My First Cider: Cranberry Apfelwein

[FireNightFly]

Im hoping this is gonna work

Makes 5 Gals

15 Apple Juice Concentrate (Frozen)
1 16oz/1lb Can of Cranberry Sauce
1 Packet of EC-1118 Saccharomyce Bayanus Yeast

Combined 2 gals of warm water with 15 Apple Juice Concentrate & Cranberry Sauce.

Poured to Fermentor and topped to 5 gals.

(Im really new so Im hoping I am saying these hydrometer readings right)
SG: 1.055
Balling: 13.5%
PAV: 7%

Added Yeast when was 65 degrees.

Crossing Fingers!

 

[FireNightFly]

Are those readings ok?

 

[dunnright00]

I couldn't tell you about your readings, but I sure do want to hear how this comes out!

I'm looking to do some sort of cran/ras, cran/blue or cran/apple cider/apfelwein.

 

[bfbf]

Ye all looks ok, should come out good (says a fellow newbie) - let us know how it goes!

I take the apple juice did not have anything bad in it that would stop fermentation... like some preservatives

 

[FireNightFly]

It was Meijer's Apple Juice ... contained Apple Juice, water, ascorbic acid I believe.

Also, I forgot to mention that there were actually cranberries in the sauce, too. Not alot, but I can see that I will need to filter it for stage 2.

The cranberry sauce contained Cranberries, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup & water.

 

[FireNightFly]

Its bubbling about every 2 seconds now. Smells awesome.

 

[Brandon O]

It was Meijer's Apple Juice ... contained Apple Juice, water, ascorbic acid I believe.

Also, I forgot to mention that there were actually cranberries in the sauce, too. Not alot, but I can see that I will need to filter it for stage 2.

The cranberry sauce contained Cranberries, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup & water.

Chances are you are not going to get much cranberry flavor in the final product with the sauce being mostly sugar. Takes a lot of fruit to come through in the final product. Think 2 lbs of fresh fruit per gallon, and better off with 3.

 

[FireNightFly]

Thanks for the tips. Ill remember to try to add more cranberry next time.
Its bubbling now at about 48 bubbles per minute.

 

[FireNightFly]

Had to have a taste. OMG!!!! I hope it tastes like this when its finished. I cant taste any cranberry, but I can def. taste the apple... and the alcohol. WooooooWeeee.........

 

[skilter]

I might try this as I am just a beginner... Perhaps just use the Edwort Apfelwein recipe with juice and then add one can of cranberry concentrate in a 6 gal carboy? Hmmm....

 

[nickmpower]

if you want cranberry taste, use cranberry juice

 

[FireNightFly]

***As I look at my bubbling wonder .. I day dream of swimming in a pond of aphelwine. **hick* Doing cannon balls from the edge, as I come up **hick* I toss my hair back and forth throwing splashes of goodie goodness about the pond. **hick* I then spew a stream of aphelwine **hick* from my mouth. **hick*

FINISH ALREADY!!! I want to drink you dabnabbitalltohell!!

 

[JOHN51277]

Patience Grasshopper!

 

[FireNightFly]

She is still bubbling every now and again, usually several in a row, then it stops for a bit and goes again. I think those are called rhino farts. Smells like a fella that used to bum change off me downtown, I hope it tastes better than it smells, or else I may have to name it aphelhomelesswine or aphelwino homeless hooch.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

***As I look at my bubbling wonder .. I day dream of swimming in a pond of aphelwine.

I think that was quite on topic myself!
All I have to say is patience is a requirement on ciders/meads/wine.
Get a hair cut, tossing hair is for girly boys, and hot women.

I could also recommend adding the cranberry after fermentation has slowed and doubling it. Most of the smell and flavor gets driven with all the C02 in active fermentation. Later is better, and less is more in my very humble opinion.

 

[FireNightFly]

At what point do I want to move this to secondary. I could really use my primary atm.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

If the SG is at 1.001 or lower, or I just wait for it to start clearing. IE, once I start seeing a layering effect.
On my current cider I pitched a yeast slurry (us-05), primary was completed in a week, and it has been in secondary for just around 3 weeks. I'm looking at racking it to a keg for bulk aging in around 3 days. I did a flash light check last night and all I saw was a few strings of bubbles, and very clear. Actually pretty cool.
My braggot on the other hand is still a cloudy mess with zero fermentation going on.

 

[FireNightFly]

dammit if i just didnt go in their to check and break my frookin hydrometer! Im cursing quite a bit right now.

 

[guscampag]

They seem to break if you look at them the wrong way. Has anybody figured out a good use for the tubes they come in. They're starting to pile up and they look like they should be good for something??.

 

[FireNightFly]

They seem to break if you look at them the wrong way. Has anybody figured out a good use for the tubes they come in. They're starting to pile up and they look like they should be good for something??.

Yea i just hardly tapped it and it went spinning off the table. Shame shame shame. I used the tube mine came in to take a sample for my reading.

 

[FireNightFly]

Well I went ahead and put it into a secondary, although I mixed it up first then racked it. Thaught since I was going to leave it in there for awhile it wouldnt be a big deal. Did I do anything wrong?

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

If fermentation had slowed to be almost not visible you did not have to mix it up. Enough yeast will still be there to finish up and clean up, then settle down to a very thin layer on the bottom.
I also don't think you hurt anything as long as you did not stir it enough to oxygenate it. Your getting to the point were you want it to start clearing on it's own, and let the flavours blend together. Patience.....

 

[ChaosBrewing]

She is still bubbling every now and again, usually several in a row, then it stops for a bit and goes again. I think those are called rhino farts. Smells like a fella that used to bum change off me downtown, I hope it tastes better than it smells, or else I may have to name it aphelhomelesswine or aphelwino homeless hooch.

I love the new names! aphelhomelesswine or aphelwino homeless hooch.