must my cider be aged?

[adanac58]

here is how i made my cider

5 gallons of 100% pure McIntosh apple juice ( not sure if i spelled it right ) the hydrometre read the juice at exactly 5% potential alcohol . about a tablespoon of lemon juice for every gallon of must . champaigne yeast to acheive a dry cider ( and most conviniently is what i had on hand about 3 days into fermentation i added a quarter of a 1 kilo jar of organic honey ( my friend keeps bees as a hobby to be honest its the best honey ive ever had )
people told me the cider will taste like apple juice with a shot of liqour in it if i dont age it for at least 3 months but im extremely anxious to drink my cider because well it is my favourite drink so must my cider be aged for 3 months ?

 

[Revvy]

You can do whatever you want, it's your batch. You can suck it all out of the carboy with a straw, while naked if you want. But you will more than likely find that you and your friends may get more enjoyment if that rocketfuel flavor mellows out, and you can actually taste the apples, without tearing the linning out of your espohagus.

I don't even bottle my ciders for 6 months, then don't touch them for another 6. I usually make mine in the week between x-mas and New Years, and have them first drinkable right around now (first bottle of this years batch was cracked last night.)

My experience has been that most of my friends and family would take more than a sip of the cider if it was under 6 months old, and can't get enough of it after a year.

That's the thing with most parts of this process, patience does pay off...If you choose to not be impatient.

If you're going to drink some now, I would make sure to bottle the rest and leave a few hidden for 6 months to a year...you will be surprised how better the cider is when it has some time.

 

[JoeSponge]

You can do whatever you want, it's your batch. You can suck it all out of the carboy with a straw, while naked if you want. But you will more than likely find that you and your friends may get more enjoyment if ...

They'll get enjoyment from the cider, but the sight of adanac sitting nekkid suckin' cider wit' a straw would give them quite a belly laf... and then the rest of us, 'cuz you KNOW somebody'd post it to youtube...

But seriously...

I have been brewing cider for somewhat over a year, and I haven't found anything that I've made that doesn't suck (nekkidness and straws not withstanding), and I was feeling pretty dismal about the whole thing. Until I came across one that had been overlooked in my disgust. I figured I'd better drink it, or at least sample it, to complete my degradation. It was surprisingly good. Really, really good. My faith in humanity was restored, and more importantly, my self-respect. So WHAT if the first batches tasted like sump water? So WHAT if small animals passed out from the smell? So WHAT if I could successfully use it as a rodenticide? Eventually, even *I* could make something ... remotely drinkable.

So I haven't given up. My patience hasn't gotten a LOT better, but now I can see what they were talking about when they kept saying to LEAVE IT ALONE.

If your results are like mine, you'll be pretty blah about the out-of-the-vessle results, and at 3 months, not much better. Bottle them. Hide them. Lock them up. Forget about them. Start another batch, on blind faith if you have to. Then start another. Set a timer or mark your calendar, or even do a Google reminder. Open one of the original puppies up and give it a sample. Compare it to the batch you're getting ready to bottle. It'll make it easier to salt them away for another day.

You can also try the Graf. I've had mixed results with it. I gave much of it away to folks at work, who thought it was apple bier, or maybe a hoppy hefi-zomthin'. I don't know beans about beer, but I know I don't want my cider tasting like it. But you know, it sucks a lot less (out of the carboy, or at 3-4 weeks in the bottle) than anything else I've made -- and, while I still think it's beer-y, it's not TOO bad... and the folks at work want more of my mistakes. Heh.


















(seriously... if you leave an open 5 gallon bucket in the garage, with about 1 quart of bad brew in the bottom? You get wet, drunk, and then drowned mice. True story)

 

[pstohs]

So WHAT if small animals passed out from the smell?

I laughed so hard when I read that. I have some rocketfuel right now! After 2 weeks i'm starting to settle down with the impatience and am beginning to enjoy the thought of making something that will take a loooong time until it's enjoyed. Just think of how much brewing can be done BEFORE this batch is properly aged

Thinking about trying the Graf next, or just winging something.

 

[JoeSponge]

Thinking about trying the Graf next, or just winging something.

I may retry the Graf for my next batch... I like the idea of something that can be consumed in weeks instead of months, and it's easy enough... I'll just have to crash it next time, rather than let it ferment out all the way...