Going to try cider again. Does this look ok?

[Rahahb]

I've made cider in 1 gallon batches with ok success. Never got the really apple-y flavor.

This time around I want to go 5 gallons. A friend of mine made a cyser (a LOT of honey and brown sugar, and 50 cinnamon sticks!) It actually turned out ok, but I want a lower abv version. Here's what I'm thinking:

5 gallons R.W. Knudsen Cider and Spice.

It doesn't HAVE to be this juice, and I actually may change my mind when I get to the store, but this is pretty delicious to me.

3 lbs of dark brown sugar
3-5 lbs of honey(not sure how much yet)
a few tea bags
Cinnamon sticks(maybe 20)
yeast nutrient
and I have a starter going with ec1118 right now.

I plan on stopping the ferment in the low .020s or high teens. I like sweet ciders and my womang would prefer the sweeter as well I think.

Input appreciated. Thanks.

 

[MarkKF]

Real Hard Cider doesn't have an apple taste. Just like real wine doesn't taste like grape jelly.

If that's what u like just make a high ABV hard cider and add more juice before bottling.

 

[Rahahb]

I don't know what constitutes "real" cider other than fermented apple juice. I will be kegging this but adding a gallon of unfermented juice might be the ticket.

 

[MarkKF]

Real to me is traditional. As was done in old Europe and colonial New England. And what it still made today in artisan ciders.

 

[WVMJ]

Or since you are making this style of cider, there are many styles now, it would be better to add frozen apple juice concentrate instead of a gall of juice that would dilute things to much, the frozen concentrate adds back sweetness and some apple flavor. WVMJ

I don't know what constitutes "real" cider other than fermented apple juice. I will be kegging this but adding a gallon of unfermented juice might be the ticket.

 

[Rahahb]

Yeah, that's what I'll do. One can of concentrate should do it?

 

[WVMJ]

I dont know, I dont make cider like this but think everyone who makes cider should make it the way they like. If you want to really knock this up a notch put a few oak chips in it while its aging also. WVMJ

 

[Rahahb]

I dont know, I dont make cider like this but think everyone who makes cider should make it the way they like. If you want to really knock this up a notch put a few oak chips in it while its aging also. WVMJ

I considered doing a little extra on these like hopping, oaking, etc., but decided to keep it simple.

 

[andrewmaixner]

Not an expert here, but I believe that I get better apple flavor when using a s-04 / nottingham yeast, compared to wine yeasts or some others I have tried (WPL500 for example seemed to leave less apple flavor than s-04/nottingham).

Additionally, you brain expects to have a sweetness along with the apple chemicals, so the lack of sugar makes it seem odd. If you stop fermentation at, or back-sweeten to, about 1.008, it will be drier than commercial but sweet enough that people will say "yup, that's hard apple cider".

 

[bernardsmith]

My guess is that you will produce an OK cider... but rather than create a recipe that stipulates how much sugar and honey you are going to add, why not determine what ABV you are seeking and then check how much sugar is in the juice and how much you may need to add. Additionally, one (expensive but delicious ) way of adding more sugar is to buy more juice, freeze the juice (those bottles may not freeze well given their design: you might want to freeze the juice in sanitized mason jars) invert the jars and allow the frozen juice to drip out. Collect the first "runnings" of the juice and you will see that it has about twice the sugar content of the regular juice - you have concentrated the flavor and sugar content by collecting the first runnings and discarded what amounts to the remaining water (the sugar will thaw before the water). Without any cane or beet sugar you will have increased the gravity to about 1.090... BUT you will need to DOUBLE or more the volume of apple juice you start with...

 

[HawleyFarms]

Personally if you are looking for more apple flavor and lower abv I would cut WAY back on your sugars and use an ale yeast rather than ec118. That yeast will ferment out dry and depending on the OG of your juice you will have a very high abv.

 

[MarkKF]

Personally if you are looking for more apple flavor and lower abv I would cut WAY back on your sugars and use an ale yeast rather than ec118. That yeast will ferment out dry and depending on the OG of your juice you will have a very high abv.

I agree. I've gone from wine yeasts to ale yeasts. I've gone from added sugar to no added sugar. Finally I'm trying to back sweeten with a small amount of xylitol. (For the wife & family). Still dry! Not like a magners or woodchuck but very close to quality artisan ciders you buy in 750 ml bottles. That's what I like.

 

[HawleyFarms]

My dad's first batch was 5 gallons of fresh pressed local cider with a 4lb bag of white sugar and he used champagne yeast. With such a high abv he ended up with an apfelwein that probably wont be drinkable for 2 more years. Ale yeast is definitely worth a try. I have even been working with saison yeast on a hopped cyser and its amazing. Bottom line, unless you intend to age it for awhile, ale yeast seems to leave a cleaner apple taste, at least to me. I have had decent luck with Cote des blanc as well. But age is your friend with wine yeast. At four months old my last CdB batch is just becoming drinkable.