Adding spices to apple cider AFTER fermentation

[nickmpower]

In the past I have added store bought "pumkin pie" spice to my apple cider and it makes it delicious. The only problem is that since I added it after fermentation it doesn't dissolve into the juice its just kind of floating around, and often sinks to the bottom.

Now I realized I probably should have added it before I was a week away from bottling it.

Is there anything I can do to solve this now? I am going to be sweetening with juice concentrate, I was thinking maybe if I heated some of it on the stove, with the spice in it?

 

[nickmpower]

Well now I am reading that there are people that add cinnamon sticks to secondary so I think that might be my best bet.

Right now the cider is VERY drinkable (abv is only around 6.5 percent), but it doesn't really have a lot of flavor.

Since I am planning on bottling in a week, I am thinking add around 4 cinnamon sticks?

 

[Yooper]

What I do when I add things to finished wines, meads, and ciders is to take out a sample from the carboy, and stir/dissolve my additions in that. You can take your concentrate and add the additions to that, and then just rack the cider into the bottling bucket in that, or add it to the carboy. It should be just fine. It doesn't need to be heated!

 

[nickmpower]

What I do when I add things to finished wines, meads, and ciders is to take out a sample from the carboy, and stir/dissolve my additions in that. You can take your concentrate and add the additions to that, and then just rack the cider into the bottling bucket in that, or add it to the carboy. It should be just fine. It doesn't need to be heated!

Well the problem is that it doesn't dissolve. I was thinking heating may extract some of the flavor of the the spice and then I could filter and use that to sweeten. I think I will just go with the cinnamon sticks

 

[Yooper]

Well the problem is that it doesn't dissolve. I was thinking heating may extract some of the flavor of the the spice and then I could filter and use that to sweeten. I think I will just go with the cinnamon sticks

You mean, when you whisk the spices in the sample, they don't mix? I can't picture what would cause it to never mix.

 

[nickmpower]

I mean, it mixes in the sense that the powder is floating all around. But it remains powder and will soon settle to the bottom.

It mixes but doesn't dissolve

 

[ThorGodOfThunder]

I've always made a spice extract by soaking everything in a bit of rum or vodka or whatever clear spirit I have near by. Filter that through a coffee filter, then dump it in the full fermented cider.

 

[CA_Mouse]

I had the same issue with cinnamon powder in my Apple Pie Cider. I just make sure to tell everyone that after they chill the bottle, to make sure to lay it on it's side and roll it gently to resuspend the cinnamon. It makes it easier to explain that they want the cinnamon mixed in like it would be in a pie.

 

[nickmpower]

So what I ended up doing was adding 12 cinnamon sticks (one per half gallon). I know seems like a lot but I also added one stick to a normal half gallon of apple juice and am just going to siphon it off when that one tastes right. Looking back though I should have just used one per gallon, and cut one in half for half gallon. The sicks are about 3-4in long.

Also, adding the sticks has seemed to make it cloudy again, is this a side effect of the cinnamon? I don't care at all if it looks cloudy, I just don't want anything settling to the bottom of the bottles after I bottle it.

 

[nickmpower]

Well I just tried a sample, it now it tastes pretty bad, almost like its oxygenated. I don't know how that could have happened?

 

[JoeLowPro]

Here's how I spiced my cider
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=505697


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[domingo]

I did a spiced cider this year too. I used vanilla beans, nutmeg, and cinnamon wrapped in a sanitized coffee filter and tucked the packet into the top of the carboy during secondary. I took small samples over a several-day period and took it out when I thought it had spiced okay.

A few notes:

-I'll do the three spices in separate packets next time. Vanilla infused quite quickly and the cinnamon/nutmeg are FAR too subtle.

-Part of this was concern about overusing the cinnamon, which people have said causes a red hots flavor quite quickly. Beware.

 

[MarkKF]

So...

Also, adding the sticks has seemed to make it cloudy again, is this a side effect of the cinnamon? I don't care at all if it looks cloudy, I just don't want anything settling to the bottom of the bottles after I bottle it.

Same happens with me. Given time it clears. Maybe not as crystal clear. But, good enough. Don't bottle till then.

 

[Skylark]

The cinnamon powder will not dissolve: it is mostly fibers (cellulose). I put some in my primary along with some whole cloves, just floating around loose. It all got left behind when I racked to secondary.