Cider #2 - Crabby Cider

[Bombo80]

I took about one gallon (7# 4oz) out of the 5 gallon fermenter, and put it into a new, clean and sanitized gallon water jug, and put it in the freezer. This will be thawed and used as a concentrated apple/sugar source to backsweeten this cider once the fermentation has finished.

So I started with 4 gallons of fresh pressed cider @ 1.048, and mixed in about 1 1/2 gallons (12#) of crabapple juice @ 1.072, I pressed from frozen crabapples I had in the freezer. This gave me a fermentable cider with a gravity of 1.054.

I added 5 Campden tabs and mixed that in. Tonight I will add a pack of the Wyeast Cider/Mead yeast and let it do its thing.

I will update as things progress.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Oooh, that sounds good! The apple to crab ratio sounds nice. Can't wait to hear how it turns out.

Now I have made up my mind. I am planting a Crab Apple tree this year!

 

[Bombo80]

I planted a Chestnut Crabapple tree 1 1/2 years ago. This year I got 6 apples !! That was all. They actually tasted really good. I wish the varmints didn't kill my other trees. Had a Honeycrisp and another Chestnut crabapple.

 

[glennwing]

i pressed 12 gallons of juice from my crab apple tree this year . Fruits were 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch
SG came in just under 1.050. making wine and cider. Have no idea how this will turn out

 

[Bombo80]

So far everything is going nicely. Fermentation is moving right along. I will let it go until this weekend, then rack it to the secondary for at least a week or so.

More to follow .....

 

[Bombo80]

Kegged and carbed. The crabapples really added to the tartness of this cider.
I treated with campden and metabisulfate, and let it rest for a few days to gas off. I then backsweetened with the same cider that I froze (1 gallon) and thawed and collected 1/2 gallon of the concentrated sugar and apple essence. FG was 1.010.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I then backsweetened with the same cider that I froze (1 gallon) and thawed and collected 1/2 gallon of the concentrated sugar and apple essence. FG was 1.010.

This sounds really good! But make sure I understand, you backsweetened with frozen-distilled cider, that is apple Jack? Or did you backsweeten with frozen condensed must from the cider?

 

[Bombo80]

I froze slightly less than a gallon of fresh cider. When thawing, I monitored the volume and stopped when it was at 64 ounces (hlaf gallon). I then used this to backsweeten my hard cider, prior to kegging.

So, NO, it is no apple jack.

 

[Blacksmith1]

more like an apple Shirley temple