1st Applejack

[beekeeperman]

Put 1 1/2 gals of hard cider in a 2 gal plastic fermenter with lid and stuck it
in the chest freezer overnight at 10 below zero.
Did some ice skimming every hour as it started to freeze until there was just under a gal left and went to bed.
This morning almost solid block of ice except about 1.25 qts.
I had thought about setting it outside early this morning where it was 20 below zero but
decided there probably wouldn't be much liquid left .
Didn't think it took so much to make so little .
Looks and smells delicious but too early for a taste.
Did throw a couple shots down when it got down to the
gal level last night .
Anyhow, ended up with 3 12oz bottles of about 20% ABV Applejack.

Anyone else making Applejack ?

 

[keatond]

Hey!

Yeah I tried a 1 gal batch a few weeks ago with pasteurized cider. Around a half a cup of honey was added also. The yeast was a red star champagne yeast i had sitting around but not sure which one off the top of my head. I let it ferment out and then froze it overnight. It came out really nice. The honey flavor helped mask the alcohol taste really well.

 

[MarkKF]

Temps hit zero. Put 5 gal. outside last night. Will try to drain out the booze today, if it isn't frozen solid!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1420727912.891251.jpg

 

[MindenMan]

MarkKF, what was the ABV% of the cider before you froze it? I just guesstimated your cider was 10% to start?

keatond, when did you add the honey, right before freezing?

I too make applejack, I have one 1 gallon batch of 18% ABV in the freezer right now that will get separated today, another gallon waiting to be re-fed, two more gallons of just apple to be started today, and 1 gallon of apple cherry to start today. The apple-cherry will be made with apple-cherry FJC from start to finish, as opposed to my starting with just apple juice, and then adding other flavored juices to it.

 

[MarkKF]

This one was 10.5% ABV

5 gal. yesterday is 2.25 gal. today

I'm gonna age it in glass now

 

[MindenMan]

I separated my frozen one gallon 18% ABV cider yesterday down to 2 quarts, and put it back in the freezer again today. I didn't seem to be very strong tasting. Come Sunday or Monday, I will separate it again and see how it comes out.

 

[MarkKF]

So I now have two one gal. jugs of Apple Jack aging. It's roughly around 20% ABV. Wonderful flavor and mouthfeel.

So here is the question: Do I just bottle it still again or how about kegging it then force carbing it before bottling it?

I wish I had a bunch of 7-8 oz. beer bottles to use. Just 12, 16.9 or 22 oz.

 

[MindenMan]

If I had a kegged 20% ABV beverage that went down easy like hard cider, I would pass out before dinner. I have some really high ABV hard cider from last year and it is carbonated. The bubbles are really tiny, and you would never guess the ABV. So the answer to your ^^ question is yes. Since you have the equipment, try it both ways and see which method you prefer.

 

[MarkKF]

Just bottled one of the two gal. in 16.9 oz. green glass. I just couldn't wait!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1422904553.114429.jpg

 

[TimBrew_]

Nice job!

 

[acemannw]

This is going to be my next experiment. I am excited to see how it turns out.