bobbyisstrange
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I’m looking for a nice easy recipe with the outcome being slightly sweet and carbonated…anyone have any ideas? Thanks!
Wanting to do first cider batch
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Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
Depends on your gear.
I used Wyeast sweet mead yeast in a batch that finished slightly sweet (well received). I carbonate with CO2, not bottle conditioning. I also only used cider, simmered 1/2 gallon with spices (clove and cinnamon sticks) and poured that into the fermenter before pouring the rest on top of it. Spice amount will depend on your tastes and batch size. IIRC, for the 7 gallons fermented, we used maybe six cloves and at least that many ~3" long cinnamon sticks. I'd have to get the exact amounts from the 'brew *****' aka my nephew, since he was in charge of those additions.
I used Wyeast sweet mead yeast in a batch that finished slightly sweet (well received). I carbonate with CO2, not bottle conditioning. I also only used cider, simmered 1/2 gallon with spices (clove and cinnamon sticks) and poured that into the fermenter before pouring the rest on top of it. Spice amount will depend on your tastes and batch size. IIRC, for the 7 gallons fermented, we used maybe six cloves and at least that many ~3" long cinnamon sticks. I'd have to get the exact amounts from the 'brew *****' aka my nephew, since he was in charge of those additions.
bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
Nice easy recipe? That is BOTH sweet and carbonated? Well, unless you like to use artificial sweeteners or sugars that yeast cannot ferment it ain't simple to make a wine or cider that is both sparkling and sweet, but you might force carbonate.
That said, a simple recipe is buy a gallon of Mott's apple juice. Remove a cup of the juice. Add some tannin and some malic acid. Add some nutrient (and possibly some pectic enzyme to help break down the pectins). Pitch your yeast and replace the cap with a bung and airlock (filled with water). In about two - three weeks active fermentation will have ended. The cider will be dry. If you want it sweet then you need to add either regular sugar but if you go that route you need to stabilize the cider so that the yeast cannot eat the sugar OR you add a non fermentable sugar (most have terrible after-tastes but that's your call) and if you want the cider to be sparkling then force carbonate or else don't stabilize but add enough sugar to sweeten AND carbonate and when carbonated enough pasteurize, the remaining sugar will add to the sweetness.
How much pectic enzyme, nutrient, acid to add? Simple recipe: follow instructions on packages.
That said, a simple recipe is buy a gallon of Mott's apple juice. Remove a cup of the juice. Add some tannin and some malic acid. Add some nutrient (and possibly some pectic enzyme to help break down the pectins). Pitch your yeast and replace the cap with a bung and airlock (filled with water). In about two - three weeks active fermentation will have ended. The cider will be dry. If you want it sweet then you need to add either regular sugar but if you go that route you need to stabilize the cider so that the yeast cannot eat the sugar OR you add a non fermentable sugar (most have terrible after-tastes but that's your call) and if you want the cider to be sparkling then force carbonate or else don't stabilize but add enough sugar to sweeten AND carbonate and when carbonated enough pasteurize, the remaining sugar will add to the sweetness.
How much pectic enzyme, nutrient, acid to add? Simple recipe: follow instructions on packages.
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
From our side, we waited for actual apple cider to be available and used that for the 'juice'. Make sure it's pasteurized NOT chemically treated. The Sweet Mead yeast didn't ferment down to dry. Which is why we used that to begin with (plus wanted to test and see what we would get). I'm sure you could prime like you would a beer, or however much to get your carbonation level, with that yeast too. Our batches are ended up about 6% ABV.
Even with the batches not being clear, they went fast. I plan to do a batch as soon as actual cider is available. Which should be pretty soon in New England.
Even with the batches not being clear, they went fast. I plan to do a batch as soon as actual cider is available. Which should be pretty soon in New England.
