hard as nails cider

[RobbyBeer]

I put this recipe together for this coming weekend. Just wondering what everyone thinks of it..
1gal batch

1 gal organic apple juice.
1 cup light brown sugar.
3 fuji apples, skinned and sliced thin.
1/4tsp crushed caraway seed.
2tbs honey.
2 cinnamon sticks (secondary)
1.5 cups apple juice concentrate. (priming)
1.5 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice.
2tsp yeast nutrient. (secondary)


Boil 3 cups apple juice with brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until completely dissolved, then remove from heat and add caraway seed. Allow to cool to room temperature. During this cool down time, skin, slice, and wash 2 apples.
Should be sliced into thin wedges.
Coat apples with 1tbs lemon juice and 1tbs honey and place in bottom of fermenter.
Next mix the cooled sugar solution and remaining apple juice in a large bowl or kettle to areate.
Then pour gently into fermenter, on top of apples. Pitch yeast, cap, add airlock and allow to ferment for 10 days.


Before racking to secondary, prepare by skinning and slicing 3rd apple. Again place in bottom of fermenter with 1tbs honey, and 1/2tbs lemon juice. Also place two cinnamon sticks at bottom.
Finally rack the cider gently on top of apples, add nutrient, cap and airlock. Allow to rest for 10 days.

At this time rack to bottling bucket and add 1.5 cups apple juice concentrate.
I just use regular 12oz bottles.
Bottle, cap and rest for minimum one week before refrigeration.

Let me know what you think.

 

[BradleyBrew]

1. what are the caraway seeds going to bring to the table? Maybe I am asking because I hate caraway seeds. 2. I wouldn't prime with apple concentrate. How are you going to determine the amount of sugar you are actually priming with. Besides that it looks good.

Add the yeast nutrient at the beginning of fermentation. I dont see any benefit adding it post fermentation.

 

[RobbyBeer]

1. what are the caraway seeds going to bring to the table? Maybe I am asking because I hate caraway seeds. 2. I wouldn't prime with apple concentrate. How are you going to determine the amount of sugar you are actually priming with. Besides that it looks good.

Add the yeast nutrient at the beginning of fermentation. I dont see any benefit adding it post fermentation.

Good point about yeast nutrient.. I'll do that. And the Apple concentrate prime?.. It's just a guess. I found some information online about approx sugar per gram for the concentrate.. Then it was a fluid oz conversion from there. I just hope my math is right, and I don't have exploding cider!
Another method I found said to use 16 oz per 5 gal... So, that works out to 3.2oz.. The caraway seeds? The Classic spice for Apple during renaissance erra.. If it is very faint.. It does work beautifully.

 

[DWavs]

It won't clear if you boil the juice.

 

[RobbyBeer]

It won't clear if you boil the juice.

I didn't know that.. I'm only boiling a few cups...
Perhaps I will replace that with water.. Or just skip the boil then.

 

[DWavs]

I didn't know that.. I'm only boiling a few cups...
Perhaps I will replace that with water.. Or just skip the boil then.

If you must, just warm the juice to 150 or so to dissolve the brown sugar.

That being said, I don't warm my cider/juice at all to dissolve the sugar. Pour half of the juice into the carboy, add sugar into the store bought container that has the other half of juice in it, put lid on, shake like hell, and then pour it into the carboy.

 

[RobbyBeer]

I'll just shake it like hell..
I don't want cloudy cider...
Do you think I am adding enough sugar?

 

[DWavs]

That is plenty of sugar.

You can add pectic enzyme to ensure clarity if that is important.