Cranberry Splash Cider

[thelema5]

This is one of my go-to recipes for a clean, tart, and super refreshing cider perfect for summer cookouts and lazy picnics.

It finishes as a crisp, pinkish, crystal clear cider which is super easy-to-drink, fruit forward, and semi-sweet.

The recipe below will yield one gallon, but it can be easily scaled for larger batches.

Cranberry Splash Cider

Blend and Pasteurize

• 4 cups cranberry juice
• 8 ounces light corn syrup
• 6 ounces frozen apple juice concentrate

Add to fermenter with:

• +/- 96 ounces pasturized apple juice
• 1 bag black tea, brewed
• 1/2 teaspoon malic acid
• White Labs Cider Yeast

Notes:

For me this yielded a very drinkable 7% ABV. The corn syrup is not a fully fermentable sugar- if also adds viscosity and residual sweetness.

The cranberry juice I used was a "Cranberry Juice Cocktail from Concentrate", the ingredients were: 'filtered water, cranberry juice concentrate, cane or beet sugar, vitamin C' it was NOT a juice blend

My last batch took about 3 weeks to ferment out at 65 degrees. It was racked into secondary for another 5 weeks and bottled.

A month of bottle conditioning has left this cider a bright, fruity joy to imbibe. I hope you love it as much as I do.

 

[GioGomez2010]

Thanks for this! I've been wanting to start making cider and needed a cran cider recipe.

 

[USMCMatt]

Ever try this with D47? Only asking because I have a bunch of this laying around.

 

[TorMag]

Couple of questions. Define one bag tea brewed? Is that one tea bag in 8 ounces water? How are you pasteurizing the blend?

Thanks

 

[USMCMatt]

I'm just guessing he was throwing a tea bag into a post boil water for a minute or two then throwing it into the carboy?

 

[thelema5]

Ever try this with D47? Only asking because I have a bunch of this laying around.

I've never used it for this particular recipe, but I've used it to made other ciders which came out fine. I like the tight lees it produces.

 

[thelema5]

I'm just guessing he was throwing a tea bag into a post boil water for a minute or two then throwing it into the carboy?

This, using just 6 ounces of water.

 

[thelema5]

How are you pasteurizing the blend?

Stovetop pasteurization- I mix them all in a pot, and bring it up to 160 F and hold it there for a good ten minutes while monitoring the temp with a candy thermometer. After ten minutes I immediately add it to the sanitized carboy.

Some people prefer using k-meta to sanitize their must because they feel that heat affects the flavor and causes protein hazing, but I've only ever had that problem when boiling juice, which is a no-no. In my experience, heating a small amount of the total volume to 160 F doesn't cause any noticeable flavor changes, and my ciders always finish crystal clear.

 

[USMCMatt]

This, using just 6 ounces of water.

wait, did you throw the teabag or the water into the fermentor? lol. I picked up all the stuff last night but the Malic acid was tough to find so I ended up grabbing it off Amazon. I have some D47 and some Danstar Nottingham Ale yeasts laying around. Soon as the acid comes in I'll post some brew day stuff. I haven't made a juice in years but looking forward to it.

 

[thelema5]

Sorry it I was unclear- I brew the tea in the water for a good 2-3 minutes, and then discard the bag. The resulting liquid is added to the carboy.

Malic acid can usually be found in wine-making shops, but I get mine at health-food stores for less $$$. It's worth the extra effort to get because it gives the cider it's crisp apple zing.

I look forward to seeing your follow-up after brew day!

 

[USMCMatt]

Made this last night, everything went well and it's happily chugging along inside the fermentation chamber at 64f.

 

[AkTom]

This sounds great. I won't share with SWMBO though. She commandeered my Cran mead.

 

[thelema5]

Made this last night, everything went well and it's happily chugging along inside the fermentation chamber at 64f.
]

Awesome! Let us know how it comes out.

 

[USMCMatt]

Sure will, it's nearly a week and it's been cranking away like a science project. Today was the first day it's started slowing down. No hurry though, I have it timed out to be drinking for Halloween.

 

[USMCMatt]

Hey all, cider is going to be done this saturday! Can you or anyone tell me more about your bottling process? Are you bottling for a month straight, or adding priming sugar? I haven't done much cider.

 

[thelema5]

I am a bit of a bottling rogue, so you may want to get ideas elsewhere. My usual method is what every cider maker will tell you not to do- lightly carbing cider in 750 ml wine bottles and corking them, which I'm told can result in broken bottles, or more likely- a few popped corks. I've never had any problems, though.

I just add my cider to a bottling bucket, and then add 1/4 teaspoon of cane sugar to each sanitized bottle before filling. I do use heavy gauge bottles with #9 corks deeply set in the bottle neck with a Portuguese floor corker- which I think makes a big difference in keeping the corks well-seated.

This yields a very lightly carbed product after a few weeks- which is how I like my ciders. But again- this is not the generally preferred method.

How has your batch come out so far? Have you sampled it?

 

[USMCMatt]

Been super busy but hoping to bottle it up in some swing-tops in the next day or two. Haven't sampled it yet either!

 

[ericbw]

Any idea what the final gravity is? I like sweet cider. Not Angry Orchard (too sweet), but I like Woodchuck. I thought I was off the cider altogether, but turns out I don't like AO.

Is the corn syrup what gives it some body and sweetness?

 

[thelema5]

Any idea what the final gravity is? I like sweet cider. Not Angry Orchard (too sweet), but I like Woodchuck. I thought I was off the cider altogether, but turns out I don't like AO.

Is the corn syrup what gives it some body and sweetness?

I haven't taken a reading, but it definitely ferments out fully dry. The corn syrup boosts the taste to a hint above off-dry while improving viscosity, but if you like sweet ciders then you may want to experiment a bit.

 

[USMCMatt]

Tasting Day

Brewed 7/1, secondary 7/31, bottled up 9/25. It's been perfectly clear in the secondary and I haven't seen any signs of fermentation in a long time. Two months at 64 degrees, One month at 70 degrees.

Holy crap this is good. I see what you mean about improving viscosity (although it in no way tasted 'thick'). I finally bottled it last night. Half still, half sparkling. I have enough left over I poured into a glass and threw in the fridge. I hadn't even sampled it up to this point.

I never take any measurements or gravity readings on one gallon batches brews due to loss I'm not willing to accept, so I can't give you any technical information, but I figured I could do it well enough to come close for an accurate assessment of the recipe. I followed your directions to a tee, except for using D47 yeast. But it was well worth scaling up and making a 5 gallon batch next time.

It wasn't 'hot' at all, I think the longer time helped with that if it even existed at all (I've also switched to a temp controlled fridge which has made a HUGE difference in my brews). Had a little body to it and tasted like apples, for being dry I was pleasantly surprised at the hint of sweetness while keeping that crisp tart apple characteristic, you could easily pass it off as a commercial cider to me and I wouldn't know. I'll post some pictures in a glass next time I open one up which shouldn't be long at all. Anything thing is without it being a bold flavor I can definitely tell the cran affected the overall flavor in a positive way.

Thumbs up thelema5!

 

[thelema5]

Glad you loved it, mate! I've got a 6 gallon batch in primary myself. Cheers!

 

[Transamguy77]

Stovetop pasteurization- I mix them all in a pot, and bring it up to 160 F and hold it there for a good ten minutes while monitoring the temp with a candy thermometer. After ten minutes I immediately add it to the sanitized carboy.

Some people prefer using k-meta to sanitize their must because they feel that heat affects the flavor and causes protein hazing, but I've only ever had that problem when boiling juice, which is a no-no. In my experience, heating a small amount of the total volume to 160 F doesn't cause any noticeable flavor changes, and my ciders always finish crystal clear.

Can I ask why you are pasteurizing this? If you are already using pasteurized juice why heat it up again?

 

[thelema5]

Can I ask why you are pasteurizing this? If you are already using pasteurized juice why heat it up again?

Because the corn syrup and apple juice concentrate are not pasteurized products. I want to control every single microbe in my must, and either one of these ingredients may carry unwanted yeasts or bacteria into the fermenter.

 

[Transamguy77]

You could just hear up the corn syrup and apple juice concentrate then right? I'm just trying to simplify the process, I've made cider and mead and I haven't done it this way which is why I asked the question. Thanks for the response.

 

[thelema5]

You could try heating just the corn syrup and the FAJC, but I wouldn't recommend it. I feel that the high sugar content and thick viscosity of those two ingredients could lead to scorching or caramelization.

If you try it this way and it works out, let us know- it's always good to learn new shortcuts if they don't adversely affect the final product.

My rule of thumb has always been "better safe than sorry" when sterilization is concerned, especially because I don't add sulfites to my ciders. If I'm spending time and money on a project, I'd hate to see it ruined because I cut corners.

 

[USMCMatt]

I thought that part of the process was pretty easy if nothing more to have them mixed together really well. Dump it all into the carboy and go about your day.

Speaking of I was going to do the 5 gallon tonight, had everything ready to go and realized how much more karo syrup that really was and I don't have enough lol. So I made a small black ipa. Tomorrow I'll pick some up and do it.

Oops looks like I bought Cranberry blend not the cocktail. Don't know till you try I guess...

 

[MrAverageGuy]

Bumping this one - brewed 2 gallons this morning. Question about the tea - is the purpose to get some tannins in the mix? Seems like a great idea, just curious....

 

[thelema5]

Yes, the tea is a cheap and easy way to increase tannins to offset the fact that the recipe uses common culinary apple juice rather than juice from apples traditionally grown for cider. While culinary apple juice will have more sugar per ounce, it can be somewhat lacking in character- so I routinely boost the acid and tannin content in my ciders when using it.

 

[MrAverageGuy]

This makes perfect sense! Will post results, thanks for the recipe.

 

[audioruss]

This is one of my go-to recipes for a clean, tart, and super refreshing cider perfect for summer cookouts and lazy picnics.

It finishes as a crisp, pinkish, crystal clear cider which is super easy-to-drink, fruit forward, and semi-sweet.

The recipe below will yield one gallon, but it can be easily scaled for larger batches.

Cranberry Splash Cider

Blend and Pasteurize

• 4 cups cranberry juice
• 8 ounces light corn syrup
• 6 ounces frozen apple juice concentrate

Add to fermenter with:

• +/- 96 ounces pasturized apple juice
• 1 bag black tea, brewed
• 1/2 teaspoon malic acid
• White Labs Cider Yeast

Notes:

For me this yielded a very drinkable 7% ABV. The corn syrup is not a fully fermentable sugar- if also adds viscosity and residual sweetness.

The cranberry juice I used was a "Cranberry Juice Cocktail from Concentrate", the ingredients were: 'filtered water, cranberry juice concentrate, cane or beet sugar, vitamin C' it was NOT a juice blend

My last batch took about 3 weeks to ferment out at 65 degrees. It was racked into secondary for another 5 weeks and bottled.

A month of bottle conditioning has left this cider a bright, fruity joy to imbibe. I hope you love it as much as I do.

How much yeast did you add?

 

[Ashebrewro]

This is one of my go-to recipes for a clean, tart, and super refreshing cider perfect for summer cookouts and lazy picnics.

It finishes as a crisp, pinkish, crystal clear cider which is super easy-to-drink, fruit forward, and semi-sweet.

The recipe below will yield one gallon, but it can be easily scaled for larger batches.

Cranberry Splash Cider

Blend and Pasteurize

• 4 cups cranberry juice
• 8 ounces light corn syrup
• 6 ounces frozen apple juice concentrate

Add to fermenter with:

• +/- 96 ounces pasturized apple juice
• 1 bag black tea, brewed
• 1/2 teaspoon malic acid
• White Labs Cider Yeast

Notes:

For me this yielded a very drinkable 7% ABV. The corn syrup is not a fully fermentable sugar- if also adds viscosity and residual sweetness.

The cranberry juice I used was a "Cranberry Juice Cocktail from Concentrate", the ingredients were: 'filtered water, cranberry juice concentrate, cane or beet sugar, vitamin C' it was NOT a juice blend

My last batch took about 3 weeks to ferment out at 65 degrees. It was racked into secondary for another 5 weeks and bottled.

A month of bottle conditioning has left this cider a bright, fruity joy to imbibe. I hope you love it as much as I do.

What is your bottling process to get a sparkling cider?

 

[Ashebrewro]

Tasting Day

Brewed 7/1, secondary 7/31, bottled up 9/25. It's been perfectly clear in the secondary and I haven't seen any signs of fermentation in a long time. Two months at 64 degrees, One month at 70 degrees.

Holy crap this is good. I see what you mean about improving viscosity (although it in no way tasted 'thick'). I finally bottled it last night. Half still, half sparkling. I have enough left over I poured into a glass and threw in the fridge. I hadn't even sampled it up to this point.

I never take any measurements or gravity readings on one gallon batches brews due to loss I'm not willing to accept, so I can't give you any technical information, but I figured I could do it well enough to come close for an accurate assessment of the recipe. I followed your directions to a tee, except for using D47 yeast. But it was well worth scaling up and making a 5 gallon batch next time.

It wasn't 'hot' at all, I think the longer time helped with that if it even existed at all (I've also switched to a temp controlled fridge which has made a HUGE difference in my brews). Had a little body to it and tasted like apples, for being dry I was pleasantly surprised at the hint of sweetness while keeping that crisp tart apple characteristic, you could easily pass it off as a commercial cider to me and I wouldn't know. I'll post some pictures in a glass next time I open one up which shouldn't be long at all. Anything thing is without it being a bold flavor I can definitely tell the cran affected the overall flavor in a positive way.

Thumbs up thelema5!

What was your process for bottling the sparkling portion?

 

[audioruss]

Did you take a final gravity reading? How does the addition of corn syrup affect the reading? My fermentation is stuck at 1.020 after 3 weeks with no change in gravity when read at week 2 and 3.

 

[doctor strangebrew]

I was going to make something like this soon (very new to cider... make beer mostly) My last cider with frozen berries was messed up... boiled the berries. I like your technique for quick/mild heating. I would use 100 percent cranberry juice for more flavor ("coctail" is so weak)

 

[Blacksmith1]

Cran goes a long way. Did a cran rassberry that was diluted by half with spring water. Had a whole lotta flavor.