Pappy`s Pub Cider - Award Winner!

[frankdontsurf]

Best yeast options?

 

[Sheriff5271]

5 gals of tree top apple juice (sometimes Motts if the store is out of tree top)
10 LBS table sugar (wal mart brand cheap stuff)
1 packet Lalvin EC-1118 yeast
1 tablespoon yeast nutrient (wyeast beer nutrient blend)

No rocket science here, just dump everything in the carboy and let the champagne yeast do it's thing.Primary till all bubbling of the air lock stops then wait a week.After the week is up rack to 2ndary (optional)
I used "super-kleer K.C."{kieselsol-chitosan} in 2ndary (optional) to clear the cider and the stuff is amazing.Cold crash in the freezer for an hour and bottle.

Do not attempt to drive,operate heavy machinery,or anything requiring coordination or basic motor skills after drinking this.

Cheers.

I have a 3 gallon carboy. How should I adjust the recipe. I am also using Nottingham yeast. Will that be ok for this recipe?

 

[frankdontsurf]

I have a 3 gallon carboy. How should I adjust the recipe. I am also using Nottingham yeast. Will that be ok for this recipe?

2.5 gallons of juice, 5lbs of sugar, lots of folks seem to be using Nottingham for a sweeter cider.

 

[Paps]

Paps!
I'm now out of fresh pressed juice
When you say tree top juice - do you mean the clear or more naturally cloudy ones? We don't have tree top here but have Mott's. (If it even makes a difference).

About to rack over to secondary my last batch tonight. It's at .998 and going to be deadly. Thinking a little cinnamon would be great. Have you tried a touch of apple pie spice or cardemon (strong stuff so a do mean a touch). Is using dry spices doing to be a problem? I suppose a spiced tea of them may be a better addition.....

Thanks!

"Tree Top" is a namebrand of juice like Coke or Pepsi are of sodas.
I get the pre-cleared ones.
I preffer Tree Top to Motts if just making the `regular` cider but if doing a secondary for flavorings preffer the Motts as it lets the flavoring shine through better.
Once, i tried using cinnamon that was powdered. It did not go well. It clumped together in the cider and looked like algae floating around in the bottles so i had to strain them out and re-bottle. I only use stick cinnamon now. Usually a stick per gallon but never less than 3 for a 5 gallon batch. Sinse i keg now i'll just toss them into the keg before racking and just let the cider sit on them until it is all consumed.

 

[Paps]

Best yeast options?

Lalvin EC-1118 yeast

 

[Paps]

I have a 3 gallon carboy. How should I adjust the recipe. I am also using Nottingham yeast. Will that be ok for this recipe?

As mentioned, cut the recipe in half for your 3 gallon carboy.
I do NOT reccomend Nottingham yeast for this particular cider recipe.
This recipe has a LOT of added sugar, even the champagne yeast (ec-1118) cannot convert all of it into alcohol and leaves a "dessert wine" like sweetnes. Some find it too sweet as is. Nottingham would convert even less sugars and just leave it too sugary. I'm not saying that Notty is bad, many people have used it for ciders with great results. Just not the best yeast for this exact recipe.

 

[Wolfhound180]

Made this today for the first time. Got 10.5 lbs sugar and a little over 4 gallons of apple juice into the fermentor. All that I had was Montrachet, so that's what I pitched. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

 

[Murphys_Law]

I'm 3 weeks in and was going to transfer to secondary since the bubbles have stopped for ~ a week but decided to wait a week or so longer before I move it (really wanted to see if I could pull off 2L for some Thanksgiving celebration). I checked the SG and it's at 1.010. Tasted the sample and it was really good but the aftertaste was very "hot".

Another week or two in primary, move to secondary with some cinnamon sticks, and should be good to go!

 

[globell]

"Tree Top" is a namebrand of juice like Coke or Pepsi are of sodas.
I get the pre-cleared ones.
I preffer Tree Top to Motts if just making the `regular` cider but if doing a secondary for flavorings preffer the Motts as it lets the flavoring shine through better.
Once, i tried using cinnamon that was powdered. It did not go well. It clumped together in the cider and looked like algae floating around in the bottles so i had to strain them out and re-bottle. I only use stick cinnamon now. Usually a stick per gallon but never less than 3 for a 5 gallon batch. Sinse i keg now i'll just toss them into the keg before racking and just let the cider sit on them until it is all consumed.

Wonderful.
Just made an extract of cinnamon by adding vodka and used different cinnamon and happy happy. Will use this cinnamon for your recipe (no skunky after Taste-must have been a bad batch)

Thank you kindly for the info on Motts and tree top!!

 

[globell]

I'm 3 weeks in and was going to transfer to secondary since the bubbles have stopped for ~ a week but decided to wait a week or so longer before I move it (really wanted to see if I could pull off 2L for some Thanksgiving celebration). I checked the SG and it's at 1.010. Tasted the sample and it was really good but the aftertaste was very "hot".

Another week or two in primary, move to secondary with some cinnamon sticks, and should be good to go!

The difference between 4 and 8 weeks is astounding....

 

[BILTIT]

My latest batch of pappys is struggling at 1.040 (i may have added more sugar than my last batch as my weigh scale was busted) but i roused it last night with some swirling and a good dose of nutrient, hoping it will make it to 1.020. Finger crossed!

 

[BILTIT]

This is about half of my first batch of pappys, turned it into applejack. Pappys recipe works really well for apple jack as you want some sweetness to balance the hot alcohol. Thanks again pappy.

Thought i would let people know the endless possibilities of pappys recipe!

 

[Buckshott]

This recipe is the BOMB brought some to thanksgiving and what a hit good thing I made 10 gallons of it.... deffiently going to make alot more next year thanks for the recipe!!

 

[BILTIT]

It sure is, thinking of jacking pappys with cinnamon now too!

 

[Sheriff5271]

2.5 gallons of juice, 5lbs of sugar, lots of folks seem to be using Nottingham for a sweeter cider.

This is my first batch...Does the time I leave it in the primary make a difference if I am using Nottingham yeast

 

[Paps]

I do NOT reccomend Nottingham yeast for this particular cider recipe.
This recipe has a LOT of added sugar, even the champagne yeast (ec-1118) cannot convert all of it into alcohol and leaves a "dessert wine" like sweetnes. Some find it too sweet as is. Nottingham would convert even less sugars and just leave it too sugary. I'm not saying that Notty is bad, many people have used it for ciders with great results. Just not the best yeast for this exact recipe.

Let your Notty ferment for 2-3 weeks.
Then add some yeast nutrient and a packet of EC-1118.
Let that work for another 2-3 weeks.

 

[globell]

Paps - you're awesome!

 

[Sheriff5271]

Let your Notty ferment for 2-3 weeks.
Then add some yeast nutrient and a packet of EC-1118.
Let that work for another 2-3 weeks.

I appreciate all the help. This is my first batch. Will this change it much from the original receive?

 

[SwampThing]

Update -
Moved to the secondary 28 days in. OG was 1.120. Gravity reading at the move to the secondary was 1.020. Taste even at this point is amazing. I plan on throwing some cinnamon sticks in the secondary just for a little more flavor for addition to the sweetness.

 

[GasGuy]

I'm gonna rack this onto the yeast cake from Ed Wort's Apfelwein that had a fresh Keiffer perry before that. Using Mangrove Jack M02.

 

[BILTIT]

I am very impressed with mangrove jack MO2 yeast so far. It works very fast, leaves good apple flavour and just keeps on chugging everytime i give it more sugar.

I am not sure if it will reach 18% range though? Keep us updated how it goes. If it can reach the abv levels similar to ec1118 than mangrove will be my new go to yeast for high alc. products (my applejacks).

 

[globell]

I like it!!!
I've never pushed it past 12.
Happy you like it thus far. I do!!

Do you have an alcohol measuring device?

 

[BILTIT]

No alc measuring device, just difference of gravities.

 

[dmboarder]

I swear I looked, but couldn't find the answer. Does it work to start another batch immediately onto the yeast cake when you rack it to the secondary? I'm only doing one gallon batches and wanted to get another one going in anticipation.

 

[Paps]

Yes you can put new juice onto a yeast cake.
You may however still have a short lag time.
Remember, a yeast cake is the yeast that went dormant.
It takes a bit for them to wake back up.

 

[doghanna]

I would like to get an opinion from someone more knowledgeable than me.

I have made about 6 batches of this hard cider successfully. I love it. I do not bottle or keg, since I like it flat.

My wife had some hard cream soda this weekend and asked if I could make some.

Does anyone think I can substitute cream soda (proper mixture of extract and water) in place of apple juice and get similar good results?

 

[Paps]

Allthough i haven't looked, there is probably a hard creme soda recipe on these forums or at least a creme soda recipe.
I suggest following its recipe which you could then ferment but i do NOT suggest using EC-1118 for anything under 10%ABV. Nottingham yeast or S-05 would be more appropriate for something in the 4-8 % ABV range.

 

[doghanna]

Thanks, Do you think I could use the 2 lbs of sugar to 1 gal of cream soda ratio

 

[Paps]

Thanks, Do you think I could use the 2 lbs of sugar to 1 gal of cream soda ratio

No, i do not.
This cider recipe borderlines on a spirit/whiskey/brandy.
Especially when i age it in my oak barrel.
Creme soda isn't the same ballpark and has no simularity besides some caramel and vanilla notes. Commercial "hard" versions i doubt have over 6% ABV to them. It's an apple to oranges scenario so i doubt that you would get the good soda flavor you are looking for using a method specific to this hard cider recipe.
I suggest making a regular hard creme soda first.
Then after that experiment with adding sugar to up the ABV a bit.
Maybe it is possible to get a 18% hard creme soda that you like the flavor but before you go about reinventing the wheel, try making a regular one first.

 

[GasGuy]

Yes you can put new juice onto a yeast cake.
You may however still have a short lag time.
Remember, a yeast cake is the yeast that went dormant.
It takes a bit for them to wake back up.

That's exactly how both batches have acted. A 2 day lag at first, then a slow steady bubble in the airlock. Yesterday it was going crazy (pappy's recipe). 3rd batch on M02 yeast.