New Cider Project

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

mpetty

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2005
Messages
101
Reaction score
0
Location
Fayetteville, AR
Hello everyone -

I started a cider project last night. I have two 1-gallon batches. In one of the batches, I just poured the juice from the bottle into the jug, added the starter, and airlocked it.

I was a bit more ambitious with the second. I added cloves, pumpkin pie spice, and about 2 pounds of brown sugar. I got this up to 160 degrees and kept it there for 30 minutes, then cooled it quickly and transferred it to a jug, pitched the starter, and airlocked it. I took a SG reading for this, and after I let the herbs settle in the hydrometer tube, I had a room temperature reading of 1.104! Is it normally this high?

The unfermented cider from the second experiment tasted excellent, though it was very, very sweet.
 
A pound of sugar in a gallon of cider will add as much as 46 points, two would be 92 points. I'm actually surprised your batch is only 1.104. Most fresh ciders run around 1.030-1.040.

Plan on a very long ferment for the second batch, like 2-3 months.

I just kegged most of a five gallon batch of spiced cider and added a pound of brown sugar to the gallon that was left. Stirred the yeast up and away it goes.
 
How do you figure out how many points it will add?

Perhaps I could use this 1 gallon batch as a starter to a 3 or 5 gallon batch.
 
mpetty said:
Hello everyone -I started a cider project last night.
Good work! I'm glad you have. Gallon batches are a great way of experimenting - I certainly use them.
mpetty said:
How do you figure out how many points it will add?
Many books/sites will give charts for sugar weight/water volume/potential alcohol content etc. I'll dig one out if you insist (you'll find one on the web) but i suggest caution for a two simple reasons.
'Sugar' - not all of these (as i'm sure you know) are fully fermentable and are processed by yeast fully. Many dark sugars (with spices added too!) can be overpowering in flavour unless aged.
'Yeast' - not all of them cope with sugar levels (or Temps) in the same way if you use a beer/ale yeast etc with cider etc.
Better to try and work out alcohol levels/spices/sweetness etc in the one gallon experiments first for personal taste.
 
Yes 1-gallon's are great!

I've been fantasizing about a wheat-like grain beer experiment. 5 gallons, and aside from the usual barley levels, I'd have two gallons with all wheat adjuncts, then 3 other gallons with a combination of wheat, quinoa, amaranth, and some other grain.

It would be a whole week of quick-batch brewing!
 
Back
Top