Best Fruits for a Refreshing Cider

[sreichenberger]

Hello everyone,

I am wondering what are the best fruits that blend in well with an Apple Cider? Please share your experiences.

As we are speaking of fruits, also wanted to get any insight into whether or not you have tried adding strawberries to a cider? Based on what I have seen, the strawberries need to be frozen prior to adding to the cider and needs to ferment with the cider as well. Is that correct and is freezing commonly used for fruits that are added to ciders?

Thanks,

 

[bernardsmith]

Freezing fruits is a good way to extract the juice with minimal pressure. The ice crystals that form inside the fruit rip apart the cells that hold the juice and so when you thaw the fruit you have far more juice that is expelled than you would if you simply chopped the fruit.

Whether you want to add fruit to the secondary or to the primary is your call. Adding fruit to the alcohol already in solution often results in a fresher fruity flavor of the added fruit, but adding the fruit to the primary means that you have less work to do. In addition, if you ferment in a bucket then adding all the fruit to that bucket enables you to very easily rack the resulting wine or cider off the fruit after a few weeks. If you add the fruit to a carboy, racking off the fruit is not a problem but removing the fruit from a narrow necked vessel can be.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I have tired:
Blackberry
Raspberry
Blueberry
Muscadine
raisin/fig
Pineapple

Pineapple was by far the best. I am starting another batch this weekend.
Raisin/fig was probably second. I love all the berries, but they don't seem to make good additions to cider. Better off making wine. A low ABV fruit wine is similar to cider and can be quite nice.

Also, have you considered Graff? Apple cider fermented with some malt extract. I really like graff, and it is not hard to make.

 

[bernardsmith]

I need to second GeneDaniels196, Graff is really very easy and delicious... and the flavors improve as this ages.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I just bottled one made with rye and malt. Can't wait to see how it tastes in 3-4 weeks.

 

[sreichenberger]

I just bottled one made with rye and malt. Can't wait to see how it tastes in 3-4 weeks.

Do you make Graff with apple cider and malt extract or is this something you buy ready?

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

There are several ways. There is a whole long thread about it.

However, the simplest way I know if is to make up just short of a gal of wort using whatever DME. I like sparkling Amber. Then add 1 or 2 cans of FAJC into it. 1 can will give you about 6.5%, 2 will give you 7.5% and more apple taste.

Thats about it. You can make it much more complicated, and often I do with steeping specialty grains. But even at its most simple, Graff is a nice drink.

 

[sreichenberger]

There are several ways. There is a whole long thread about it.

However, the simplest way I know if is to make up just short of a gal of wort using whatever DME. I like sparkling Amber. Then add 1 or 2 cans of FAJC into it. 1 can will give you about 6.5%, 2 will give you 7.5% and more apple taste.

Thats about it. You can make it much more complicated, and often I do with steeping specialty grains. But even at its most simple, Graff is a nice drink.

Nice! Is that (just short of a gallon) then added to the Apple Juice prior to fermenting?

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Nice! Is that (just short of a gallon) then added to the Apple Juice prior to fermenting?

Yes. calculate how much FAJC you are going to add, subtract that from 1 gal, then make your wort. Then add the FAJC.
I guess you could add it later, like fruit in a secondary fermentation, but I have never tried that.

 

[sreichenberger]

Yes. calculate how much FAJC you are going to add, subtract that from 1 gal, then make your wort. Then add the FAJC.
I guess you could add it later, like fruit in a secondary fermentation, but I have never tried that.

Super helpful, thanks! I'll try this out sometime. As I am aiming for a Gluten Free recipe not sure about the DME, but will give pineapple a shot. Have you ever tried strawberries and/or lime?

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I need to second GeneDaniels196, Graff is really very easy and delicious... and the flavors improve as this ages.

I popped open a dark graff last night that I bottled about 3 months ago. It was really good. Made with Briess special dark DME, FAJC, and 8oz of steeped crystal 60L grains. It was around 8-8.5%. I think I have one more litter swing top in the shed.

I need to make that one again, but hide it from myself for about 6 months. The problem is I like it too much to let wait

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Super helpful, thanks! I'll try this out sometime. As I am aiming for a Gluten Free recipe not sure about the DME, but will give pineapple a shot. Have you ever tried strawberries and/or lime?

I only use the berries I grow, and I have never had any luck with strawberries. Of course I don't grow the pineapples , but you know what I mean.

 

[MSOfour]

I have tired:
Blackberry
Raspberry
Blueberry
Muscadine
raisin/fig
Pineapple

Pineapple was by far the best. I am starting another batch this weekend.
Raisin/fig was probably second. I love all the berries, but they don't seem to make good additions to cider. Better off making wine. A low ABV fruit wine is similar to cider and can be quite nice.

Also, have you considered Graff? Apple cider fermented with some malt extract. I really like graff, and it is not hard to make.

How did you use pineapple bc everytime I have used it, the hard cider comes out so bitter and just rather disappointing tasting all I get is a high acid flavor no real pineapple or cider flavor at all

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I start with 2 fresh pineapples. Then I cut into chunks and freeze them.
While that is freezing I start a batch of apple juice fermenting in my 2 gal bucket.
After a couple of days I thaw the pineapple chunks and place them in a fermenting bag, weighted down into the bucket.
Then I let it ferment for 3-4 days, then remove and squeeze out the bag.
Let it ferment to finish and it is done.

I have done this 2 times and it was great. I am freezing some more pineapple now. I have never had to use acid reducing crystals on my pineapple cider, but that would be an option if you wanted to try.

 

[Epond83]

I start with 2 fresh pineapples. Then I cut into chunks and freeze them.
While that is freezing I start a batch of apple juice fermenting in my 2 gal bucket.
After a couple of days I thaw the pineapple chunks and place them in a fermenting bag, weighted down into the bucket.
Then I let it ferment for 3-4 days, then remove and squeeze out the bag.
Let it ferment to finish and it is done.

I have done this 2 times and it was great. I am freezing some more pineapple now. I have never had to use acid reducing crystals on my pineapple cider, but that would be an option if you wanted to try.

Why do you put the pineapple in after a few days and pull it out after only a few days?
Seattle cider co has a pineapple agave cider that i love and would love to try and recreate.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

By waiting a few days to add the pineapple I accomplish a few things:
1) the most vigourous ferment is done, so I don't lose as much of the aromatics from the pineapple when it starts fermenting
2) there is already some alcohol in there when I add the pineapple, just in case it has any little bad bugs hidding in all those crevasses.

I pull it back out after only 3-4 days because it is pretty used up by then, and it saves me from extra sediment getting into the fermenting bucket. Even with a brewing bag, fruit left in for a long time will produce a fine sediment that can really build up in the bucket.

 

[doublejef]

Do you think that using whole pieces of fruit instead of juice helps to keep much fruit aroma?

I already made a cider fermented with lacto from homemade Tepache. Tepache is made with pineapple skin sinking in water + sugar, it naturally ferments with organism that are on the skin. I let this first fermentation start and add like a litter into 5l of apple juice.
As I Didn't use the fruit flesh of the pineapple for Tepache, I made juice of it, keep it into the fridge and throw it into the cider just before bottling as priming sugar (after a short boil).
It gave a nice and fresh drink, quite tart with a good balance between apple and pineapple flavour but when aging, pineapple tend to vanish.