TedLarsen
Well-Known Member
I made my first batch of hard cider, following Jessica Shabatura's directions exactly: http://http://makinghardcider.com/index.htm" .
I used some delicious cider from a local orchard, and made a slightly sweetened (backsweetened with Xylitol) carbed cider. I didn't try to clear it with pectic enzyme -- I like cloudy cider, and figured I would like the cloudy hard cider just fine.
O.G. was 1.050; F.G. (before sweetening and adding apple juice to carb) was 1.000, and after adding the juice was 1.050. After racking from the primary after a week, I racked it twice, each time after about 4 weeks. Then I bottled it.
It doesn't taste very good at all. It's a little hot, but I can live with that; but it also does not have a nice taste to it. I can't describe it, wish I could.
But my question is this: while cider is often not aged for very long, is there a chance that simply aging it in the bottles for 6 months or so may mellow it out, make it taste okay?
I have no intention of tossing it, but I wondered if there is even reason to hope. I am quite certain that it didn't get contaminated in any way -- as certain as one can be, anyway (I am pretty anally rigorous about sanitation). There was a bit more headspace in the final racking than I usually use when making wine. Could it have oxidized? It was done fermenting (SG unchanged for at least a week) before racking it the final time -- I only did it because I wanted to bulk age it a little longer, and there was a pretty good sludge of lees in the bottom......
I used some delicious cider from a local orchard, and made a slightly sweetened (backsweetened with Xylitol) carbed cider. I didn't try to clear it with pectic enzyme -- I like cloudy cider, and figured I would like the cloudy hard cider just fine.
O.G. was 1.050; F.G. (before sweetening and adding apple juice to carb) was 1.000, and after adding the juice was 1.050. After racking from the primary after a week, I racked it twice, each time after about 4 weeks. Then I bottled it.
It doesn't taste very good at all. It's a little hot, but I can live with that; but it also does not have a nice taste to it. I can't describe it, wish I could.
But my question is this: while cider is often not aged for very long, is there a chance that simply aging it in the bottles for 6 months or so may mellow it out, make it taste okay?
I have no intention of tossing it, but I wondered if there is even reason to hope. I am quite certain that it didn't get contaminated in any way -- as certain as one can be, anyway (I am pretty anally rigorous about sanitation). There was a bit more headspace in the final racking than I usually use when making wine. Could it have oxidized? It was done fermenting (SG unchanged for at least a week) before racking it the final time -- I only did it because I wanted to bulk age it a little longer, and there was a pretty good sludge of lees in the bottom......
