First ever ciders, in fermentation chamber

[sablesurfer]

Hello,
Thanks to the huge thread and follow up on all the yeast experiments!

Work party had a ton of left overs that would have gone bad. So not only got almost half a Costco pumpkin pie home for desserts but got two gallons of a fresh pressed, no additives, pasteurized cider as well.

(Yes, I actually did get permission.)

As much as I tried to make it a straight cider for my first experiment, I couldn't at all. So one gallon got cinnamon and ginger powder, the other got dried juniper berries, dried orange peel and dried lemon peel. They were both steeped in boiling water along with the extra turbinado sugar to get to 1.050.

Half a pack of US-04 in each, since that appears to be the favorite from that afore mentioned thread and the one I had avail in my yeast collection.

Going for the ~one week ferment, bottle, test carbonation, pasteurize plan. Hopefully still have about six bottles to drink, using only two to find carbonation level...

 

[sablesurfer]

Been drinking this cider for some time now. I tried both the summer and the mulled one over the last week and they are still good. The mulled version dropped SUPER clear, like you can read through the bottle. The summer one stayed hazey for some reason.

Next time the mulled version will get more cinnamon. The ginger was a bit strong at first, but now it has mellowed very well.

The summer version had a bit too much juniper and needs much more orange peel.

 

[doink0662]

Hello,
Thanks to the huge thread and follow up on all the yeast experiments!

Work party had a ton of left overs that would have gone bad. So not only got almost half a Costco pumpkin pie home for desserts but got two gallons of a fresh pressed, no additives, pasteurized cider as well.

(Yes, I actually did get permission.)

As much as I tried to make it a straight cider for my first experiment, I couldn't at all. So one gallon got cinnamon and ginger powder, the other got dried juniper berries, dried orange peel and dried lemon peel. They were both steeped in boiling water along with the extra turbinado sugar to get to 1.050.

Half a pack of US-04 in each, since that appears to be the favorite from that afore mentioned thread and the one I had avail in my yeast collection.

Going for the ~one week ferment, bottle, test carbonation, pasteurize plan. Hopefully still have about six bottles to drink, using only two to find carbonation level...

Any difference between fresh vs dried rind taste wise?

 

[sablesurfer]

LOL! Sigh, I only just now noticed this was my cider thread, but I replied with a mead answer. Sigh.

I like the dried orange peel for more of the sharp zest flavor without the biting acidity that seems to come with fresh. Still got a couple of these ciders left, but only a couple so been very reluctant to drink them all up.

Happy with both, but learned that juniper berries are VERY medicinal even at small doses.

============
(Original wrong thread answer)
Honestly I won't know until the current mead gets to drinkable, so that is about three months out. It got whole eighths of orange, rind and pith.

As for dried, I get mine from a local spice shop, so they are pretty fresh dried spices. I really like it for an aroma sensation of orange, but didn't seem to add any bitterness.