Unicorn Blood

BlainD · Sep 26, 2012

3 1/2 gallons Tree Top 3 Apple Blend
1/2 gallon R.W. Knudsen Just Black Cherry Juice

WLP060

It's young now but already delightful. Fruity and slightly sweet. It tastes enough like a jolly rancher to appeal to your sweet tooth; Not so sweet you feel like a girl drink drunk. I'm pleased. If I decide to make this again (and probably will next spring) I think I'll add brown sugar to deepen the color and dry it out a little more.

First Recipe post let me know if I need to change anything up!

PROST!

Leadgolem · Sep 26, 2012

Very nice. I thought the black cherry juice should be dillutable and still maintain a good amount of it's cherry flavor and color.

EDIT: For those of you wanting a clear result, check the bottle of black cherry juice when you get it. Some have a lot more cherry solids in the bottom then others.

Pratzie · Sep 26, 2012

BlainD · Sep 26, 2012

Leadgolem said:
Very nice. I thought the black cherry juice should be dillutable and still maintain a good amount of it's cherry flavor and color.

EDIT: For those of you wanting a clear result, check the bottle of black cherry juice when you get it. Some have a lot more cherry solids in the bottom then others.

The R.W. Knudsen actually had a good bit of cherry pulp in the bottom. I dumped it all in. Week of cold crashing I feel was really key in getting it cleared up.

Leadgolem · Sep 26, 2012

BlainD said:
The R.W. Knudsen actually had a good bit of cherry pulp in the bottom. I dumped it all in. Week of cold crashing I feel was really key in getting it cleared up.

Nice. Yeah, cold crashing would have definitely helped.

About 1/3 of the bottles have close to no pulp in them, at least they did when I picked up my last 2.

BlainD · Sep 26, 2012

Leadgolem said:
Nice. Yeah, cold crashing would have definitely helped.

About 1/3 of the bottles have close to no pulp in them, at least they did when I picked up my last 2.

Been a couple of months I could be confused.

dannyrodge · Nov 21, 2012

Hi, I think I will give it a try. No added sugar necessary?

BlainD · Nov 23, 2012

dannyrodge said:
Hi, I think I will give it a try. No added sugar necessary?

Not necessary but I'd add some adjunct if I made it again. So recommended. Cup of brown sugar or maple syrup would be good.

Dorimo · Jan 19, 2013

I keep talking about this recipe with my friends, and i think i'm going to give it a shot. I am going to repeat your recipe with the brown sugar in the primary. But i was wondering if using a brown sugar is it still best to invert it in some cider and then add it to the carboy or what would be the best way?

Leadgolem · Jan 19, 2013

You usually invert sugar to increase it's apparent sweetness. IE: Break the disaccharide sucrose into the monosaccharides glucose and fructose. The yeast may be able to consume the monosaccharides a little faster then the disaccharide, but not by much. I don't see any actual point in inverting, as the sugar is already in a form that the yeast can eat.

If you meant dissolve and not invert, then you shouldn't need to. That is, unless you want to add a very large amount of sugar. Up to about 3 lb's you should just be able to shake or stir and have the sugar completely dissolve. Over that, I'd gently heat the sugar in a pan with a gallon or so of cider so it is fully dissolved. Then mix that into the rest of the liquid.

BlainD · Jan 20, 2013

I'd go with brown sugar to dry it out a little but also it will help darken the cider. I wish it would have been a little darker.

rstanavech · Jan 28, 2013

Very nice!! It looks carbed?

BlainD · Jan 30, 2013

Oh yeah I carbonate all my cider. I'll edit.

rstanavech · Jan 30, 2013

Have some of this going now. Didn't make a full batch just gallon.

BlainD · Feb 1, 2013

Let me know how it comes out!!!!

rstanavech · Feb 2, 2013

BlainD said:
Let me know how it comes out!!!!

I will.

I used 3 liters of apple cider to 1 quart of black cherry juice. I also added a half a cup of dark brown sugar. Smells wonderful so far.

BlainD · Feb 3, 2013

rstanavech said:
I will.

I used 3 liters of apple cider to 1 quart of black cherry juice. I also added a half a cup of dark brown sugar. Smells wonderful so far.

That one is going to be potent. Dang SON!:cross:

Looneybeer · Feb 3, 2013

Man looks good my wife don't drink beer, lookin for a good fruity cider to make

BlainD · Feb 3, 2013

Looneybeer said:
Man looks good my wife don't drink beer, lookin for a good fruity cider to make

Drink it young it will dry out with age.

Leadgolem · Feb 3, 2013

Your alcohol production and proportionate decrease in sugar content should be done during primary. Then you can age if you like. Since no more alcohol is being produced, it doesn't get any drier while aging. Most cider, especially those spiked with sugar, should be aged for several months before they reach their best flavor.

If you want something sweet, I would recommend allowing your fermentation to complete. Then sweeten to taste, bottle, and immediately pasteurize the bottles. That will kill the yeast in the bottle and allow you to preserve the sugar in the brew.

That also gives you the option of backsweetening with something like apple juice concentrate, in case your apple flavor fermented out.

And, as always, have nice day. :mug:

Looneybeer · Feb 3, 2013

Ok thx man great info I'll try that

rstanavech · Apr 27, 2013

Well I finally bottled the gallon batch I did. I let it finish in primary (about a month) then moved to secondary. After a few weeks I stabilized and back sweetened with 1 can frozen apple juice and bottled still. Gave a bottle to a friend and later that night she requested more!! I'm not a big wine drinker and this is something I can drink. I have a bottle in the basement that I'm going to let sit for a while and age. But even after a few days its really good.

BlainD · Apr 28, 2013

Glad it turned out nice for you. I thought I was out until I found two bottles while packing up to move. Those bottles are about a year old at this point. Going to save then for something special.

rstanavech · May 2, 2013

I had a thought. I want to make another natch just my first with one exception. When I back sweeten I'm thinking of simmering the apple juice concentrate for about 15 minutes with a cinnamon stick in it. Let it cool then add to the natch an bottle.

The first batch I bottled still and it was fantastic.

Oldnastingham · May 7, 2013

I made a gallon of this with the added brown sugar(1/2 cup) and NottinGham yeast. It was dry as a bone in 8 days reading 1.01. I racked and back sweetened with AJC to taste and then cold crashed. It got better everyday and was nice and clear. It was pretty winey though but had some good flavor. I mixed a pint using 1/4 uni blood and 3/4 cloudy, kegged, young cider I made with cider yeast and just juice. Tasty. My current attempt found me making 5 gallons and I skipped the brown sugar and used 1118 yeast. SG was 1.065. Lots of activity after 12 hours of pitching yeast. I'll keep you posted. Many thanks to the OP for the recipe.

echocanyons · May 17, 2013

I had to give this recipe a try.
The onlly deviations were that it was a gallon recipe and I used 1/4 brown sugar and 1/4 cup of dextrose and Montrachet yeast.

What is the timing for bottling this?

BlainD · Jun 12, 2013

echocanyons said:
I had to give this recipe a try.
The onlly deviations were that it was a gallon recipe and I used 1/4 brown sugar and 1/4 cup of dextrose and Montrachet yeast.

What is the timing for bottling this?

Sorry for the late reply. I'd let it go a month at least before bottling. Less time probably would work well too but a month should be safe. Best thing to do is take a gravity reading three days in a row to see if it's still fermenting. No change in gravity and you are close to your final gravity your ready to bottle. I am deprived of sleep check the forum. Plent of info on the subject.

kmcgr3 · Jun 18, 2013

Just bottled a batch of this. This was my first cider attempt and I think it turned out pretty good. Plus the name rocks

4 Gallons unpasturized apple cider
.75 Gallon Black Cherry Juice
2.5 Cups Brown Sugar

Back Sweeten using 1 can Fronzen Concentrated Apple Juice.

Notingham yeast

OG: 1.06
FG: 1.01

Primary for approx 3 weeks
Secondardy for 2 weeks

Pretty dry but after backsweetening FG came up to approx 1.02.

Leadgolem · Jun 18, 2013

kmcgr3 said:
Just bottled a batch of this. This was my first cider attempt and I think it turned out pretty good. Plus the name rocks

4 Gallons unpasturized apple cider
.75 Gallon Black Cherry Juice
2.5 Cups Brown Sugar

Back Sweeten using 1 can Fronzen Concentrated Apple Juice.

Notingham yeast

OG: 1.06
FG: 1.01

Primary for approx 3 weeks
Secondardy for 2 weeks

Pretty dry but after backsweetening FG came up to approx 1.02.

I think you made a typo in your FG. 1.001 would be more typical. If you really do have an FG of 1.010 then make sure you pasteurize, or your bottles will blow up.

kmcgr3 · Jun 19, 2013

Haha yep that what I get for trying to post from my phone. No bottle bombs

Unicorn Blood

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