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Sorbitol is a natural sugar found in fruits including pears, prunes, peaches, etc., but I digress. The toasted cacao nibs are INCREDIBLE, I added about 4-6 oz to my keg and they added a rich chocolate flavor like the caramelized edges of a chocolate cake that is just out of the oven. It's a...

I've had great luck with D47 in cysers and it should ferment to 14% or so.

Well, it's not supposed to taste like rhino farts! I'd say a graff has the crispness of cider and light apple notes with a rounded mouthfeel and more substantial body than a cider due to the malt. The acidity will be less harsh on the palate than a cider made from the same juice.

Exactly. Boiling removes water but leaves behind sugar. Use C1*V1 = C2*V2 where C1 is initial concentration (sugar or gravity) and V1 is initial volume. You have three of the variables, solve for the fourth. If using a saison strain, then watch closely for hydrogen sulfide production resulting...

Sure you can, just add some sorbitol to your usual bottle priming solution containing dextrose. Off the cuff, I'd say use 100 grams / 50 bottles = ~2g sorbitol per bottle for a noticeable but not cloying sweetness. The sorbitol won't ferment out. My mexican cake beer is done fermenting at 1.026...

71B is a good choice as it produces nice ciders and can handle high gravities. It will also metabolize some of the malic acid, which is a problem in my case. Don't be afraid to boil the heck out of the juice with a high heat setting to get some good caramelization. You can add in a little yeast...

Well, I sampled my cider last night and it is down to 1.100 from 1.140. I suspect that the yeast is finding the fermentation challenging due to the high acid content of the juice and the cold temperature (48F) in my garage. I moved the carboy to a room at about ~56F and added 2.6 grams of...

GLARGH!!!! I'm fighting this very issue with a batch of ice cider. 4 yeast pitches and nothing more than a couple tiny bubbles in a month with no drop in SG. Going for a splash-rack and/or CO2 bubbling as the next step.

I added the piece of copper 1/2" copper pipe into the keg, then shook the keg several times daily to get good contact. I sampled the beer each day until I could't detect any sulfur (maybe 2-3 days). I then transferred to another keg using a liquid post to liquid post jumper hose in order to...

Likewise! I've made 3 batches and they were all enjoyed by friends. I just pour liquid malt extract into the carboy once the fermentation begins to slow, approximately 3 lbs for 5gal of cider. I've used wheat, vienna, and munich LME to match the flavor profile of the apples. A more robust apple...

I have also had sulfides in several graffs where I pitched ale yeasts. I think the ale yeasts become stressed from lack of nutrients. Avoid oxygen exposure. There was a discussion of this a few weeks back and I found a research study showing that sulfides plus oxygen can produce more stable...

You know, I was just wondering that. I'll take a gravity sample tonight to determine if I need to start racking it to slow down the fermentation. I'd love for it to finish between 1.020 and 1.030. No idea right now, but it is still bubbling away slowly.

Have you contemplated back-sweetening in the keg? Lactose would work and I've used sorbitol in various ciders and beer, it has a very neutral flavor and 100g per 5-gallons is a good starting point. Some sweetness will balance the heat. If it's a little thin, you can add about 100g of...

I'm definitely going to try this! I've used cacao nibs straight out of the bag in the past and the flavor contribution was "light chocolate" with some tannic dryness. I may do side-by-side cacao nib in whiskey tinctures to evaluate the difference.

My clone of this recipe is bubbling away contentedly with an OG of 1.095 and a nice starter of WLP075 Hansen Ale yeast blend (what I had on hand) at 62F. I did a couple things differently than the original recipe: 1. Didn't add any sugars to the boil. I plan to add 3 lbs of Trader Joe's "Mostly...

Open and scrape the beans and throw everything in the fermenter, or what I prefer, a keg. The seeds have lots of flavor and opening up the pod increases flavor extraction from the flesh. as for the cinnamon, I can't remember what I've used in beers, but take a read...

I've done two ciders with S-04 and both turned out very "sharp" in flavor despite ending around 1.003-4. I'm not sure the "sharpness" was due to high acidity or maybe a lack of esters and fermentation byproducts that would lend some character and perceived sweetness.

AGREED! Any of those options except the baking soda! The sodium will impart.... a very sodium-y flavor. Try dissolving some baking soda in some lightly acidified water and see how it tastes... blegh! Buffering the acid with potassium carbonate or potassium bicarbonate can be done, but do a...

Boiling will also set the pectins causing permanent haze. Do as recommended above and keep in mind that the juice will dilute the "maltiness" of your beer and make the beer thinner in body, you may want to adjust your recipe to compensate. Higher mash temp and some maltodextrine, oats, or wheat...

Yes, rack before terminal gravity, otherwise the brett will have nothing left to ferment. In a beer there would be some dextrins left following saccharomyces fermentation, but cider just has sugar. I've not done a brett cider yet but I think racking at about 1/2 way to expected terminal gravity...