Cider Brewing Planning

[Shotgunwilly]

Good Day all.

So with the space I have to work in ,the amount me and the wife drink and the fact my wife things this is the craziest thing I have ever wanted to due (Challenged accepted you think she learn not to say something like that after being together for 20 years). So I am looking at only 3 to 4 brews a year. This means I need to plan out my brews out. I would like to get more fermentation containers mainly wide mouth 1 and 1.3 gal in size to try messing with fruit in primary or secondary.

My first cider is being documented and is going well. I am counting down the days till I take my next sample.

Now its time to plan for my second creation that I will start in early January to be ready for RV Season in May.

I hope to be able to get the same base as I used for my first cider.

Things I am looking at

1. Using an ale yeast like Nottingham or SC04 as I used a wine yeast in the first one
2. Force stopping fermentation and back sweating with local honey or other fermentable sugar
3. Adding local honey at some point during fermentation to make something more cyser like.
4. Adding pear nectar or apple juice concentrate at some point during fermentation.
5. When I can get wide mouth I have this idea for an orange infusion cider (this brew I fully except will fail and I am fine with that)
6. ?
7. Profit

I am currently thinking about trying numbers 1 and 4 for my next brew. What are your thoughts?

 

[fluketamer]

1) ale yeast makes better cider imo than wine yeast.

2) if you stop fermentaton chemically with say k meta then your cider will be still if bottled . still cider and carbed cider are totatlly different and the carbonation really adds a lot to cider imo . (you can carb it in a keg though) . if you are pastuerizing, it is possible to carb in bottles then stop with heat and leave residual sweetness. seems ideal but i have a had a lot of trouble with this technique to the point where i gave up and keg my semi sweet ciders.

3) adding honey will restart fermentation and dry out whatever you are making. (and increase abv) . also i have found that most yeast strip through most fermetnables flavor and it may be hard to detect the honey addition.
4) adding pear has always caused me issues. the nectar has a ton of pectin and even with pectinase it gives me problems with yeast esters. adding AJ after fermentation however is really great way to backsweeten as it brings out the apple flavor.

5)why a wide mouth are you planning to put whole oranges in there. never add citrus pith to anything the pith is extremely bitter it will take ages to mellow out if it ever does. citrus is hard to ferment well. but i have a great work around that really works well. grain alcohol soaked citrus peels (just the most outer layer of peel - no white pith) makes the most amazing infusions. make a cider and ferment all the way dry. then backsweeten using cirtus peel tincutre with added simple syrup. it will cloud up due to the absynth reaction but the flavors are really great .

6) ?
7) i dont understand what you mean by profit. you cant sell you product without a liquor license which from what i understand is very difficult and not worth the effort unless on a grand scale.

 

[Shotgunwilly]

1) ale yeast makes better cider imo than wine yeast.

2) if you stop fermentaton chemically with say k meta then your cider will be still if bottled . still cider and carbed cider are totatlly different and the carbonation really adds a lot to cider imo . (you can carb it in a keg though) . if you are pastuerizing, it is possible to carb in bottles then stop with heat and leave residual sweetness. seems ideal but i have a had a lot of trouble with this technique to the point where i gave up and keg my semi sweet ciders.

3) adding honey will restart fermentation and dry out whatever you are making. (and increase abv) . also i have found that most yeast strip through most fermetnables flavor and it may be hard to detect the honey addition.
4) adding pear has always caused me issues. the nectar has a ton of pectin and even with pectinase it gives me problems with yeast esters. adding AJ after fermentation however is really great way to backsweeten as it brings out the apple flavor.

5)why a wide mouth are you planning to put whole oranges in there. never add citrus pith to anything the pith is extremely bitter it will take ages to mellow out if it ever does. citrus is hard to ferment well. but i have a great work around that really works well. grain alcohol soaked citrus peels (just the most outer layer of peel - no white pith) makes the most amazing infusions. make a cider and ferment all the way dry. then backsweeten using cirtus peel tincutre with added simple syrup. it will cloud up due to the absynth reaction but the flavors are really great .

6) ?
7) i dont understand what you mean by profit. you cant sell you product without a liquor license which from what i understand is very difficult and not worth the effort unless on a grand scale.

number 6 and 7 are reference to a South Park Joke that goes

1. collect underpants'
2. ?
3. profit