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I think most people add the cinnamon to the secondary. I would imagine that using some cinnamon sticks would be a better bet, then if you think it's getting to potent you can always pull them out easily. Try to find some Ceylon cinnamon. It's actually "true cinnamon" and is a little spicier than...

I haven't had the sulfur issue myself, but lots of people do. The consensus to me seems that it goes away after a few days. I'd hang tight, you're probably apt to do more harm than good by playing around...

So, I've just made my first cider. Pretty simple recipe: 10L of cider that I added pectic enzyme to overnight. I brought to SG=1.056 with white sugar added 1-2 tsp of nutrient and pitched a package of Danstar Nottingham yeast. I checked SG after 1 week I pulled it off the lees and it was...

Made my visit to Bennett's yesterday. Excellent store, two self-serve cider taps with either preserved, or not. $1.25/L if you bring your own bottle/carboy. It tastes really nice. THey basically told me that the type of apples changes depending on the time of year. Essentially they use whatever...

Yes flash pasteurization is heat-based. I would imagine UV is more controllable, provided they change the bulbs regularly, they lose power overtime. That being said, these heat-based methods have been developed for over 100 years; I trust them. I expected that taste changes would be minimal...

Thanks porter. That's a huge help. Any reason to think flash pasturization and UV are any different? The tablespoon of enzyme is into what volume? Kegging is out of my realm right now, so hopefully someone else can weigh in on how they bottle condition. With and without carbing for a...

Thanks Parsnip, that's a great resource. I find that it doesn't answer some of the more specific questions I asked though. Hopefully someone here can clarify these things.

Hi Folks, I'm setting up to make hard apple cider and have a few questions. I plan on using 3Gallons of unpreserved, but pasturized (flash--I know not UV, but best I can do in the area) cider from a mixture of apples. The questions: 1) Do I need to campden treat since it's pasturized? 2)...

Hi Folks, I've just got off the phone trying to source cider in and around the Toronto area. It's not easy to come by as many around here are more commercial operations. Bennett's Apples and Cider (http://bennettsapples.com/) seems to be the most reliable source. If you bring your own jug it's...

If you look back a page or so the recipe I used for a very basic mead (my first) is there. It's simple enough to start, but I would suggest some additional flavour components. Don't use too many or you'll lose the mead aspect. The nice thing about that recipe is that it's a fairly neutral...

Bit of an update on this. I racked again tonight as the airlock activity seemed to have ceased. The SG reading was now 0.992. I assume this is basically complete since it gives ~15.5% (the yeast tolerates 18%) alcohol and the SG is so low. I've placed back into the vessel for now as I'm waiting...

My intention was to keep this malt free. My fiancée dislikes anything beery. I also just thought that using brown sugar may produce a nice flavor too..maybe? I'm sure either pineapple or mango would be nice, the acid in either may throw things off, but I'm not sure. Anyone?

I used somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 the packet; I didn't measure anything. My intention was to prime 2L bottles, but I think it's too strong to make that large bottles. I'll probably prime 500mL bottles. I don't have any experience with this so it will be a wait and see approach. I think it...

Update: Tiny bit of bubbling still, but decided to rack anyhow since I'm going away for christmas. I took a reading and the SG=0.992. By my calculations thats about 16% abv. Taste is quite nice, with a good alcohol hit. Not overly hot, but gingery. Would prefer a more rounded flavour so will...

So, not much progress, but I have noticed that despite filtering there is substantial sediment on the bottom of the vessel. I assume that this is just fine ginger gratings. Should I rack off of this, or will it matter?

Well, patience it is then. Thanks for your reply. I suppose it was more like 3/4 of the packet. Yeah, I figured because of the smaller volume it made sense. I actually used the other 1/4 in an attempt at ginger beer. We'll see how that one ends up.

Seems like a stupid thing to be excited about, but I bought a stainless steel canning funnel from Lee Valley Tools: (http://www.leevalley.com/us/gifts/page.aspx?p=46945&cat=4,104,53214&ap=2) This thing is wicked. The removable base (small nozzle) is perfect for filling bottles. If you make...

Hi all, So I'm new to this whole process and am not a stickler for recipes. I am a stickler for cleanliness, etc. so I'm not sloppy. I wanted to make an alcoholic ginger beer/ale (whatever), so followed this procedure: Boiled ~4L spring water, added ~1Kg white sugar, 2 big roots of grated...

Hey all, New to the forum and posting on a 3 year old thread probably isn't the way to go...but anyhow. Started my first mead 1 week ago using what seems to be a fairly standard recipe: 3Kg Honey 10L water ~1/2 tsp nutrient (Wyeast brand) 1/2 packet Wyeast Dry mead yeast (yes, as the one...