First cyser

[_BullDog_]

Went to a local orchard today and picked up 4 gal of cider (and a bunch of apples).

Have 3 gal in a carboy (the other gallon is for the family)with Camden tablets and will remove enough cider to add 3 lbs of orange blossom honey. Will use 1388 for the yeast.

Also will do addition nutrient additions along the way.

Really looking forward to this!

 

[voltron]

Should be a very good drink. Out of all the meads I have made cysers seem to be the most popular with people. My very first mead was a cyser.

 

[growlrr]

Is 3 pounds enough honey for a three gallon batch of cyser? Fall is coming to New England and in a few weeks we'll have roadside stands and farmers markets loaded with fresh pressed apple juice. I'm planning on trying a couple of different variations (plain/cranberry/maybe something spiced with cinnamon/clove/cardamom). Do you use less honey because of the sugar in the cider?

 

[Drewed]

Yes, there is sugar to ferment in the cider. Fresh pressed cider is usually between 1040 and 1065 ish. You can very easily push cyser into osmotic shock land if you forget this.

 

[Maylar]

1 lb of honey per gallon of cider will probably get you in the 1.085 range for OG, and about 11% ABV.

 

[bernardsmith]

Alternatively, you could make one batch of cider and one batch of mead and blend the two so that the total ABV is still quite low. I say this as a great believer in session meads and ciders. I love wines too but cider/cysers can and perhaps should be lower ABV and drunk by the pint and not sipped by the glass...

 

[_BullDog_]

Juice was ~1.048 after honey it is ~1.080 but bubbles were making it difficult to get an exact reading.

Should end around 10% when finished.

 

[_BullDog_]

Bubbling away
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1505779409.891205.jpg

Bubbles must be interfering with the hydrometer... sg increased to 1.085.....

I'll check again tomorrow.

 

[bernardsmith]

Could be 1.085. Honey is likely to increase gravity by 35 points and juice is likely to have about 1.25 lbs of sugar in each gallon - or a gravity of about 1.050.. So at 1.085 this is an apple wine rather than a cider: you'll need to sip this by the glass rather than drink this by the pint (the potential ABV is higher than 11%).

 

[_BullDog_]

Yeah... I was getting 1.080 before pitching the yeast and 1.085 today... :shrug:

 

[MarkKF]

Should be a very good drink. Out of all the meads I have made cysers seem to be the most popular with people. My very first mead was a cyser.

Almost all my meads are Cyzers. 3 pounds honey + 1 gal cider = 14 % ABV. Add juice to flavor.

 

[_BullDog_]

Sg is at 1.020

 

[_BullDog_]

Sg was 1.002. Moved to secondary and topped off with another half gallon of cider.

Tasted really good even at 2 weeks.

 

[growlrr]

So to do this properly would you take a OG reading of the cider first, before adding any honey and then add enough honey to get to your desired OG before pitching the yeast? I'm getting ready to do a low ABV (6% ish) and a stronger Cyser to age for next summer (9-10% ABV). Obviously the second batch will require more honey, but I want to make sure I get them both started correctly for the desired end result. Thanks!

 

[_BullDog_]

Yes, you will need to know the sg of the cider if you want to hit a certain sg for your cyser. I just bought 3 gal cider and 3lb honey and ran with it.

 

[Maylar]

Cider alone will get you 6% ish. If you want a cyser at that level you'll have to dilute the honey with water to about 1.5 lb per gallon.

 

[MarkKF]

So what is the S.G. of 1-1/2 pounds of honey in 1 gal. of water? 1.050ish?

 

[_BullDog_]

1lb honey mixed in I gallon water= 1.035 approx

 

[_BullDog_]

Sg back down to 1.000. Still as cloudy as it was a couple weeks ago. May cold crash and transfer in the next week.

 

[Drewed]

It will be cloudy for quite a while. Cold crashing is recommended, and I usually get impatient and use a superKleer. Also the apple cider may have introduced a pectin haze, so it may not compleatly clear. Tastes just as good though.

 

[_BullDog_]

Don't mind a little haze... this will be bottled at the end of this month.

 

[_BullDog_]

Bottle 2 gallons and left 1 gallon in another jug with a vanilla bean to see how that works out. This is very good mead and it has only been about 6 weeks.

View attachment IMG_5042.jpg

 

[koniowsky717]

so for a 3 gallon batch of this, you would basically toss 3lbs of honey in a primary fermenter, then add cider to make 3gal? or add 3lbs per gallon of cider? then pitch 5g of yeast? this sounds like something i would want to try next

 

[myndflyte]

so for a 3 gallon batch of this, you would basically toss 3lbs of honey in a primary fermenter, then add cider to make 3gal? or add 3lbs per gallon of cider? then pitch 5g of yeast? this sounds like something i would want to try next

Depends how strong you're going for. In this recipe from the OP, it was 3 lbs of honey to 3 gal of cider.

 

[_BullDog_]

Yep 3lbs honey and 4 gals cider. Getting ready to start one with more honey here in the next week or so.

 

[MarkKF]

View attachment 419569

Where’d you get those clear swing tops? 16 oz. or 32 oz.?

 

[_BullDog_]

At the grocery stores filled with carbonated lemonade.

Not really cheap (about $5 a piece) but my wife and kids really like the lemonade so it works. I bought 1-2 every week for a while to get enough for 3 gallons. They are 750ml in size.

 

[Stephmon]

I use those too (Pink Lemonade and Orange Lemonade at Sprouts). I figure, the bottles would cost $3, or more, each on Amazon, so the lemonade is practically free.

 

[_BullDog_]

I agree... since someone likes the lemonade the price isn't bad.... but if you just want the bottle it is a little pricey.

 

[_BullDog_]

Batch number 2 is underway. This time using store brand juice and 6# of honey.

Will degas daily and step feed like last time, every couple days.