Recent content by tkellymd

I would be the envy of all my fellow homebrew club members to show off my new awesome Sanke keg and Carboy cleaner!

Just wondering what technique some of you use for steeping your grains. Do you just let the grains soak in a bag for 20-30 minutes and then immediately take them out or do you let the residual water drain out of the bag into the wort? Do you stir the wort while the grains are steeping? Do you...

Well the batch didn't taste too bad but my wife thought it was too sweet. So I guess I'll try another one gallon batch and crash after 3-4 days when the SG is around 1.020. Thanks for all the help.

I suppose you're right. From my reading on this forum I was initially under the impression that cider needed to age for around 3 months. Clearly this is not so and probably the reason my first batch turned out so dry and "unsweet." Live and learn.

Well I got a little impatient with the backsweetening. I had no idea how much sugar to add so I started with 2 tbs. turbinado sugar in 1 cup H20 with no change in SG. I then added 3 tbs. turbinado in 1/4 cup still with no change in SG. I then went for broke and added 10 tbs. in 1/2 cup H2O...

After 8 days the SG is down to 1.000 at 70 deg F so that should be corrected to about 1.003. It tastes a little dry and is not very sweet. I think I will crash and backsweeten for now and next time take your advice and test after 4 or 5 days to try allow for less fermentation.

I am trying to get a rapid cider recipe as my wife does not want to wait several months to start drinking it. I added some honey to 3/4 gallon of pasteurized unfiltered apple juice and nottingham yeast. Currently fermenting away. The last batch I made (5 gal) dried out way too much over 3...