Blueberry Cider

[jameswardpeterson]

I did your exact recipe but I pitched onto a yeast cake of cote de blancs. Its been in the fermenter for about a week and a half now. The blueberries floating up top have lost alot of their color, now they're more like a pale pink/blue. i used to 2 gallons of mott's apple juice and half a gallon of tree top apple juice to make the 3 gallon batch. It took off pretty good for the first week or so but its slowed down to, oh, only a bubble every 3-4 seconds now... It was crazy at first.

Ill try and post some updates in this thread as it goes along.

 

[Tusch]

Awesome JWP, definitely keep updating, I would love to see how other's batches turn out, perhaps a bottle swap when all is said and done could be arranged?

 

[ryscott]

Have you tasted it recently Tusch? How much blueberry flavor is there? Does it overwhelm the apple flavor or just blend alongside it? Have the blueberries affected the color at all?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, just getting to excited to make my own haha.

 

[Tusch]

Yes the blueberries have a prominant flavor, but the apple is clearly the base. For color, check out the pictures on the previous page.

Granted both of these answers are based on the brew prior to secondary and the additions of more blueberries and pure blueberry juice.

 

[placervilledan]

This post inspired me to try some berries in a recipe for the first time. I took 5 gallons of fresh juice, 2 lbs of dextrose, and EC-1118, and let that go for two weeks. Next I racked it onto 4 lbs of crushed blueberries, and let that sit for about 1 month. It turned that gorgeous blue/purple that yours had in the photo's. After the color was gone from the berries I racked it off them and let it sit for 3.5 months. I bottled/carbed it two weeks ago, but have tried several still glasses. Just plain awesome. I'm curious to try your actual recipe next time with the added berries/and juice. This one is just dry enough to let the fruit come through. I tried it in a brandy-nosing glass the other night and that really helped with the aroma.

 

[Tusch]

Ok so little update:
After leaving all my brew in my apt in Indiana while I was in Ohio for 3+ months, I have finally returned to them. In this brew (big blue) the berries have completely dropped. It is also incredibly dark, hard to tell if it is just very cloudy, I am sure it will clear up in time, but the color has darkened considerably.

First is one of Big blue alone and then two of all the brews I have in primary and or secondary.

 

[Tusch]

OK update.

In the last update, I racked over all my other brews but didn't have the time for big blue.

I racked it off of the berries tonight and into tertiary aging. I of course took a sample. It is back down too .999 after the secondary additions of juice and more berries. It tastes amazing, though it definitely still has some young bite to it still. But after I drank a glass, I still think I will do part sparkling and part still, but now I definitely want to do mostly still, it is soooo good that way.

It also has an incredibly deep color. Its so dark, its even more intriguing. It still needs to clear, in which I expect the blues and reds to really come out, but I can't WAIT until this is done. Here's more pics, because its what I do. I know I wish more people posted pics of their progress, so I guess I go overboard to make up for others. Pictures make us easily amused individuals happy.

Mmmmm

That is one HAPPY baby

Back home and safe.

 

[mwhc22]

good thread... this may be a good experiment for me in the future.

 

[jameswardpeterson]

alright, I havnt been on this board in ages... sorry guys.
I'm currently in my freshman year at RPI, so ive been displaced from my brewing. sadly brewing isnt allowed in freshman dorms... maybe next year at the chi phi house...
my cider is still sitting in secondary back home, about 2.5 gallons of it. i sadly didnt have enough time to add the secondary blue berries to it, so its kinda just aging now, i might try to get it alive again and add then when i go home for thanks giving, or maybe just let it keep going for a while, IDK yet.
I'll definately try to get some pictures up of it when i go home in a few weeks. maybe ill also completely restart the recipe up here if the house will let me do it.

I have really good hopes for it though.

 

[gwood]

Great pics Tusch! I've got to get started on my version.

 

[Tusch]

I've got the apartment to myself for the weekend, and have some brewing "chores" (who considers this hobby a chore ) to get done. I picked up ole big blue out of her private fermentation cabinet and placed her on the kitchen table. Honestly, this sucker hasn't changed in clarity in a long time. I even used a hit of sparkalloid. That was over three weeks ago. I am starting to think it really is just this freaking dark. I LOVE IT. I hope it stays this dark, so I can trick people into thinking its a big robust red, when really lurking in the bottle is this deeply complex country wine, mua ha ha ha.

I have roughly 350 12oz clear bottles and will be purchasing synthetic corks for them. While I won't be bottling all of it in these, it should allow me to be really creative with some cool gifts. Perhaps some nice 750's with a deep blue wax seal, currently making my personalized seal. And a similar treatment to 6 packs of 12oz's. That way I can give 6packs to my 20 something friends but with a bit of class, while saving the larger bottles for family and SWMBO for bribes.

 

[Tusch]

Man do I love pretty pictures. Sorry guys this one is just for my own enjoyment and anyone else that would like join me. Since I couldn't see through the wine at all, I decided to add a little light...

EXPLOSION OF FLAVOR!!!!

Again sorry, I was really bored and as stated, have the apt. to myself haha.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

VERY COOL! It's so clear, I can see the stamp on the lightbulb. Nicely done! Regards, GF.

 

[Tusch]

Yeah up close I could read every letter on the bulb, granted it was magnified through the carboy, but it was quite clear. There is still a decent amount of particulates floating around, so I may wait, I may re-sparkalloid, or I may rack. Who knows!

 

[lapaglia]

I think you need to send it to me for further clearing.

 

[pulpfiction32]

Hey Tusch The color is so beautiful its giving me a hard on. I think im going to try the same thing but with black cherries and hope for a blood red color is the alot of blueberry taste to it

 

[Tusch]

Well I certainly wasn't intending on getting anyone aroused in that manner, but thanks for the compliment. After the initial 4lbs of blueberries, then a secondary addition of 5 more lbs as well as 1/2 gal. of pure blueberry juice, yeah it has some great blueberry flavor. What I wasn't expecting is how amazing it tastes bone dry. It is somewhere around .995 right now and is amazing. I still intend on backsweetening some for the ladyfolk, but this is fantastic (Tooting my own horn, hell it was my first original and unique recipe!)

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Tusch - 8 months in carboys, I need to buy some more kegs for some serious ageing to try this.
I did not get a woody, but this does look great if I can find a good deal on blueberries. Never used them in a mead or cider but you got me thinking, which is always dangerous.

 

[petes]

After yielding to the temptation of Edwort's Apfelwein, Tusch, can see I'm just gunna have to try your creation.
(Have to get to meet my neighbour down the road when his blueberrys come on first)

 

[Tusch]

I am humbled by that incidental comparison haha SO what is everyone's opinion on clarifying? The deep color I am sure is exaggerated by being in a 6 gal carboy, but should I expect much more clearing? I am beginning to think I could be bottling in a week or so. I plan on giving them out as gifts, I just didn't expect it to remain this dark.

I think a clear 750ml with this, a dark blue wax seal and my antiqued label will make some very cool hand outs. Plus, holiday spending cash is low so I guess I will be giving away some of my own brew to make up for it.

 

[effigyoffaith]

i think that being able to read the light bulb through the carboy shows that your cider has become quite clear. It is probably just the color saturation that makes it look dark. I'm sure it will look beautiful in the glass.

Of the wines that I have made so far, the blueberry is far and away my favorite. I'll be making much more next summer.

 

[Tusch]

<--- Post whore

Just posting a quick picture update. I transfered the whole lot to my bottling bucket today. This was in anticipation of bottling in the coming days. However, since I was using a 6 gal. carboy, I had a bit more than my bucket could contain, so I filled up a bottle and threw it in the fridge while I enjoyed a very large glass of it. It has retained its beautiful dark color, as you can see below. I still love the taste, and it definitely has a kick to it, but it does lack a bit in body. When I do this recipe again, as I will, I will definitely think about how to give it some more body. Here if your cider porn:

Yes that is a full 750, its just a big glass mmmm

Enjoyed that glass quite a lot, but later tonight I will finally get someone's opinion of it besides my own. After dinner, my roommate and I will share the chilled bottle, I am hoping the chill might help the lack of body a bit, but it was good at room temperature.

 

[gwood]

Nice update.

I know how to deal with body with beers, not so much with cider. Maltodextrin maybe? What else?

 

[felix]

Cant remember where i've read this but there's a kind of apple that gives body to ciders...
Also, you could try to make coincide your transfer to secondary with blueberry season......
anyways, great experiment, thanks for sharing!

 

[brokenanchor]

Just read this whole post, and now I'm convinced I've got to make some. I read a cider post once saying to add more apple juice concentrate to boost the body, but it failed to say which kind. Guess that only matters if it really is the type of apple that adds body, not just the amount.

 

[Tusch]

Thanks for the bump!
I don't remember what brand my concentrate was, but in the end the more important point is that it doesn't have any preservatives. The preservatives ending in 'ate and 'ite and other chemical sounding things inhibit yeast growth and reproduction. Ascorbic acid is just vitamin C and is fine, but no other preservatives.

Being the post whore that I've become, I will edit this in a bit to add pics of the results of my bottling day a couple weeks ago. They haven't been labeled yet, because I am working with my soon to be brother in law on the labels. Its really convenient having a studio art major in the family. It will be a twist on the labels I used with the first few bottles from primary.
I ended up having 18 12 oz bottles, 16 750's and 1 500ml that's for a friend. He gave me a bottle of blueberry wine for my last birthday. It was was too sweet for me, but delicious at the same time. It helped press me on in this, so I am returning the bottle to him now filled with my own take on it.

 

[flyweed]

So Tusch,

Have you sampled your cider yet at all..since you bottled..how'd it turn out..sweet, dry. fruity? etc etc.

 

[Tusch]

Well I forgot to upload some pic, since the roommate's SWMBO showed up from Michigan and we ended up hanging out and getting a bit drunk. Well I've had 3 of the 12 oz'ers so far and I personally love it. I've always found myself to be optimistic, but I am apparently quite insecure about my homebrew. No matter how much I pester those that have tried it to be honest with me, everyone has loved it so far.

It turned out very very dry, and I like dry wines, so that was fine by me. I have tried sweetening in the glass, and I think it would go great as a semi-sweet wine, but I am kind of against turning it into a dessert wine. But if anyone wants to make their own version of this, go right ahead, I only ask you update me with how it went.

I will come back in a few hours with pics of some of the bottles, to get an idea for the final color.

PS: This is most definitely a Blueberry Apple Wine and no longer a cider, it is between 12.5 and 13% roughly and has a bit of a kick.

 

[gwood]

Well I forgot to upload some pic, since the roommate's SWMBO showed up from Michigan and we ended up hanging out and getting a bit drunk. Well I've had 3 of the 12 oz'ers so far and I personally love it. I've always found myself to be optimistic, but I am apparently quite insecure about my homebrew. No matter how much I pester those that have tried it to be honest with me, everyone has loved it so far.

It turned out very very dry, and I like dry wines, so that was fine by me. I have tried sweetening in the glass, and I think it would go great as a semi-sweet wine, but I am kind of against turning it into a dessert wine. But if anyone wants to make their own version of this, go right ahead, I only ask you update me with how it went.

I will come back in a few hours with pics of some of the bottles, to get an idea for the final color.

PS: This is most definitely a Blueberry Apple Wine and no longer a cider, it is between 12.5 and 13% roughly and has a bit of a kick.

13% huh. Man, I've got to give this a go. Is the original recipe and process on your first post accurate?

 

[Tusch]

Well I will edit it now, the only thing missing is the fact that I siphoned off 4 750's worth between primary and secondary, so the secondary additions were to increase the blueberry flavor and replace what was taken out. The 13% is an estimation, because I lost some of my notes so I don't have all the SG's recorded anymore. Also I didn't take into account the blueberries added sugars, so that's why I estimate it at 13%