Graff (Malty, slightly hopped cider)

[skybrew]

Anyone have a really good AG version of this Brew?

There is a AG version around page 8 of this thread, but here is my modified version.

AG Graff

Nottingham or Safale-05 Dry yeast
3 lbs of 2-Row malt
1 lb of Crystal 60L
1 oz of Flaked wheat
4 Gallons of apple juice.
1 gallon of water
0.5 oz of your favorite hops ( right around 6% AA)
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.

Directions for brewing
Mashed in with 2 gallons of water at 170*f which came down to 160 for an hour. Use brew in a bag technique and for this kind of brew.
Boiled down to a gallon in another hour.
Add hops when boiling starts
Sparge with 1 quart of 170 degree water


Cool down the wort (if you choose not to cool the wort and just let the AJ do the cooling then your cider won't be as clear). I don't care about clarity so I just let the AJ do the cooling, but if you stick your pot in the freezer and let this get down to 70 degrees or so your cider will clear fairly easy. Pour the wort and apple juice into your carboy and pitch yeast.

Ferment 2 weeks at 64-68 degrees then keg or bottle.

 

[wcarter1227]

There is a AG version around page 8 of this thread, but here is my modified version.

AG Graff

Nottingham or Safale-05 Dry yeast
3 lbs of 2-Row malt
1 lb of Crystal 60L
1 oz of Flaked wheat
4 Gallons of apple juice.
1 gallon of water
0.5 oz of your favorite hops ( right around 6% AA)
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.

Directions for brewing
Mashed in with 2 gallons of water at 170*f which came down to 160 for an hour. Use brew in a bag technique and for this kind of brew.
Boiled down to a gallon in another hour.
Add hops when boiling starts
Sparge with 1 quart of 170 degree water


Cool down the wort (if you choose not to cool the wort and just let the AJ do the cooling then your cider won't be as clear). I don't care about clarity so I just let the AJ do the cooling, but if you stick your pot in the freezer and let this get down to 70 degrees or so your cider will clear fairly easy. Pour the wort and apple juice into your carboy and pitch yeast.

Ferment 2 weeks at 64-68 degrees then keg or bottle.

so this doesnt need to be a full boil like all other ag recipes? i could so do this right now cause im tired of paying 13 dollars for extract. i have all of this stuff on hand right now since i just started doing partial mashes:rockin:

 

[bfbf]

This Cider tastes like.... Cider!!

I am not going to lie I thought Brandon O was being slightly big headed suggesting this recipe when ever anyone had a problem with there cider. But now I take that back! This recipe is amazing.

I used apples from my garden, a home made press and lets say my first attempt at cider... Was rank... AJ tasted exactly the same, slightly too tart and this recipe sorted it out.

I was away so it did have a lot of time to mature. Had 4 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary and 4 weeks in a keg. It is ever so slightly cloudy and has a ever so slight yeasty taste. I have posted a new topic on how to solve that for next time though.

Thanks Brandon

 

[skybrew]

so this doesnt need to be a full boil like all other ag recipes?

Nope you are only boiling 2 gallons, so it is very much like a partial mash.

 

[MrInternet]

Just put my first 5 gallons of Graff in the carboy... already smells GREAT. I think mine will end up a bit sweet as I just went ahead and threw all 3 lbs of DME I had laying around in it (2lb LDME, 1lb Amber DME). What's a little extra OG among friends, eh? Only other thing I changed was I swapped a gallon of AJ for a gallon of Cranberry/Raspberry juice... hoping the extra tartness would balance the extra sweetness from the 3lb DME.

Oh well, it will be nice and stiff with an OG of 1.080, so I guess one way or the other, it will be a great winter brew!

 

[msheridan69]

It is ever so slightly cloudy and has a ever so slight yeasty taste. I have posted a new topic on how to solve that for next time though.

Thanks Brandon

My batch was a funky orange colour after 2 weeks in primary - I added beer finings and gave it 72 hours then bottled. What's in the bottle is still a bit cloudy but I'm hoping that'll settle out.

BTW, it tastes really good already - looking forward to my first taste of it conditioed in a couple of weeks.

 

[artbrewer]

Just brewed this up today. recipe as follows:
1.5 # pale malt-Muntons
1.5 # Munich Malt
.5 # crystal 87L
.25 #carapils malt
.5 celeia hops 2.8% AA
nottingham ale yeast

mashed in with 2 gallons of 170 degree water
mashed for 60 min.
sparged with .5 gallons of 180 degree water.

boiled for 1 hour with .5 oz of Celeia hops

added 4.75 gals of apple juice
chilled to 75 degrees
O.G. 1.052
pitched notty


tasted hydro sample....quite sweet and very dark color,
is this normal for this wort?

 

[titobandito]

tasted hydro sample....quite sweet and very dark color,
is this normal for this wort?

Mine was very dark too. No worries though, it'll be much lighter in your glass when you finally get to enjoy it.

 

[HalfPint]

I've got a question for you guys. I have a porter in the primary that I plan on racking over in a couple of days (when I brew this.) The porter is on a cake of nottingham and I'm thinking about just racking on top of that. What do you guys think?

Do you think the porter will give some weird flavors?

 

[MrInternet]

Just put my first 5 gallons of Graff in the carboy... already smells GREAT. I think mine will end up a bit sweet as I just went ahead and threw all 3 lbs of DME I had laying around in it (2lb LDME, 1lb Amber DME). What's a little extra OG among friends, eh? Only other thing I changed was I swapped a gallon of AJ for a gallon of Cranberry/Raspberry juice... hoping the extra tartness would balance the extra sweetness from the 3lb DME.

Oh well, it will be nice and stiff with an OG of 1.080, so I guess one way or the other, it will be a great winter brew!

Nice 4" krausen and burping away happily... loving Safale-05!

 

[Battery_BreweryNJ]

Im making this tonight but im using S-04 which is my fav yeast to date, very clean. Im pumped!!!

 

[michaelbelt]

Brandon,

Any advice regarding using apple cider vs. apple juice? A local orchard that does IPM instead of chem pesticides is currently selling unfiltered, unpasteurized cider, and I'd much rather use that!

 

[titobandito]

Brandon,

Any advice regarding using apple cider vs. apple juice? A local orchard that does IPM instead of chem pesticides is currently selling unfiltered, unpasteurized cider, and I'd much rather use that!

I used fresh pressed juice, no preservatives and unpasteurized. Most of the orchards around where I live have a homebrewer's discount. I used half a tablet of campden per gallon of juice, so 2 tablets total, to kill off the wild yeast and bacteria. A lot of people are using fresh pressed juice in their graff. My batch gave off lots of sulphur (rhino farts) and I'm still waiting for the sulphur taste to totally dissipate. I wonder if the processed store juice wouldn't make such a stink.

 

[HalfPint]

I've got this on the boil right now! House smells awesome. I haven't done a PM in a long time.

 

[Guinness]

I called my LHBS to see if they have torrified wheat, and they don't, but do carry flaked wheat.

The Wiki tells me it also increases body and head retention, and is sometimes used in place of torrified wheat.

Would this be a 1:1 substitution?

The wiki also says that torrified wheat is made from barley?

 

[EricCSU]

I used fresh pressed juice, no preservatives and unpasteurized. Most of the orchards around where I live have a homebrewer's discount. I used half a tablet of campden per gallon of juice, so 2 tablets total, to kill off the wild yeast and bacteria. A lot of people are using fresh pressed juice in their graff. My batch gave off lots of sulphur (rhino farts) and I'm still waiting for the sulphur taste to totally dissipate. I wonder if the processed store juice wouldn't make such a stink.

I used Simply Apple juice and it smelled like apples when it fermented...no rhino farts.

Eric

 

[Battery_BreweryNJ]

I called my LHBS to see if they have torrified wheat, and they don't, but do carry flaked wheat.

The Wiki tells me it also increases body and head retention, and is sometimes used in place of torrified wheat.

Would this be a 1:1 substitution?

The wiki also says that torrified wheat is made from barley?

I know that cara-pils also helps head retention, but im not sure what the ratio would be.

 

[Tonedef131]

The wiki also says that torrified wheat is made from barley?

Torrified wheat is, believe it or not, wheat that has been torrified. No barley involved.

 

[Merlyn77]

I have a quick question about fermentation. I followed the recipe exactly and had no troubles with the brewing process. I skipped hydrating my yeast and just pitched the bag of safale-05 when temps were 68 F.
I have 5 gallons total in a 6 1/2 gallon carboy.

Fermentation wasn't obvious for almost a week. It started bubbling out the air lock once ever 15 to 20 seconds or so and continues to do so 3 weeks later. I forgot to take my original gravity readings but after two weeks it was down to 1.05. After 3 it is down to 1.04. I'm being patient and not touching it anymore until I see fermentation slow more but has anyone else experience this? I never saw krausen form but I've read that may happen and not to question it.

It tasted great when I tested a week ago. I can't wait to bottle this one.

Thanks!

 

[HalfPint]

I have a quick question about fermentation. I followed the recipe exactly and had no troubles with the brewing process. I skipped hydrating my yeast and just pitched the bag of safale-05 when temps were 68 F.
I have 5 gallons total in a 6 1/2 gallon carboy.

Fermentation wasn't obvious for almost a week. It started bubbling out the air lock once ever 15 to 20 seconds or so and continues to do so 3 weeks later. I forgot to take my original gravity readings but after two weeks it was down to 1.05. After 3 it is down to 1.04. I'm being patient and not touching it anymore until I see fermentation slow more but has anyone else experience this? I never saw krausen form but I've read that may happen and not to question it.

It tasted great when I tested a week ago. I can't wait to bottle this one.

Thanks!

Hmm, I brewed this puppy last night with a rehydrated pack of Nottingham. I pitched the yeast when the brew and yeast temps were at about 79* F. It's bubbling away this morning with about a 2.5" krausen. The only thing I did different was add an extra half gallon of Cider b/c I want to make sure I get 5 gallons into the keg.

 

[Guinness]

Torrified wheat is, believe it or not, wheat that has been torrified. No barley involved.

Mmm. I was reasonably sure of that! I'll update it...

 

[SkiSoloII]

Brewed this one for the second time 2 weeks ago. Last time I used 4 gallons of warm Mott's from Costco. Started barely cloudy, used Notty - ended clear as a bell, though quite tart.

This time, I used fresh pressed, chilled, non-pasteurized, juice from a local cidermill. Pitched Notty - no activity for ~36 hours, pitched a packet of S-05 - started running well. Has slowed significantly, but here's the thing:

The Graff looks extremely cloudy - and I mean extremely - looks like ice cream mixed with water. Should I expect this to clear? Do you think I might have added the wort to the too-cold cider, causing excess cloudiness (the wort was ~75F, but the cider hadn't warmed up probably to even 50F)?

Right now, I'm relaxing, not worrying (too much), and having a homebrew. Just canvassing experiences.

TIA

Dave

 

[Recluse]

The fresh pressed stuff is probably inherently more cloudy with more apple bits in suspension. Might have needed some pectinase to fully clear. I usually use pectinase when making stuff with cloudy cider/natural juice. I didn't use any with my batch of Graff and though I used clear juice and let the wort cool before adding to the warm juice, my finished Graff is still a little cloudy

 

[SkiSoloII]

Thanks. Novice cider maker here. Without doing a major search, do you need to add pectinase early, or can I add it later like beer clarifying finings?

 

[Austin_]

Not going to lie, but I had some friends over the other night and this keg was gone within an hour. Good things this is relatively cheap and easy to make.

 

[Recluse]

Thanks. Novice cider maker here. Without doing a major search, do you need to add pectinase early, or can I add it later like beer clarifying finings?

The pectinase should be added as early as possible. It can be added later, but takes longer to work.

Here is a reference. I have to say, that when I used pectic enzyme, I don't think I ever had the must up to 80 degrees F!

http://www.winemakermag.com/stories/issue/article/issues/110-junjul-2009/858-cellar-dwellers

Most sources recommend other fining agents to remove pectin haze at the end of fermentation.

I am kind of a novice myself, but pectic enzyme at the beginning of fermentation yielded a perfectly clear Cyser made from VERY cloudy chunky organic apple juice, so I am a believer (even if it was coincidence )

 

[WenValley]

I've read this entire thread, and I'm going to brew this cider. I have about 30 Grolsch bottles of Aplewine left in the celler, so I have to get going.

I have a 6 gallon carboy of Honey Blonde Ale that's ready to keg. I used 1056 yeast. It's been in primary for a month now.

Chesire Cat suggested that it should be possible to leave a gallon of beer in the carboy, and just add the apple juice to the carboy, and it's good to go.

The Honey Blonde was lightly hopped. I'd like to give this a go. I have a pretty good selection of hops in the freezer, so I could add hops if needed.

Any suggestions? Chesire? Thanks.

 

[Lunarpancake]

bit of a newb here.....brewed this 5 days ago. Did NOT test the OG but as of last night its at 1.03 @ 74* F (coldest spot in house). I tasted the sample and it was very bitter and hoppy. Wondering if maybe I used hopped DME and added my hops ontop of that!? OOPS

I plan on kegging and have a few questions......

what SG should I cold crash at?
will the bitter/hoppy flavor subside after kegging and sitting for a few weeks?

 

[EricCSU]

bit of a newb here.....brewed this 5 days ago. Did NOT test the OG but as of last night its at 1.03 @ 74* F (coldest spot in house). I tasted the sample and it was very bitter and hoppy. Wondering if maybe I used hopped DME and added my hops ontop of that!? OOPS

I plan on kegging and have a few questions......

what SG should I cold crash at?
will the bitter/hoppy flavor subside after kegging and sitting for a few weeks?

I cold crashed at 1011. This was after two weeks of fermentation. I had the same impression as far as taste. I am kegging tomorrow, so we'll see if it ages out.

Eric

 

[WIP]

Here is my plan, I am using meterials I have on hand, so bare with me.

-I plan on using the yeast cake from my Amber Ale. Is using the Yeast cake from the secondary ok? (wlp-029) Along with the bottom inch of beer that will be left in the carboy
-Store bought apple juice
-1/2 oz Cascade hops
-2lbs of light DME
-3 tsp yeast nutrient

Boil One gallon of water, and add hops for a 30 minute boil.
Add 2lbs DME and the nutrient at the 15 minute mark.
Cool wort and pour it into the carboy.
Swirl the carboy to get the good stuff in suspension.
Transfer to the 6.5 gallon bucket and add the juice.

What do you think? Like I said, this is what I have on hand. I bought the juice and DME to put onto the yeast cake from the Apfelwein that I am bottling on the 17th, but I decided to use it and my leftover hops to try and make something like Graff.