Caramel Apple Cider

[oliver0575]

Ive always done uk. Though word of warning. As for the abv, mines never come out below 13%

 

[fall-apart-dave]

Ive always done uk. Though word of warning. As for the abv, mines never come out below 13%

Ah. A proper gallon!

Dont worry I like 'em strong!

 

[fall-apart-dave]

Just set 12 litres of this away. 1.080 gravity, I went for quite a dark caramel,and the juice currently tastes like overly sweet apple juice.

I plan on letting it ferment out and then backsweeten (possibly by just priming individual bottles with the caramelised honey), and have a plastic bottle there as a litmus test for carbonation. As soon as the plastic bottle is hard, I will taste it and if good, pasturise the bottles.

 

[fall-apart-dave]

Hellfire this is a lively fermentation! My airlock won't stop farting LOL! Though it doesn't smell like caramel apple coming out of the top... It smells, well... Just like fermenting apples. Which is fine... But... Maybe didn't caramelise the sugar enough?

 

[fall-apart-dave]

Just taken a gravity reading since fermentation seems to have almost ceased.

0.98...

Thats 13%abv. And it tastes veeeeery sharp, not a hint of caramel in there. So, gonna leave it a few days to fall clear and then put it into another vessel, backsweeten and bottle.

 

[oliver0575]

Yep sounds same as me. Its verry nice after a month of aging. If you ever work out how to keep the caramel taste please share haha

 

[fall-apart-dave]

Yep sounds same as me. Its verry nice after a month of aging. If you ever work out how to keep the caramel taste please share haha

Ah really? That's a shame ( Maybe I can get it back when I back sweeten.

 

[fall-apart-dave]

Well I left this for a long time before bottling yesterday, three months to ferment is enough I think!

Still sharp as hell, and not at all clear... But. I pressed on anyway! Added the caramelised honey, and bottled it. Leaving some bottles to carbonate, some I will pasteurise tonight.

I ran out of bottles LOL

 

[Booker140]

This recipe sounds delicious. I just finished a blueberry apple cider. I'm going to try this one next.

Booker

 

[Munchies]

Hi everyone!
I'm a basically a newbie. I brewed beer in the past, ok a loooong time in the past lol, but I certainly have never done a hard cider before.
I started this up on the 15th (1 gallon) and it started up pretty good. Had lots of bubbles. I used Nottingham yeast and it has been fermenting at round 72-75 degrees (Texas heat). The OG was around 1.080. I pulled it out yesterday because the bubbles slowed way down to around one every 40 secs. and the SG was at 1.010. Wife said it tasted like beer. I would have to agree, with a small bit of apple taste (very small). Can definitely smell the alcohol.

Wife wants a sweet cider and I kind of have a sweet tooth myself.
So should I let it ferment out more, or transfer to a secondary to finish recipe and bottle.
Will the beer taste go away? Or did I mess something up? lol

Advise is well appreciated!

 

[JDWebb]

Stabilize it, then add about a half cup of frozen apple juice concentrate with a bit of brown sugar. Yes, it will taste like beer. You're right on the money for a nice British dry cider. I use Nottingham specifically for my ciders. All I do is ferment 5 gallons of apple juice with about 2 pounds of honey to bring the gravity up to about 1.055-60. The longer it sits, the more the apple taste will come back.