Graff (Malty, slightly hopped cider)

[ctufano]

Go for it! Mines been in primary for a while now, over a month I think? Bottling today. Going to try using just priming sugar from Brewmasters Warehouse -- hope it suffices

 

[jamesjensen1068]

Best of luck ctufano on your first batch

For the record I decided to use just store bought apple juice and will continue my search for a local orchard to get fresh pressed cider later. Worst case scenerio I have to turn around and make another batch just as soon as I bottle the first batch??

Cheers

 

[ctufano]

Thanks man -- ya I bought Tree Top apple juice and a few 100% from walmart (they didnt have enough of the one)

I havent tried a sample yet, or checked gravity, but I'm willing to be its finished fermenting out after 5 weeks

I will post on my OG and FG tonight when I bottle, as well as a taste analysis on it bein flat (but cool! i cold crashed for a week now)

 

[jamesjensen1068]

Just brewed my 1st batch last nite.

4 Gallons "Midwest Family Fare" apple juice

Followed the recipe on grains and DME

Hops: 0.5 oz Hallertau

Yeast: Wyeast 1056 American Ale (2nd generation washed from previous batch)

OG: 1.062

Can't wait to try this one, sample tasted great.

Cheers

 

[tippetsnapper]

Anyone every try this using Peach cider? I like mine on the sweet side and plan on racking to secondary over peach puree. The peach cider is fresh with 1.035 OG so the additional DME in your recipe should bring it to a nice malty body.

 

[RugenBrau]

When I make cider it tends to ferment out very dry and much of the apple flavor is stripped out of it. (That is if I don't cold crash it) I would like to make this but I am wondering if there is much apple flavor in graf?

 

[impur]

I haven't tasted a carbed bottle yet, but the sample while i was bottling reminds me of Hornsby's hard apple cider. There was still apple flavor present in mine.

 

[jamesjensen1068]

impur,

What were your OG and FG? I still have another week before I can bottle. Smells great thru the airlock tho.

 

[impur]

impur,

What were your OG and FG? I still have another week before I can bottle. Smells great thru the airlock tho.

I'll have to check my notes tonight when i get home from work and get back to ya

 

[TriangleIL]

My Graff came out a wee bit dry, however SWMBO loves it. She says its like Magners. I personally don't like cider much, so I am letting her drink it. In fact, it was brewed for her. I will say it has a nice head, is slightly malty and is not 'bad'. I did cold crash it @ 35 for 5 days, however it didn't clear very well. Even after sitting in the keg for a few days, it still isn't overly clear. However, there is a possibility I need to get more out before all the last remaining sediment is gone.:fro:

 

[impur]

impur,

What were your OG and FG? I still have another week before I can bottle. Smells great thru the airlock tho.

It appears i either didn't take an OG or didn't write it down. FG at bottling was 1.008

 

[jamesjensen1068]

Bottling this weekend.....can't wait to try this one.

Anyone have tasting notes on this one....what should I expect in reguards to taste.

 

[ctufano]

GOOD! thats how i describe it

i read in a comment somewhere in the pages the suggestion to bottle w/ 1cup of splenda to add some sweetness. I think if I do this again, I would do that.

Mine has been bottle carbing for 2 weeks now, but everyone thats tried one so far loves it, but all think it would be even better if a little sweeter. I have to concur.

But its good!

 

[jamesjensen1068]

Also wondering how much sugar (corn or cane) people are adding for carbination???

 

[impur]

Tastes like Hornsby's cider to me.

I added 5oz of dextrose, boiled in 1 cup water, to my bottling bucket at bottling.

 

[flyweed]

Can someone give a good detailed description on the taste, nose, and overall characters of this brew? I have never tried a Hornsby's or Magners...so I still don't know what it tastes like. I have been hesitant to make this because of the malts and hops in it..and figured it would taste More "beer" like than cider like....so am in need of input..I did buy the ingredients to make this, but just a little hesitant until I know what it tastes like. I have made the Applebee clone before and didn't care much for it..was a bit too dry and too "dark" flavored for me. But that's all I have to compare to. Other than Woodchuck and Strongbow, which we all know is light and sweet.

 

[munklunk]

Firsty, you have to age it. It isn't good until after at least a 3 weeks keg age. At that point, it becomes a refreshing tart/sour apple drink that is balanced by the malts. The hops aren't noticeable, and the malts give it a more body that thin cider. At the 3 week aging point, after complete fermentation, everyone will love it.

TL;DR - Make it. After aging for 3 weeks, It's awesome

 

[knotquiteawake]

I hate waiting. i remember last time I made this there was a 72 hour lag time before fermentation really got underway... right now I've been waiting 48 hours and it looks like I'm going to have that same lag time again. its killing me!

 

[jamesjensen1068]

Just bottled my 5 gallon batch last nite with 5 oz of cane sugar.
OG:1.062
FG:1.014
ABV: 6.2 to 6.3

Still had krausen floating on the top.
Sample was very drinkable. No harsh alcohol taste. Still maintained slight apple taste.
Can't wait to try in 2-3 weeks

Cheers

 

[MonsterZero]

Just made a batch, but I forgot I got enough grain to make 2 batches and used waaaaay too much torrified wheat.

1/2 lb crystal 60L
4 oz torrified wheat (T_T)
1 lb amber dme
1 lb light golden dme
1/2 oz cascade hops
4 gal whitehouse apple juice
1 pkg nottingham

O.G. 1.056

Can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[tippetsnapper]

I used this recipe as a guideline and made a 5 gallon batch with 3 gallons of fresh peach cider (gravity of 1.035) and 2 gallons of wort. I pasteurized the cider for 10 mins at 160, let cool, then racked it onto the wort after the boil. I will add 2.5 pounds of peach puree to the primary after day 3 of fermentation, give it a few more days, then sorbate/sulfite it, then rack to secondary over another 2.5 lbs of puree to back sweeten. Here's what I used:

1/2 lb crystal 10L
1/2 lb crystal 40L - both steeped for 30 mins around 150

1 lb - light DME
3.3 lbs - amber LME
0.5 oz - 5.5% Mt.Hood

30 minute boil, used wort chiller, pitched Wyeast ESB 1968 last night around 1030, bubbling this morning at 7, forgot to get an OG. I plan on kegging after two weeks in the secondary. If additional sweetness is not needed, the second puree addition will be foregone. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[brewsbrothers]

With this recipe of brandons do i have to prime befor bottleing if i want to carb it? if so any advice on what to do for a 5 gall batch? i dont want to end up with 2 cases of bombs.

 

[jamesjensen1068]

Earlier posts indicate that you prime it just like any other "beer". That being said you would want to make sure you hit within the attenuation range for your yeast. I ended up using 5 oz of table sugar to carb my 5 gal batch. It's only been bottled for less than a week so I can't give you any info on carbonation or head retention yet.

Cheers

 

[Recluse]

Yep.. I used 1 oz/gallon corn sugar. IT took quite awhile to prime (3-4 weeks) but was perfectly carbonated after that. I used CaraPils instead of Torrified Wheat. The head retention wasn't great when ice cold, but a little closer to room temperature it was very foamy.

 

[impur]

I used 5oz of dextrose to prime mine. I've been popping bottles for a few days now, it tastes great. Mine carbed in about 3 weeks. I also used Carapils instead of torrified wheat, and noticed the head retention was better as it warmed slightly.

 

[jbrookeiv]

Just created the original recipe on Brewmasters Warehouse. There was already an all grain version, but I wanted to do a partial mash.

Anyone interested, the link is below. $13.18 plus shipping, and obviously you have to buy the juice.

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/recipe/9674970e/

I'm going to be brewing this for the holidays to give out as gifts.

 

[pimento]

Is there any consensus on which hops are good for this?

A quick run through shows cascade, goldings, crystal, fuggles, hallertau, saaz, sterling, amarillo, sorachi ace and mt hood being used.

Anyone care to comment on what hops they used and how they think it effected the brew?

 

[knotquiteawake]

I don't remember but is this supposed to smell like ass while its fermenting? The fermentation really took off over the last few days and every time I go into the Fermentation room it smells a kinda like ass.

 

[jamesjensen1068]

This is how I did mine.....and no ass smell.

Just brewed my 1st batch last nite.

4 Gallons "Midwest Family Fare" apple juice

Followed the recipe on grains and DME

Hops: 0.5 oz Hallertau

Yeast: Wyeast 1056 American Ale (2nd generation washed from previous batch)

OG: 1.062


Smelled great the whole way through the fermentation.

Cheers

 

[Recluse]

I don't remember but is this supposed to smell like ass while its fermenting? The fermentation really took off over the last few days and every time I go into the Fermentation room it smells a kinda like ass.

A lot of ciders, including Ed Wort's Apfelwein smell really bad during fermentation because of the lack of nitrogenous nutrients for the yeast. They tend to throw off Sulfur dioxide under stress. This can be fixed by the addition of yeast nutrient. That said, the malt in Graff should provide plenty of nutrient for the yeast and you SHOULDN'T get much if ANY sulfur odor.

Also, the wine yeasts typically used in Ciders are more prone to this than the ale yeast used for Graff.

So... in short, NO, your Graff SHOULDN'T SMELL LIKE ASS. (Mine didn't) I suspect maybe contamination of some kind...