Hard Cider Recipe Advice?

[Lukass]

Hey guys, first time cider maker here.. have been an avid beer brewer for years and am deciding to give the whole cider thing a try for my wife.

I've done some research online, and here's what I've come up with. Any suggestions on what I could do better, or what I'm missing would be greatly appreciated! I'm sure I'm missing some steps, like when to add pectic enzyme, and when/if I should add malic acid...? if any. I'm going for a belgian style cider with a dry, white wine characteristic:

Hard Cider Recipe

Heat 5.5 gallons of Unpasteurized Apple Cider to approx 165-168 degrees. Hold at 165-168 degrees for 10 minutes to kill off any wild yeast. Add 1 lb. orange blossom honey, 1 lb. Belgian Blonde Candi Syrup, and 1 tsp yeast nutrient and stir.

Chill in an ice bath until temp reaches around 80 degrees

Once chilled, pitch 2 packets of Lalvin 71B-1122 Narbonne White Wine Yeast into cider and splash back and forth between 2 fermenters a few times to aerate.

Let rest in primary fermenter for at least 3 weeks.

Cold crash for a few days with gelatin to clarify. (will this work with cider?)

Transfer to bottling bucket with 4.5 oz corn sugar. Planning on bottling with champagne bottles, since I recently bought a corker for wines.

 

[RegarRenill]

Hey guys, first time cider maker here.. have been an avid beer brewer for years and am deciding to give the whole cider thing a try for my wife.



I've done some research online, and here's what I've come up with. Any suggestions on what I could do better, or what I'm missing would be greatly appreciated! I'm sure I'm missing some steps, like when to add pectic enzyme, and when/if I should add malic acid...? if any. I'm going for a belgian style cider with a dry, white wine characteristic:



Hard Cider Recipe



Heat 5.5 gallons of Unpasteurized Apple Cider to approx 165-168 degrees. Hold at 165-168 degrees for 10 minutes to kill off any wild yeast. Add 1 lb. orange blossom honey, 1 lb. Belgian Blonde Candi Syrup, and 1 tsp yeast nutrient and stir.



Chill in an ice bath until temp reaches around 80 degrees



Once chilled, pitch 2 packets of Lalvin 71B-1122 Narbonne White Wine Yeast into cider and splash back and forth between 2 fermenters a few times to aerate.



Let rest in primary fermenter for at least 3 weeks.



Cold crash for a few days with gelatin to clarify. (will this work with cider?)



Transfer to bottling bucket with 4.5 oz corn sugar. Planning on bottling with champagne bottles, since I recently bought a corker for wines.

I wouldn't heat the cider, this could set the pectins and give you permanently cloudy hard cider. Instead, to kill and germs, I would dose it with kmeta. After 12 hours dose it with pectic enzyme. After another 12 hours (24 from pitching the kmeta) add your additional sugars, yeast nutrient, etc, and then add your yeast; I'd make a starter for a large colony out of the gate. Generally you shouldn't need to add malic acid to untreated cider, apples are naturally high in malic acid. Your only adding at most 2 lbs of sugars to the cider, which probably won't put at the "white wine" level of alcohol, I figure your looking at 7.3% if it ferments to a SG of 1.000. I'd make it a total of 5 lbs of honey, shooting for a OG near 1.75, or PABV 10%. Your yeast is easily able to handle that ABV. Also, more nutrients. I'd say 2 tsp at the start and another 2 around SG 1.040.

 

[Lukass]

I wouldn't heat the cider, this could set the pectins and give you permanently cloudy hard cider. Instead, to kill and germs, I would dose it with kmeta. After 12 hours dose it with pectic enzyme. After another 12 hours (24 from pitching the kmeta) add your additional sugars, yeast nutrient, etc, and then add your yeast; I'd make a starter for a large colony out of the gate. Generally you shouldn't need to add malic acid to untreated cider, apples are naturally high in malic acid. Your only adding at most 2 lbs of sugars to the cider, which probably won't put at the "white wine" level of alcohol, I figure your looking at 7.3% if it ferments to a SG of 1.000. I'd make it a total of 5 lbs of honey, shooting for a OG near 1.75, or PABV 10%. Your yeast is easily able to handle that ABV. Also, more nutrients. I'd say 2 tsp at the start and another 2 around SG 1.040.

Thanks for the advice! So when the candi sugar and honey is added, will it fully dissolve in 5 gallons of room temp cider? That was one of my reasons for heating it up.. but if that'll cause pectins and cloudy cider then i'm not doing it.

Also, when I pitch the yeast starter, is it OK to splash back and forth between fermenters to aerate, or is that considered a no-no with cider? I will definitely get more nutrient for the fermentation though

 

[RegarRenill]

Well, if you're going to aerate by pouring back and forth, it should mix fairly well. Vigorous stirring of the must/wort will also help dissolve any stubborn honey. As for the malt...best idea I have is to remove a few cups of must and heat that slightly (less than 140, which is, iirc, the temp the pectins set at)to dissolve the malt.

 

[Lukass]

Well, if you're going to aerate by pouring back and forth, it should mix fairly well. Vigorous stirring of the must/wort will also help dissolve any stubborn honey. As for the malt...best idea I have is to remove a few cups of must and heat that slightly (less than 140, which is, iirc, the temp the pectins set at)to dissolve the malt.

Thanks man! Much appreciated

 

[phug]

Agreed on not heating the cider. Save the malic acid for bottling day, then you can decide if the cider is dull and needs some added or no additions at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew