1st attempt at cider

[rtsitler]

Went to BJ's Brewhouse a while back and my wife fell in love with their Berry Burst Cider.

I am hoping to make a cider that she will like.

I was thinking...

1 gallon apple juice/cider
2 gallons mixed berry juice
Nottingham yeast

Let it go for a few weeks and see where it's at for taste/ sweetness and then decide to back sweeten if need be.

Plan on bottling to carb and then pasteurizing on my stove top.

Now for my questions...

1. Does this recipe seem like it will work?
2. If I need back sweetening, what should I use and how much?
3. How much corn sugar for carbing when I bottle?
4. Do I need yeast nutrient?
5. Please feel free to give any and all suggestions.

Thanks in advance.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[phug]

1. It should ferment if that's what you mean by work. Depending on the berries, it may come out on the bitter side after all is said and done. What kind of berries are int he mix?
2. backsweeten to taste. take a sample, and measure as you add sweetener in small amounts, tasting as you go.
3. standard-ish amount is .7 oz per gallon. if you're using a fermentable sweetener for your backsweetening, you may not need to add any, but you'll have to watch your bottles like a hawk, and then chill or pasteurize to keep them from blowing up
4. yeast nutrient is optional, for some people it gives them a better result, but there's nothing to say that you have to use it.
5. most of the apple/berry ciders I've seen have been heavy on the apple side, and light on the berry, relatively speaking. But that doesn't mean yours won't turn out.

 

[rtsitler]

I was hoping to get more of the berry flavor to come through..,

By work I do mean to ferment.
I'm hoping to find 100% blackberry cherry and raspberry juice to add to the apple in the primary.

What's good for back sweetening if I need it, apple juice concentrate? Sucralose?




Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[phug]

It should ferment, as long as there are no preservatives in it.

For backsweetening. If you want bottle carbed sweet cider, with no pasteurizing you'll need to choose a non-fermentable sweetener : Sorbitol, Xylitol, Splenda, Stevia, Lactose, Maltodextrin (less than 5% fermentable or so the label said)

And then you'll have to prime with a fermentable sugar for carbonation

For fermentable sugars you can go :apple juice concentrate, table sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup or sugar, corn syrup, almost anything, really.

 

[rtsitler]

From what I'm reading you can't pasteurize plastic bottles.... Hmmm have to get glass I guess and maybe this batch can go in the fridge.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[phug]

yeah, it's just not good pasteurizing in plastic bottles. I've tried, it's just not something that will put you or your cider in a happy place. yes it kills the yeast, but I'd rather not drink it, flavour, and whatever-else-may-have-ended-up-in-it-wise

 

[plusultra]

I made some hard cider a few months ago and I used simply apple juice and added 2 lbs of brown sugar to up the alcohol content and wine yeast. when it was done fermenting I put in a few campden(sp) tablets to kill the yeast off. I waited a few days and kegged along with some fresh juice to sweeten. It was good.