Graff (Malty, slightly hopped cider)

[Recluse]

So, I have a dumb question...

Is the name 'GRAFF' a common term for a type of malty cider or is it something Brandon O made up? When I try to Google 'GRAFF" or "GRAFF + CIDER", it pretty much leads back to this thread or linkbacks.

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[imprez25]

Recluse- Earlier on in this thread someone brought up that in a Steven King novel, Dark Tower, there is a unnamed malty cider drink that is only referred to as "Graff". Thus the name was created.

 

[Recluse]

Ahhh! I can't believe I missed that. Thanks for the info. Guess I ought to read that sometime..maybe while sipping a Graff

 

[chefchris]

Did my first batch of this last night. Forgot how easy extract is, I was done in no time.

 

[bass-a-roo]

0.5 oz of you favorite hops [/B] ( right around 6% AA, I have used 18.5% AA summit hops before and it took a month after kegging for strong bitterness to blend nicely)
WARNING! IF YOU ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF HOPS USED, MAKE IT LESS NOT MORE, it's really just too bitter with any more.

So about how many IBU's should i be looking for? (I'm adjusting this for a smaller batch) I was thinking around 1.5 or so, does that sound right?

 

[Saccharomyces]

Perception-wise anything under 10 will be a barely detectable bitterness.

 

[ChshreCat]

Am I crazy, a genius or a crazy genius...

I got to thinking about graff and graff-like beverages and thought a great way to make it would be to make a batch of beer, and when you rack out of the primary, just leave a gallon or so behind with the yeast cake, and then top the fermenter up with apple juice or cider!

You could make a APA based graff and a stout based graff or whatever, depending on what type of beer you used as the base.

Waddya think?

 

[chefchris]

Am I crazy, a genius or a crazy genius...

I got to thinking about graff and graff-like beverages and thought a great way to make it would be to make a batch of beer, and when you rack out of the primary, just leave a gallon or so behind with the yeast cake, and then top the fermenter up with apple juice or cider!

You could make a APA based graff and a stout based graff or whatever, depending on what type of beer you used as the base.

Waddya think?

hmm, that's sounds like you might be a genius indeed!

 

[ChshreCat]

 

[quixand]

Haven't read through this thread...but has anyone added fall spices to this to make it like a fall cider type of thing?

Maybe add the spiced tea ala from the Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale recipe? Thinking maybe the cinnamon plus?

During clearing stage, add a spice tea of 1-1/2 tsp "Pumpkin Pie Spice" or Pampered Chef "Cinnamon Plus." Steep spices in 1 cup hot water for 10-15 minutes, cool then add. Consider adding the spice tea a little at a time to achieve the desired flavor profile.

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

anyone made this using real cider? It's fall and there are tons of fresh ciders available. Just wondering how it turned out. Haven't made original recipe yet but was planning on following everything else to the T. Only exception being cider instead of apple juice

 

[wcarter1227]

i have a kolsch kit that was given to me, but i was kind of thinking of using the ingredients for cider instead.

heres what i got, will any of this work/turn out well:
12oz crushed carapils malt
3lbs pilsen light dried malt
1lb wheat dried malt
1oz sterling aa 6.0%
1oz vanguard aa 5.0%

this is what the kit came with, again im trying to see if there is anything i can use from here to save some money.

I also have nottingham dry yeast and a wyeast 4766 cider yeast. debating which one will produce better results

any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dirt55]

i have a kolsch kit that was given to me, but i was kind of thinking of using the ingredients for cider instead.

heres what i got, will any of this work/turn out well:
12oz crushed carapils malt
3lbs pilsen light dried malt
1lb wheat dried malt
1oz sterling aa 6.0%
1oz vanguard aa 5.0%
.

You could use the Pils DME and the carapils instead of torrified wheat (correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think the wheat DME will have the same head retention as torrified wheat)

Get some Crystal (which at that small of an amt should be cheap, unless you have to order it then probably not worth it)

hop lightly with one of the varieties you have

Use the nottingham yeast

Enjoy.

 

[purcell429]

anyone made this using real cider? It's fall and there are tons of fresh ciders available. Just wondering how it turned out. Haven't made original recipe yet but was planning on following everything else to the T. Only exception being cider instead of apple juice

I made a batch a week ago using unpasteurized, fresh pressed cider. After about 2-3 days of nothing happening, it took off like crazy and foamed over a lot, now the foam has dissipated, and it smells great. Seems to be going good so far, I'll let you know how it turns out! I'm guessing that the apple flavor will be a little stronger with cider, and that the final beverage won't be as clear.

 

[wscott823]

I've finished up all but 20 bottles of my 10 gallon batch from a couple months ago. Literally everyone like this brew. Seems like the ultimate 'ladies drink'.

I'm planning on making my next batch using fresh cider, definitely more malt, and probably a few pounds of sour cherries.

 

[quixand]

So I'm boiling away the wort, and as I was half way through, I realized I only had Extra light DME left over for this recipe. No big deal...then I only had .85 lb of the extra light DME. So I subbed the remaining .15 of a pound for dextrose.

The rest of the recipe including the 1 lb Amber DME as posted.

Do you think that the Extra Light DME will screw this flavor?

And on top of that, do you think that .15 of a pound of dextrose I added to hit the OG will screw me? I had to think quick, and that's all I had, as I was out totally of DME.

 

[Ciderbarrel]

So I'm boiling away the wort, and as I was half way through, I realized I only had Extra light DME left over for this recipe. No big deal...then I only had .85 lb of the extra light DME. So I subbed the remaining .15 of a pound for dextrose.

The rest of the recipe including the 1 lb Amber DME as posted.

Do you think that the Extra Light DME will screw this flavor?

And on top of that, do you think that .15 of a pound of dextrose I added to hit the OG will screw me? I had to think quick, and that's all I had, as I was out totally of DME.

My LHBS was sold out of Light, so I used Extra light. My batch should be ready for kegging this weekend. I'll let everyone know how it tastes.

 

[quixand]

But what about the dextrose I had to use?

What do you think that'll do?
I ended up missing my OG anyways...hit 1.055-1.058

Recipe ended up going like this:

.5 lb Caramunich 120L
1 oz Carapils
1 lb Amber DME
.85 lb Extra Light DME
.15 lb Dextrose
.5 oz Fuggles at 4.7% AA
1 gallon water
4 gallons Target Brand 100% Apple Juice
1 Packet Nottingham Yeast

This is crammed into a 5 gallon carboy, do I need a blowoff tube for this thing or what?
I have no head space in this thing. LOL

Grav sample tasted pretty good, surprisingly. Tasted like a cross between beer and apple juice. Hope it comes together into Cider though!

 

[Ciderbarrel]

But what about the dextrose I had to use?

Someone more experience would have to give you an answer. I'm guessing that more dextrose would give more fuel for the yeast, but I could be wrong.

This is crammed into a 5 gallon carboy, do I need a blowoff tube for this thing or what?
I have no head space in this thing. LOL

I put my 5 gallon batch into a 6.5 gal carboy and there was about 3-4 inches of foam after a week. You'll need a blow-off.

 

[quixand]

This is crammed into a 5 gallon carboy, do I need a blowoff tube for this thing or what?
I have no head space in this thing. LOL/QUOTE]

I put my 5 gallon batch into a 6.5 gal carboy and there was about 3-4 inches of foam after a week. You'll need a blow-off.

/Runs downstairs to install blowoff!

 

[Ciderbarrel]

Here's how it looked last Thursday, 1 week into fermenting.

 

[quixand]

One helluva heads up Cider, thank you kindly. I would have had that **** all over the inside of my keggerator. LMAO /salute

 

[guscampag]

Made a batch following recipe. it cleared up nicely in the bottle and has a nice head on it. Taste is pretty good - a little bitter for SWMBO. I happened to think, the recipe calls for 1/2 ounce of hops. I used pellets. Is this what we want or are we supposed to use leaf hops? thanks for input.

 

[quixand]

What kind of hops did you use? What were the AA%'s?

The wort wasn't bitter in mine at all, of course, I used a low AA% Fuggle too.
The goal of the recipe for me is a hard cider, not a beer.

 

[guscampag]

I used Cascade pellet hops. 7.5 AA. I don't know anything at all about beer brewing, so I was just wondering if the quanitity was intended to be for leaf or pellet hops, or if there was any difference. Don't get me wrong, I like the graff, but it definitely does taste very "beery".

 

[quixand]

The recipe calls for something around the 6% AA range. Cascades have a definitive taste and nose to them, that's for sure. LOL

It shouldn't matter at all, I use pellets.

 

[Recluse]

Here's how it looked last Thursday, 1 week into fermenting.

Wow!! My batch was made with similar headspace ( ~3.6 gal/5 gal carboy). I fittted a blowoff, but it turned out not to be necessary. The foam I had wasn't NEARLY as high as yours. It also finished a little high gravity (1.011) so maybe the Nottingham packet I had wasn't all that healthy. Still, it made a nice bass drumbeat as the blowoff tube bubbled into the jug of sanitizer!

 

[Ciderbarrel]

I guess I kinda made Graff lite too. My DME was on target, but I made the mistake of picking up 3 quart containers of AJ, not gallons. My OG was around 1.042, I ended up back sweetening it with 2 cans concentrate to give it back some apple character. FG when I bottled on saturday ended up giving me abv of 4.5%. Not too shabby.

I'm going to back sweeten it too. After 15 days of ferment at 65-67 degrees in my temp controlled spare fridge, I got a reading of 1.0035 on my FG hydrometer. I'll chuck in some campden tabs, back sweeten and keg it tomorrow. My OG was 1.066 and I reckon it's 8.4% ABV and I can feel it after that swig I took from my test tube.

It is DRY. I should have checked it about a week ago to stop it around the mid to low 20s. I'm not a beer guy by any means because I'm not a fan of bitter/hoppyness, and this isn't that bad. It's better than I expected. Next go around I'll use slightly less hops (I used 3.something Saaz) and stay on top of the SG. Oh, and I'll use the fresh unpasteurized/no preservative stuff from my local farmer instead of the Simply Apple I got from the store.

 

[LSDracula]

Tried a bottle of Graff a few days ago. It was good but had some citrusy undertones. Tasted kinda like grapefruit. I'm sure it was because I used Cascade hops. It was not really the flavor I was looking for.

Does anyone have a type of hops they prefer that has worked well for them? I'm pretty new to brewing and I am not familiar with the flavor character of the different types of hops.

 

[quixand]

Tried a bottle of Graff a few days ago. It was good but had some citrusy undertones. Tasted kinda like grapefruit. I'm sure it was because I used Cascade hops. It was not really the flavor I was looking for.

Does anyone have a type of hops they prefer that has worked well for them? I'm pretty new to brewing and I am not familiar with the flavor character of the different types of hops.

Cascades imparts a citrus flavor for sure.

Check here in the future to pick the kind of flavor you're looking for.
http://www.angelfire.com/pa/beerandweather/hops.html