h4mmy86
Well-Known Member
Hey hey,
I've got 4 gallons of cider that I'd like to infuse with some locally picked blackberries I have frozen.
The cider is just store bought apple juice fermented out with California ale yeast. I've taken no gravity readings but it seems to be general consensus that store bought juice has an average OG of around 1.050 so I'm figuring I have 4 gallons of dry cider at around 5% abv give or take.
My first big question is, is it necessary to let the berries thaw or can I rack onto them frozen? ...I'm a lil worried the difference in temperature might make it want to suck the sanitizer from my airlock into the fermenter.
Here are my ideas:
Rack fermented cider into a secondary vessel on top of the berries, leave sit for a few weeks, rack to keg, and then back sweeten with 1 gallon of unfermented juice giving me 5 gallons of sweet blackberry apple cider at around 4% abv
-or-
Put the berries into a fermenter with unfermented apple juice and a couple crushed up campden tablets to sterilize, and then rack the fermented cider onto this concoction and allow sit a few weeks, hoping it doesn't start fermenting.
I'm leaning towards the second, but I'm really unsure and am new to cider and using raw fruit.
Advise? Criticism? Insight? Any input at all is greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
-Hammy
I've got 4 gallons of cider that I'd like to infuse with some locally picked blackberries I have frozen.
The cider is just store bought apple juice fermented out with California ale yeast. I've taken no gravity readings but it seems to be general consensus that store bought juice has an average OG of around 1.050 so I'm figuring I have 4 gallons of dry cider at around 5% abv give or take.
My first big question is, is it necessary to let the berries thaw or can I rack onto them frozen? ...I'm a lil worried the difference in temperature might make it want to suck the sanitizer from my airlock into the fermenter.
Here are my ideas:
Rack fermented cider into a secondary vessel on top of the berries, leave sit for a few weeks, rack to keg, and then back sweeten with 1 gallon of unfermented juice giving me 5 gallons of sweet blackberry apple cider at around 4% abv
-or-
Put the berries into a fermenter with unfermented apple juice and a couple crushed up campden tablets to sterilize, and then rack the fermented cider onto this concoction and allow sit a few weeks, hoping it doesn't start fermenting.
I'm leaning towards the second, but I'm really unsure and am new to cider and using raw fruit.
Advise? Criticism? Insight? Any input at all is greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
-Hammy