (Bulmer's and several English varieties my friends bring over from London). I made my first attempt at cider using Brandon O's Graff recipe. While I thought it was a success at first, only myself and 2 of my friends claimed to have enjoyed drinking it.
Most people made bitter/sour faces and wouldn't finish it (I admit it was a bit overly sour). I also got a lot of comments from my BMC drinking friends that it tasted just like beer. Curious. So anyway, I tried again, but this time with fresh pressed, unpasturized sweet cider from a local Michigan orchard. I got it at the start of the season; I know it was geared towards drinking and not cider making. However, it has turned out beyond my expectations. It tastes like apples and it isn't overly sweet, but does have a bit of sweetness to it and a bit of acidic bite. Its crystal clear and a pale straw color. The only complaint I could find is that it smells like sulphery, applely farts if you put your nose over the glass and just smell it. Maybe that goes away after its been in the keg for a while?
I went down to take my first hydrometer reading tonight (its been in the basement at 61F for 7 weeks), and I ended up siphoning off a whole glass just to drink. I'm enjoying it right now, right out of the primary, its un-carbonated and room temperature, and its fantastic. I felt I had to post something!
Not sure how I could store and serve it if I wanted to leave it this way (as I keg my beers). Maybe kept at 5 psi it would be alright?I will definitely try this again next year (and maybe buy extra cider and freeze it for brewing in the spring). I'm not sure what made a better contribution to this cider vs. towards the Graff I made first: the juice or the yeast. I used fresh pressed apple juice with White Labs WLP775 (English Cider)for this one vs. store bought Kirkland apple juice with Nottingham yeast for the Graff.
The fresh apple juice didn't have a high gravity, so I added sugar and honey to bring up the gravity (I read in the book Cider by Annie Proulx, she said you didn't want the ABV less than 5% for safety reasons). I think I ended up with 9%... my hydrometer reading was less than 1.0000 which I had never seen before making beer.
Here's my recipe and notes if anyone else wanted to try it or give feedback.
5 Gallons fresh pressed apple juice
1 lb wild flower honey
8 oz dark brown sugar
8 oz Turbinado raw sugar
5 campden tablets
pectin enzyme
yeast nutrient
1 vial English Cider Yeast (White labs WLP#775) made into a 2L starter
Add the campden, pectin enzyme and yeast nutrient to each gallon jug and leave to sit for 24 hours.
Bring 1 gallon of apple cider to 170F and mix in honey and sugars for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature and add to carboy with remaining 4 gallons of apple cider and yeast starter. Ferment at 60F for 2 months.
OG: ~1.058, FG ~0.098
