How does my cider recipe sound?

[BadWolfBrewery]

Here is my recipe:

1 gallon Kirkland fresh pressed Apple juice
7oz white pure cane sugar
3/4 packet Red Star Cotes de blanc yeast
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 campden
1 tsp pectic enzyme

Sounds good?

 

[TandemTails]

There shouldn't be any need for the campden tablet if you're buying pasteurized juice (it's going to be pasteurized if you're getting it at Costco... I doubt they are going to sell unpasturized fresh pressed juice). Other than that it sounds good.

It looks similar to Pappy's Pub Cider which I have a batch of going right now (It uses 16oz of sugar per gallon) which gives it a really high potential ABV. 7oz should be good for something that isn't as potent.

 

[BadWolfBrewery]

Thanks Tandem I'll use that and see how it goes

 

[MindenMan]

Or, you could add a can of FAJC the gravity difference would be very close, and you would be fortifying the appley-ness of your cider.

 

[Dhelderman]

Or, you could add a can of FAJC the gravity difference would be very close, and you would be fortifying the appley-ness of your cider.

This. I can't recommend this enough.

 

[z-bob]

You don't need the pectic enzyme. It probably won't hurt anything, but it won't help either.

 

[daft]

You can simply add bread yeast alone directly to any one gallon plastic container of past. juice... that's it, and done in a few hours. When the container bulges, put it in the fridge and drink at will as the fermentation rolls on.

I used to do all that yeast snobbery and bubble trap and so on but the simple approach is best, except for real Normandy cider (sweet thru keeving). Apple IS NOT the best; crangrape is sublime, and cranberry or simply grape is good. No need to add sugar or use sweetened juice unless you are doing it just for an alkie buzz.

 

[Apple_Jacker]

1 - The Cote de Blanc yeast makes a good cider, but so do many others. Experiment with others after you use the Cote de Blanc to get a feel for what you like. Some of them (can't think of which off the top of my head) I wasn't able to distinguish it from one yeast strain to the next. I experimented with bread yeast just to know for myself what it tasted like...it wasn't very good.
2 - Campden and pectic enzyme aren't necessary for reasons already listed.
3 - the white/table sugar is fine if you're just trying to boost the ABV, but as was already said, try out using Frozen Apple Juice Concentrate as a sugar boost; it also gives you more apple flavor. I don't do it any other way anymore.
4 - Also, do another experiment with just yeast and juice only, no added sugar. It won't be very strong on the alcohol, but it sure does taste good.
5 - If this is a new hobby to you and you enjoy it after this experiment, invest in some basic homebrewing supplies and ALWAYS take detailed notes. It makes it easier to replicate your successes and to correct your mistakes.

 

[Calfj60]

How much concentrate? My plan is three one gallon wine jugs with different ingredients. One juice and yeast 3/4 gallon. One 3/4 gallon juice and say 3/4 pound of sugar and one 3/4 gallon juice and concentrate.

 

[MindenMan]

My cider recipe is pretty much the same except for the flavor differences. I start with 1 gallon of apple juice minus 16oz. After adding 1 can of FAJC there is still headroom in the 1 gallon jug. By the time I am done fermenting, every jug has had a total of four (4) cans of frozen juice concentrate added to it bringing the ABV to approximately 18%. I add apple, cranberry, peach, apricot, white grape, and whatever other FJC's I can find. In reality I only get two 12oz bottles of "hard cider" out of each gallon as after the first two are replaced with concentrate, it is some flavor of fruit wine at that point.

 

[z-bob]

I bottled 4 gallons of cider last Saturday. It's about time to crack one open (yeah I know it's too soon) to see what I got.

3.5 gallons of Sam's Club filtered apple juice, 1 or 2 cups of sugar (I don't remember; I think it was one), 2 tsp of yeast nutrient, a 12 oz can of FCAJ, and 71B yeast. Then topped up with more bottled juice when the fermentation slowed down.

 

[Apple_Jacker]

The FAJC does have a good amount of sugar in it. I'm sure somewhere in this board, someone has a calculation to determine how much of a boost your ABV gets per 12 oz. can of FAJC. Invest in a hydrometer and take a gravity reading of your juice before adding any sugar or concentrate. If I remember right, it'll probably be around 1.045 or so. How much sugar or concentrate to add is entirely up to you, but the more sugar = more alcohol potential.