Psychic Brewing - How am I doing?

[CocoButta]

Hi there and welcome to my first post


So I have started what I will now rename... Malty Hard Cider


Ingredients:


1 Bottle of Communist Apple Juice from Aldi (64 oz)

1LB Sparkling Amber DME

1LB White Sugar

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg tossed in

1/2 Tbsp. Cinnamon

32 oz of Bottled Water (and a bit more to top it off after simmering down a bit)

1 Over-Ripe Honeycrisp Apple - Sliced

1/2 tsp. Pectic Enzyme

1/2 tsp. Fermaid K Yeast Noms (As to avoid the terrible sulfur stress smell of my last cider attempt)

1 Tbsp of Golden Raisins

Lalvin D-47 Yeast (I will explain )


I skipped on hops for bittering but may perhaps find a fruity hop to dry-hop with later.


The juice, DME, and Sugar, along with the Spices were tossed in a big pot and brought it all to just under a boil hoping to keep the maltose and maltotriose to a minimum (not sure if my half-educated guess made too much difference)

After beginning to simmer lightly I was regretting no thermometer (investing in one soon) but got the 'feeling' I should cool it. I put it outside in the snow and it melted a nice big hole in the freeze.

It sat out there for 20min or so and I sanitized my airlock and stopper and container etc. I brought it in still warm and although yeast is pitched into a cooled wort I chose to pitch it just a tad warm as a ghetto-rehydration and let it cool further.

Pectic Enzyme and Fermaid K were added. Shaken vigorously.

Threw my apple slices on top with the raisins.

Plugged it up and within 3 hours it was bubbling furiously.


I hadn't realized my cork wouldn't fit my container so I had to split the batch into 3QT and a 1QT to be mixed ASAP. I considered just pasteurizing the 1QT and adding it so as to avoid infections but it has already been bubbling away so it'd be a waste.


I chose D-47 as I bought it for a braggot and supposedly it has some fruity esters or somethin' *PSYCHIC FLAVOR*

I don't mind the residual sweetness from sugar the D-47 was incapable of fermenting as it is more of a sweet cidery taste I'm going for.

Obviously a high ABV ferment. My calculations are skewed as I am not used to using DME. However, I am expecting the yeast to max out at 12% or so. I realize this is HOT and most would not approve, but bring on the burn It should mellow as well after bottled.

I plan to prime with a lil sugar before bottling.

Here is what it looks like today!

It should say "One Man Romancing HBO Size" rather than "Family" heh.

Any recommendations/speculations WELCOME!

 

[eandersen]

Well, what you have there is a cider. While I have never made one, it is my understanding that at some point in there a pasteurization step is necessary.

 

[CocoButta]

I will most likely pasteurize it in the end to kill off the yeast as I don't trust the large amounts of sugar not to become bottle bombs.

The apple aroma is surprisingly strong, I hear the apple flavor in hard cider comes with age and is often hard to retain.

Thanks for the clarification on what to call this syrupy baby apple-jack thing.

 

[CocoButta]

It is on it's 3rd day fermenting and it smells AMAZING! The dark brown color is becoming a beautiful amber (although obviously still hazy as it is fermenting like nuts!) The top is ready to blow of on this one and rotting fruit has melted into the sweet aroma of apple pie filling the room.

So excited to see the end product : )

I think I'll pass on adding hops as it's taking on a great character and color as is. I won't know for certain till we taste it but the smell is divine.

Only regretting not making 5G!