Aging is a good thing

[derrabe]

I am fairly new to the whole cider/home brewing. I never thought how much aging would affect the taste. I assumed it would maybe change slightly but I was wrong and now I am enjoy the benefits. I made two batches about 2 months ago and the taste has greatly improved on both in that time frame. I like my ciders on the sweet side.

The first batch was a cherry apple blend and when I first bottled it , it was a decent cider but couldn't really taste the cherry in it. After 2 months in the bottles the cherry cider is so far my favorite cider home brewed or store bought that I have tried. The aging in the bottles has really brought the cherry flavoring out and makes it a smooth sweet brew.

The second batch brew along side the first was a cranberry apple blend. I went I first bottled this it was sweet but had a harsh after tone that I didn't care for. But after 2 months in the bottles the harshness has gone down drastically, cant really pick out a cranberry tone to it but it is now an enjoyable cider.

So mostly just wanted to share my experience thanks for reading.

 

[jsiddall]

Agreed. I have a batch that is just over a year, no sulfites in that one, and it is still getting better.

 

[stella_tigre]

Just drank a bottle of my first cider, started in January, bottled in February. Nothing special, bottled juice with ginger in secondary. The months have definitely improved both the apple flavor and the smoothness of the ginger.

 

[Caliper]

Cider helps me learn patience. Waiting for the cider to really be crystal clear takes months, the wait longer for really good flavor. It just means you need to keep making more batches to keep the pipeline full!