Cutting Hard Cider with Cider

Hey everyone,

Last year I tried to do a very simple cider recipe on the fly and it didn't turn out that well. It was in an older plastic bucket that I didn't use much anymore so I figured I'd let it sit. Almost a year later I've sampled it a bit and it's turned into, well, something.

Vinegar-esque and a bit sour but still has a hint of apple. Very alcoholic. I was thinking of taking the 4-5 gallons of it and cutting it with normal apple cider from the store. Essentially just dilute it until it's drinkable and throwing it into a keg while my other stuff is fermenting.

1. Will cutting it after it's that sour actually produce something drinkable or am I wasting my time and money trying?

2. If I cut a 12% (I know, wow) cider with normal cider how will that effect the ABV? I'm assuming it's simple ratios, correct? Ex: 4 gallons cut with 4 gallons of cider would bring it down to 6% ABV?

3. Will there be any additional fermentation with the addition of the cider if I add it then immediately keg and put it in the kegerator and chill it?

Thanks in advance for all the help!

Best,
Mark

 

Toss it, make the one week cider in the recipe forum, keg it and

 

No sense in adding good cider to vinegar. Flush it, clean everything, start over, and aim for a more workable 7-8% ABV (1.055 - 1.060 starting gravity on your hydrometer).

Correct.

 

Why does everyone on this forum recommend tossing out good quality acv? Folks pay darned good money for that stuff. Heck, if I could sneak it past the wife, I'd turn a gallon into vinegar.

 

Yea I should have been more specific. It definitely is not vinegar, just a overly sour apple wine (I did use a wine yeast, after all). I just did not want to serve it to people because even though I could have drank it most others wouldn't like it.

Just for others knowledge I took the 4 gallons or so I had and cut it with 1.5 gallons of apple cider. That got to a nice sweetness level but still had some kick. I then kegged it and haven't carbed it yet it's just sitting in the kegerator chilling.