Caramel Apple Hard Cider
- Thread starter UpstateMike
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solbes
Well-Known Member
Where we're going...we don't need roads
Cheesy_Goodness
Well-Known Member
I only drink cider from the future when drunk posting on HBT, and you should too.
Is there any way to artificially "age" a kegged cider? I have some that's probably going to taste like rocket fuel when it's drunk in less than 2 weeks. I've back-sweetened it and put in the caramel syrup. I'd still like to have it taste halfway decent. 
william_shakes_beer
Well-Known Member
yeah. I have a batch I brewed in November. This time I skipped the sanitization step. The pour gives me a nice frothy head that dissapates quickly and (murphy, turn your head) no bottle bombs, no over pressure. I really think that bottling rouses the yeast just a bit to carb but that it is stressed too much from the high alcohol content to do much with the priming solution.
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Well it has been a while since I have posted anything on here in the way of questions, but I am back and this time with good news. I started this hard cider recipe today and am looking forward to finish it. I it started out good by testing the OG at 1.050 with the first jug of apple juice. I then added the second jug, then the third and fourth (with the dextrose) and the fifth and got a OG reading of 1.062. On the original recipe from UpState Mike it said 1.050 and 1.062 so I figured I am close enough. I have been reading a lot of the posts on this thread and they have been very helpful. I decided to pitch the yeast dry so we will see how that works. I also am using a 5 gallon carboy so I had to cut it down a little. I do have one question about the original recipe if someone could possibly help me out. It says after the 14 days (or desired FG) to make the caramel and then wait 24 hours before transferring it to the bottling bucket. Do I need to do that step or is that just for the optional step? Thanks for all the help so far.
So I made 10 gallons of this for a local science fiction convention. I upped the ABV and the cinnamon/caramel syrup, and added some vanilla. It was a big hit! I've offered to make more next year, if they provide the raw materials.
I didn't wait. Just let it cool down and make sure it is all mixed in. the caramel is really popping now with about 4 months on it. Can't wait to see what more age will bring!
Okay so something that I am freaking out about with my hard cider. Like I posted a few days ago, I pitched my yeast this last Friday which has been a little over 5 days. The yeast has been going crazy and the airlock has been bubbling really good (about every 4 seconds). In my defense with this question, this is only the second time I have done something like this. My concern is that there is white/yellow stuff at the bottom of the carboy that looks like it is alive. It is bubbling up and some of it goes to the top and some is making little tiny bubbles going to the top. I think it is the yeast, but I am just wondering. It is a lot more than I figured would be at the bottom. It basically looks like it covers the bottom. I also wondered if the floaters that this is causing will settle so they will not end up in the bottling process.
Sounds perfect to me! You're jus witnessing the violent beauty of a vigorous primary fermentation
Sit back, grab some popcorn, take some photos and videos if you can. And in 10 days or so, everything will have dropped and its time to bottle!
I am wondering when it is time to stop the yeast instead of stove top pasteurization could I possibly use cold crash my brew by putting outside. I realize that it will depend on how cool it is, but what temps does it take to crash the yeast and how long will it take? For instance, if it gets to 30 degrees at night, will that be too cold and will overnight work, or will it need to be longer?
Okay, I went ahead and looked at some other posts for cold crashing and am now more confused than I was before I started. I am going to let you guys know what I am planning on doing and you let me know if my thought process is incorrect or correct please. When my brew gets to the correct FG I was planning on bottling it and waiting until it is carbonated enough and either pasteurizing or cold crashing (which ever would be the best method) then it would be finished. Am I thinking incorrectly or what?
Cheesy_Goodness
Well-Known Member
Welcome slamer 
If you want it carbonated after it hit the FG, you will need to prime your bottles before bottling. If you want it dry, just add a priming solution to your bottling bucket and bottle as normal. If you want it sweeter, you can follow the modified recipe on page 42. When it gets to the right amount of carbonation, pasteurize and you're done!
If by "cold crashing" you mean simply refrigerating your carbonated bottles, I'd stay away from it in favor of pasteurization. Those bottles still have edible sugars for the yeast to consume. While refrigeration temps drastically slow down activity, over time you could run the risk of bottle bombs. You'll hear people say that refrigerating is fine at this stage, especially for the short term, but I'd be hesitant especially if you plan on aging your batch (HIGH:Y recommended. This stuff gets incredible with age).
Hope that helped. Good luck
If you want it carbonated after it hit the FG, you will need to prime your bottles before bottling. If you want it dry, just add a priming solution to your bottling bucket and bottle as normal. If you want it sweeter, you can follow the modified recipe on page 42. When it gets to the right amount of carbonation, pasteurize and you're done!
If by "cold crashing" you mean simply refrigerating your carbonated bottles, I'd stay away from it in favor of pasteurization. Those bottles still have edible sugars for the yeast to consume. While refrigeration temps drastically slow down activity, over time you could run the risk of bottle bombs. You'll hear people say that refrigerating is fine at this stage, especially for the short term, but I'd be hesitant especially if you plan on aging your batch (HIGH:Y recommended. This stuff gets incredible with age).
Hope that helped. Good luck
welcome slamer
If you want it carbonated after it hit the fg, you will need to prime your bottles before bottling. If you want it dry, just add a priming solution to your bottling bucket and bottle as normal. If you want it sweeter, you can follow the modified recipe on page 42. When it gets to the right amount of carbonation, pasteurize and you're done!
+1
Sounds perfect to me! You're jus witnessing the violent beauty of a vigorous primary fermentation
I love watching a vigorously fermenting carboy!!!
I agree with this advice, and as far as pasteurizing, I admire the "dishwasher method" over the "stove-top method". Having said that, I have not done the "dishwasher method", but have heard lots of success stories. I have not had good luck with the "stove-top method", so I don't do it anymore.
I do choose to chill my bottles. I have done this with 6 batches now, having used Nottingham every time and I keep the bottled cider at 38 degrees. And while I can imagine this cider ages very well, mine has never survived more than 2 months. Anything with other than Nottingham yeast or keeping longer than 2 months would be uncharted territory for me.
Duplicate post
I have slight emergency that I need someones opinion on. I checked my gravity tonight to see how close it was to bottling. Funny thing is, it is ready to bottle. I was not expecting that and do not have my caramel syrup ready and do not have the cinnamon extract for it. I was wondering how important it is to make the syrup the day before you bottle. Is there any way I can make the syrup as soon as I get home and possibly bottle later tomorrow night?
Cheesy_Goodness
Well-Known Member
+1.
What's your rush though? It can handle staying in the carboy well after it reaches FG. I've got a batch in a carboy that I started...about 3 months ago I think. This stuff gets way better with some age behind it.
Thank you for the info guys. The rush is actually that I have been so excited reading all these posts of people finishing their ciders and I have a lot of people wanting to try it. I know you said it gets better with age, but I am also at the ABV that I want (right at around 6.5%). That is good enough for me. We I stole some out of the carboy last night, it was not sweet, but the taste was good. It tasted like a dry/semi sweet apple wine. I still need to find extract today and I may make and bottle tonight and I may just make tonight and bottle tomorrow night. If I bottle tonight, my day 3 and 4 for carb time will be this weekend (as I do not want to be needing to stove top it while needing to go to work) so that is the plan.
I know you said it gets better with age, but I am also at the ABV that I want (right at around 6.5%). That is good enough for me. We I stole some out of the carboy last night, it was not sweet, but the taste was good. It tasted like a dry/semi sweet apple wine. I still need to find extract today and I may make and bottle tonight and I may just make tonight and bottle tomorrow night. If I bottle tonight, my day 3 and 4 for carb time will be this weekend (as I do not want to be needing to stove top it while needing to go to work) so that is the plan.
Cheesy_Goodness
Well-Known Member
Sounds like it might be time to get the second batch going
Sounds like it might be time to get the second batch going
I would, but I need more bottles for that.:cross:
For those that have kegged this brew, has anyone had issues of the syrup and FAJC settling over time and making the later pours sweeter than the first??
So, I bottled last night and it kind of sucked. The cider was really good (not as sweet as expected, but still good). I did a 5 gallon batch and used the syrup and 5 cans of concentrate and it was still not really as sweet as I expected, but again tastes amazing. Everything was going great until I went to start capping. I filled the bottle up and put the cap on and all but 4 ended up not going down tight (meaning I could turn the cap on the bottle), obviously this is not a good thing. I am pretty sure that my capper is not working correctly. What I ended up doing was tightly duct taping the cap to try to get it air tight. My friend from work brought his capper today and I will try to use his to tighten more so I can hopefully take the tape off. I ended up having an extra quart and pint. I chilled it and my wife and I drank the pint last night. It was great. I am not getting it tasting like apple pie, but still amazing.
Nope. Everything mixes fine, for me.
So that post from earlier I was wrong. I had the quart and pint left that I did not bottle and put in the fridge. I put the pint in the fridge last night right after I was done bottling and drank it later that night. I was expecting it to be a little sweeter. My wife and I drank the quart tonight and it was absolutely amazing. It got better over night. It got sweeter and it just tastes so much better after already tasting good last night. That is how good this recipe is. Thank you so much for this wonderful gift. Bottoms UP! 
Can you do the aging in the carboy? I was thinking it had to be aged with the syrup, thus in the bottle or keg.
The reason I'm asking is I have two 15 gallon fermenters that I acquired but haven't found a use for. I could see tripling this and forgetting about it in my basement for a few months.
BTW, 3 days to get through 198 pages. Now I can go back to being productive at work.
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Primary - 90 minute Citra, Carmel Apple Cider
Secondary - Mad Murphy
Bottled - Schwaggy Must
