So my last batch of cider is still sitting where it has been for months, and I'm thinking of bottling it soon. This is the batch where I hadn't noticed the dark print on the dark label saying it had preservatives.
After the fact, I made a booster yeast culture and added it to the mixture but who knows how far it got. The stuff's really clear, I'll give it that.
Anyway, its fall and I'm looking to make a new batch with stuff that I know is local and fresh.
Up here in southern NH, its nothing but apple orchards around where I live so the cider should be good. There's a house I drive by every day that has a little mini-farm-stand in the front yard with local honey and more recently, pumpkins. I never see anyone out there, there's just an honor system money can and price tags on things.
I picked up a small bottle of honey and its decent. Its a little thinner than other stuff I've seen and little particulates are floating in it. Not knowing much about the chemistry of honey and being a novice at brewing, I'm just wondering if local unprocessed honey would have any strains of yeast or anything in it that I should be concerned about. I believe I've read that its inherently antibacterial so I'm not too worried about that. But I'd like to pick up a big bottle or two and add it to a cider.
Also, any recommendations or recipes on how to cook up some pumpkin for cyzer purposes? I really want to try to make something with everything local and from the town.
Except the yeast, I guess. I have a couple packets in the fridge, I forget the exact strain atm, it was something that was supposed to be good for cider. I might have another champagne yeast too. Any recommendations on that? Would one yeast work better with multiple sugar and flavor sources, or they all pretty much the same?
After the fact, I made a booster yeast culture and added it to the mixture but who knows how far it got. The stuff's really clear, I'll give it that.
Anyway, its fall and I'm looking to make a new batch with stuff that I know is local and fresh.
Up here in southern NH, its nothing but apple orchards around where I live so the cider should be good. There's a house I drive by every day that has a little mini-farm-stand in the front yard with local honey and more recently, pumpkins. I never see anyone out there, there's just an honor system money can and price tags on things.
I picked up a small bottle of honey and its decent. Its a little thinner than other stuff I've seen and little particulates are floating in it. Not knowing much about the chemistry of honey and being a novice at brewing, I'm just wondering if local unprocessed honey would have any strains of yeast or anything in it that I should be concerned about. I believe I've read that its inherently antibacterial so I'm not too worried about that. But I'd like to pick up a big bottle or two and add it to a cider.
Also, any recommendations or recipes on how to cook up some pumpkin for cyzer purposes? I really want to try to make something with everything local and from the town.
Except the yeast, I guess. I have a couple packets in the fridge, I forget the exact strain atm, it was something that was supposed to be good for cider. I might have another champagne yeast too. Any recommendations on that? Would one yeast work better with multiple sugar and flavor sources, or they all pretty much the same?
