UPDATE: I finally got around to brewing this cider this past weekend. Below I've updated the recipe and documented my final process. The final outcome is still TBD, but I’m pretty optimistic.
All right folks. This is my first attempt at a recipe simply because I didn’t find one that I felt suited my needs. I’m going for a quick pumpkin cider. And by quick I mean something that will be ready to drink almost immediately after fermentation, not necessarily quick to slap together.
PUMPKIN CIDER
Ingredients:
1 small pie pumpkin
5 gallons Apple Juice (no preservatives)
2 cans frozen apple juice concentrate (FAJC)
1 lb amber DME
1 lb light DME
1 lb Crystal 60L
½ Tbsp. whole allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
4 cinnamon sticks
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
Yeast (Nottingham)
Yeast Nutrient (per instructions on package)
Potassium Metabisulphite
Potassium Sorbate (if back sweetening)
1 gallon water
Instructions:
1. Place grains (60L) in a muslin bag and steep in 3/4 gallon of water at 155°F for 30 minutes. (note 1)
2. Sparge grains with an additional 1/4 gallon water at 170°F and dispose of grains. (note 2)
3. While grains are steeping chop pumpkin into 1” cubes. Place pumpkin into a mesh bag(s). (note 3)
4. Add DME and mesh bag(s) of pumpkin to the steeping/sparging water and bring to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes.
5. Add spices and cinnamon to boiling water for last 15 minutes of boil. (note 4)
6. Remove wort from heat, remove pumpkin and cinnamon sticks, and chill wort to a maximum of room temperature.
7. While the wort is boiling add apple juice to carboy. Before adding the apple juice to the carboy, make sure to aerate it by emptying half the jug into the carboy, replacing the jug cap, and shaking the bejeepers out of the half-full apple juice jug. Add cooled wort and FAJC to carboy.
8. Pitch yeast. (note 5)
9. Rack into secondary after fermentation has slowed (5-8 days).
10. Ferment until gravity has stabilized for 3 consecutive days.
11. Rack/cold crash/use super kleer as needed to clear.
12. Add vanilla extract and additional spices (if so desired) then keg or bottle.
Notes:
1. You can use a cooler or some other insulated container to hold the temperature constant. I used a cooler and the temperature dropped to 145F over the 30 minutes (not ideal). I heated the water to 158F before adding the grains and will probably go slightly hotter next time. A muslin bag is used so that you can easily remove the grains after steeping.
2. I put the muslin bag in a colander and poured the ¼ gallon over the grains and let it drain into the cooler.
3. I left the rinds on the pumpkin. The jury is out if that will impact the flavor.
4. I used a reusable K-cup container to hold all my spices except the cinnamon sticks. (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005K0L2U2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20) This made it easy to retrieve the all the whole allspice and the bulk of the powdered spice with minimal effort.
5. If you pitch the yeast dry make sure to reserve a little of the apple juice to wash the yeast down the funnel.
All right folks. This is my first attempt at a recipe simply because I didn’t find one that I felt suited my needs. I’m going for a quick pumpkin cider. And by quick I mean something that will be ready to drink almost immediately after fermentation, not necessarily quick to slap together.
PUMPKIN CIDER
Ingredients:
1 small pie pumpkin
5 gallons Apple Juice (no preservatives)
2 cans frozen apple juice concentrate (FAJC)
1 lb amber DME
1 lb light DME
1 lb Crystal 60L
½ Tbsp. whole allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
4 cinnamon sticks
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
Yeast (Nottingham)
Yeast Nutrient (per instructions on package)
Potassium Metabisulphite
Potassium Sorbate (if back sweetening)
1 gallon water
Instructions:
1. Place grains (60L) in a muslin bag and steep in 3/4 gallon of water at 155°F for 30 minutes. (note 1)
2. Sparge grains with an additional 1/4 gallon water at 170°F and dispose of grains. (note 2)
3. While grains are steeping chop pumpkin into 1” cubes. Place pumpkin into a mesh bag(s). (note 3)
4. Add DME and mesh bag(s) of pumpkin to the steeping/sparging water and bring to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes.
5. Add spices and cinnamon to boiling water for last 15 minutes of boil. (note 4)
6. Remove wort from heat, remove pumpkin and cinnamon sticks, and chill wort to a maximum of room temperature.
7. While the wort is boiling add apple juice to carboy. Before adding the apple juice to the carboy, make sure to aerate it by emptying half the jug into the carboy, replacing the jug cap, and shaking the bejeepers out of the half-full apple juice jug. Add cooled wort and FAJC to carboy.
8. Pitch yeast. (note 5)
9. Rack into secondary after fermentation has slowed (5-8 days).
10. Ferment until gravity has stabilized for 3 consecutive days.
11. Rack/cold crash/use super kleer as needed to clear.
12. Add vanilla extract and additional spices (if so desired) then keg or bottle.
Notes:
1. You can use a cooler or some other insulated container to hold the temperature constant. I used a cooler and the temperature dropped to 145F over the 30 minutes (not ideal). I heated the water to 158F before adding the grains and will probably go slightly hotter next time. A muslin bag is used so that you can easily remove the grains after steeping.
2. I put the muslin bag in a colander and poured the ¼ gallon over the grains and let it drain into the cooler.
3. I left the rinds on the pumpkin. The jury is out if that will impact the flavor.
4. I used a reusable K-cup container to hold all my spices except the cinnamon sticks. (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005K0L2U2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20) This made it easy to retrieve the all the whole allspice and the bulk of the powdered spice with minimal effort.
5. If you pitch the yeast dry make sure to reserve a little of the apple juice to wash the yeast down the funnel.
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