Ice cider without the work

[bmd2k1]

Bottled my ice cider after aging in 2L barrel for 40days - which equates to 6months in standard 53gal barrel. In the fridge chilling for a taste test compared to the non-barreled....on mother's day [emoji111]

Wow...the 40days barrel aged ice cider is ALOT more like a tasty bourbon...Big complex transformation! Again used a 2L barrel. [emoji57]

[emoji111]

 

[RPh_Guy]

View attachment 619293
View attachment 619294

It's on!

6 months later... I bottled it a few days ago with 70ppm sulfite. I used 375mL bottles, natural corks, and silver sleeves with pull tab.
It's really good. The sweetness is right where I was aiming. It dropped from 1.128 to 1.038. Not quite so dessert-like.
Brilliantly clear.

 

[bmd2k1]

6 months later... I bottled it a few days ago with 70ppm sulfite. I used 375mL bottles, natural corks, and silver sleeves with pull tab.
It's really good. The sweetness is right where I was aiming. It dropped from 1.128 to 1.038. Not quite so dessert-like.
Brilliantly clear.

View attachment 644342

Looks great! Enjoy [emoji41]

Cheers [emoji111]

 

[ten80]

Does anyone have guidance for how much nutrient to use and when to add it?

I have fermaid k on hand, planning a one gallon batch with r-hst yeast.

You can use a TOSNA nutrient addition calculator, but take into account that apples do have some (low amounts) of nitrogen and other nutrients, whereas honey has essentially no nutrients. Based on that, I would reduce the recommended nutrient dose by 25-50%. EC1118 is a low-nitrogen requirement yeast but can stall in the presence of high gravity cider and/or insufficient pitch rates.
https://www.meadmaderight.com/tosna.html or https://www.meadmakr.com/batch-buildr/

 

[ten80]

Also curious what yeasts folks are using for their ice ciders - I currently have S04, S05 & WLP775 in the fridge...wondering if any of those would be good candidates or should I get something else? Thx & Cheers!

You run the risk of hydrogen sulfide aromas using beer yeasts for high gravity cider, unless you add nutrients. See my post above.

Personally, I would use a wine yeast because many of them are able to release aromatics from thiol precursor compounds in the apple juice, which most beer yeasts cannot do.

 

[bmd2k1]

You run the risk of hydrogen sulfide aromas using beer yeasts for high gravity cider, unless you add nutrients. See my post above.

Personally, I would use a wine yeast because many of them are able to release aromatics from thiol precursor compounds in the apple juice, which most beer yeasts cannot do.

Yep...that was an old post 4 moi way back when -- I use D47 for all my ice ciders these days [emoji111]

Cheers [emoji41]

 

[RPh_Guy]

You can use a TOSNA nutrient addition calculator

Me from a year and a half ago thanks you for the advice, but also didn't use any nutrient...

That was one of the most delicious wines I've ever had.

 

[ten80]

Me from a year and a half ago thanks you for the advice, but also didn't use any nutrient... .

I realize that I missed the post date, oops. I didn't say you had to use nutrient, but the TOSNA calculators are a good resource for those worried about stalled fermentations.

I have also used D47 for high-gravity cysers without nutrient and it works nicely without off-flavors. 71B is my go-to for high-gravity ice ciders (1.150+) as it is a strong fermenter and it reduces acidity a little bit.

Barrel-aging is an awesome idea for ice ciders. A little oxidation is beneficial to flavor development and some oak tannins (and booze!) help contrast with the sweetness.

 

[bmd2k1]

I realize that I missed the post date, oops. I didn't say you had to use nutrient, but the TOSNA calculators are a good resource for those worried about stalled fermentations.

I have also used D47 for high-gravity cysers without nutrient and it works nicely without off-flavors. 71B is my go-to for high-gravity ice ciders (1.150+) as it is a strong fermenter and it reduces acidity a little bit.

Barrel-aging is an awesome idea for ice ciders. A little oxidation is beneficial to flavor development and some oak tannins (and booze!) help contrast with the sweetness.

Barrel aged some of my spring batch of ice cider....tastes like a low alcohol bourbon....fantastic! [emoji111] Will be repeating again in late 2019 or early 2020.

Cheers! [emoji16]

 

[BrewCapsWhere?]

Excellent! Haven't used 4184 to this point -- how long of a ferment is it? how are the lees? do you cold crash? I've yet to start/finish at those high of gravity points Best of Luck in your upcoming contest -- keep us posted --- Cheers!

Where do I buy Pat Mack's Homebrewing caps or similiar?

 

[CKuhns]

This is an old thread come to life....
(Might be worth reposting under a new thread.)

I do a faux ice cider with thanks to @bmd2k1 for the origial recipe and inspiration. Using FAJC that turns out really well. See recipe below. You can start with Apple juice or really any other juice and add FAJC to get to the Gravity desired. I have used Tart Cherry and Cranberry with really good results.

Call it faux or cheaters ice cider...whatever the terms - it's some of my fav stuff! (I have one fermenting as of this writing.)

Using D47, 28cans FAJC & 2gals 100% AJ. Target OG is 1.135 add 2 tsp Fermaid-O to help with the nutrient needs. Ferment cool 60 to 62 deg F.

Don't touch it after yeast pitch. It should be ready for cold crashing in about 4 to 6 weeks. Yeast will slow or stop somewhere between 1.020 and 1.030 your looking for an ABV in the mid 13% range.

Obviously will have a lot of residual sugar and D47 is pretty good at chewing through it even at very cold temperatures. I would strongly recommend you pasteurize this "still" after clarifying and bottling. See Pappers "sticky" at the top of the forum.

I also have done Apple Jack / frozen and drain the cider but honestly this is a lot easier and produces a larger volume with very similar results.