First time fermenting and i have the bug after tasting my applejack!

[BILTIT]

Set out to make some applejack, used a youtube recipe.

5lb dark sugar (i used demerara).
Lalvin 1118 yeast
5-3.78L sunrype pure apple juice (not concentrate)

-Fermented for approx 16 days in carboy, racked into 2l pop bottles put in freezer (-23C).
-slowly thawed and collected liquid until all color came out of ice, discarded ice (did this 3 times).
-tried freezing a fourth time but get a very soupy slush so left it as is.
- approx 19L of juice resulted in about 5l (i think, drank some and gave some away) of applejack which i am guesstimating at 35%abv.

Taste

Tastes good, tangy apple flavour at first and a hot alcohol taste right after followed by a molasses after taste. Its a sipper not a drinker type.

Its a bit too much molasses aftertaste for me so my next batch will have half dextrose and half dark sugar.

Feel free to leave any comments good or bad.

I am new to this and looking at doing a cider next.

 

[Maylar]

Many people (including myself) dislike the taste of fermented molasses. I'm gonna try a jack this winter and I'm planning to use only apple concentrate for the sugar.

 

[BILTIT]

I don't mind the molasses as it helps smooth the alc. taste i think but it can be overdone very easily as i found out. I guess the next batch will tell if i want any at all or take it all out.

 

[BILTIT]

I should add: My main floor smelled like caramel during fermentation, was fantastic!

 

[MindenMan]

I have been making applejack for years and am totally enamored with the stuff. Molasses ferments out leaving something behind I don't like when all of the sugar is gone. Different strokes, you know. IME, applejack that has not been aged is just too rough: too hot, not smooth, not terribly apple-ish either. After a year or so the bottles contain a very different product, smooth, not hot, very apple flavored leaving behind a delicious apple flavor on the tongue. Also IME, bottling applejack out of dry hard cider is not near as good in flavor. Whatever sugar is left in it really makes it very silky, and after a year there is really no residual sugar left to the taste. If you really want to taste something that will knock you out of your chair, try making apple ice cider, a different kind of amazing, but really amazing as well.

 

[BILTIT]

Some good info, thx.

Right now i wont have anything sticking around in a year or so, i need to get busy making some more for the future. I am going to do some 1 gal batches trying different things and then when i find something i like i will do a few 5 gal batches and let some sit for time.

I didn't measure prior to fermentation but measured after and was 1.002 or 1.02 (going by memory so cannot recall which), I will pay much more attention going forward. I have two apple trees that produce very well so i will be using them next year.

Going to work on a simple dry cider next, i will look into some apple ice cider aswell.

 

[BILTIT]

Haha enamored, very appropriate word.

I will say my first attempt is a very raw and somewhat harsh product but has huge potential. I am excited what the future brings.