Pappy`s Pub Cider - Award Winner!

[jnbwolf]

Correction 5 gallons in a week!!
Everyone LOVED it. Especially loved by the men at our party.
Reviews were "so tasty and the alcohol was in the finish not the foreground. "

The gals like the second edition. Added some additional cinnamon and cardamom extract and some more sugar. Call it the apple pie version. Well loved.

I used fresh pressed juice for the above and three FCAJ and cinnamon extract (homemade cinnamon sticks and vodka for about a week then drain)


Thank you for the recipe. I used all white sugar but the latest one making is part brown sugar and store bought not from concentrate.

Make this recipe. Period....

Thanks paps!!!!

globell - can you share the details on your version above? Quantities of FAJC and Cinnamon? Thanks. I am a few weeks out but preparing!

 

[globell]

Sure.
I purchased new cinnamon sticks from a reputable health food store. Good cinnamon. Did a combo of true cinnamon (a bit more citrusy than standard) and standard cinnamon sticks. (Don't worry. I didn't know there was two kinds either). Also bought cardamom in the pods. They are potent to a couple will do (but I buy more)

Sanitized a 500 mason jar. Broke the cinnamon so they would fit into the jar. Crush a cardamom pod/seeds with mortar and pestle and place in jar. Fill with vodka. Let sit for about a week or longer. Shake on occasion.

Being it was the first time I made this I was bad and didn't measure how much I added to the cider but I can say that the Apple pie version was added to the bottles at bottling time. It's to taste so about 1/2 tsp per 355ml bottle. Safe to start with 1/4 and I'd go upto 1 tsp and see how you like it. I get cinnamon blind after awhile so you might need to clear your palate. FYI

I guess it depends also on how much cinnamon in your vodka and how much gets into soution.
Do not use cinnamon extract from grocery store. This way is awesome. Tastes real and not chemically.

A quick shortcut is addition of fireball or goldschlager is also well received instead of homemade extract.

I add 3-5 cans of FCAJ depending on how the cider dries out/what the FG ends up to be

 

[globell]

I've carb'd up mine. Loved it!!!

Just racked off the cinnamon sticks and was going to put some SuperKleer into it...but it doesn't need it. Super clear after 3 months. The wife and I made four different batches of cider from what we picked up at the cider mills last October and we finished the previous three last week, to include the ice cider. She was pretty happy with them, but I think she would have loved this one...wish I had racked it a few days earlier.

I like it very much as a still cider...I'm thinking I will hold back a gallon from the keg carbonating and bottle some of it still.

 

[Mnedvidek]

I've been following this thread for a little over two months now and made my first batch 8 weeks ago today. I noticed that nobody seems to have found a good solution for bottle carbing so I put on a little experiment.

Since the yeast stops because it is essentially overwhelmed by alcohol before it processes all the sugar, I figured rather than adding more fermentables it would be better to add more liquid. In the pic below, the orange balloon bottle is the one I added 2 oz of water to 9 oz of cider. The yellow one was 2 oz of juice instead. They've both been bubbling along slowly but consistently in the two weeks since moving to secondary (the yellow one has a small hole in it I believe).

When I bottle I plan on making different batches with different amounts of water/juice added to try and find the ideal ratio. I expect a few flat ones on the low end and bombs on the high end so I'm going to store them away as securely as I can.

In the meantime, has anyone else tried anything like this before? Any luck, good or bad?

 

[pitbb]

This recipe looks exactly like what I'm into: sweet, still (after stabilizing anyway), high alcohol, cheap, and simple to make. It's like this thing was made just for me! Now, I'm still very new to homebrewing, so I have a few questions. I've made a few 1 gallon ciders so I have a vague idea of what I'm doing, but there are still some particulars I don't understand, especially for larger batches.

I want to make 3 gallons of this. I have empty 3 gallon and 5 gallon carboys on hand. Given the large added volume from the sugar, should I primary in the 5 (with the intention of losing less when racking to a 3 gallon carboy for secondary)? The lengthy amount of time suggested for primary fermentation makes me worry about all the head space it would have in the 5. I know during the wild part of primary fermentation, the CO2 produced protects things pretty well. But that should end after about a week, right? Would I then have to rack to secondary to finish "primary", and then stabilize before racking to tertiary to settle? Because I'd rather just lose some juice in the 3 to avoid an extra racking in that case.

Hope the question makes sense...

 

[Paps]

To make 3 gallons.... you will HAVE to use a larger than 3 gallon container.
It is not physically possible to get 3 gallons of fluid AND 6 LBS of sugar into a 3 gallon jug.
ALSO.....this recipe magically (read science) makes more volume of fluid than what you start with (wont go into WHY, but it does)

Don't worry about headspace in primary fermentation...at all.
I don't "stabilize" with chemicals....father time will do it for you.
RACKING.......unless you are adding cinnamon or other flavorings/dry hopping, don't even bother racking. It's an uneeded step/why complicate things.
Hope this helps.

 

[pitbb]

Thanks for the quick response!

Sorry, I wasn't being clear. I didn't mean 3 gallons out, I meant 3 gallons in (minus some amount of the liquid due to all the added sugar). My plan, better stated, is to either: primary in the 3 with 6lbs of sugar and as much juice as I can fit and rack to secondary after about a month losing some liquid in the process, or brew in the 5 with everything I've got and after racking and having a drink, have 3 gallons out. I think what I'm hearing is that it doesn't matter, just do whichever; the extra head space during primary won't affect the final product.

Racking for me is pretty much mandatory at the moment because I'm still trying to collect all the bottles that I need, and I was able to find some carboys quite cheap. I'm also interested in aging it with cinnamon sticks.

Since this recipe has so much sugar and won't (I think?) ferment completely dry even with EC-1118, don't I need to add K-meta to be able to trust that what I'm bottling is still? I plan to use 750ml wine bottles and corks.

Thanks!

 

[Paps]

You would be suprised at the tanacity of Lavlin EC-1118
I keg personally and TBH....IMHO, it's mandatory.
Pony up 200 bucks and get a corny keg and at least the little 18-gram CO2 cartriges. Well worth it. Even if you have to naturally carb in the keg.
Bottle bombs are a real danger and this recipe can make em.
On MANY occasion i find a layer of yeast sediment at the bottom of my kegs when i emty/clean them out. Only bottle if you can either keep the bottles in the fridge or consumed quikly.
For the cinnamon, i personally just put sticks in the keg itself. You `could` say that the cinnamon intensifies but what it does is mellow the rest of the drink as the cinnamon gets prominent. You can also try throwing in some vanilla extract (REAL stuff....no imitation bullshyte)
Hope this helps.

 

[globell]

What was your final gravity using WLP-775?

just kegged my version and it came out amazing:

5 gallons topps applejuice
2.5# table sugar (added 2.5# every 3 days until all 10# are added (stirred every addition))
1 tblspn yeast nutrient
2 vials WLP775 English Cider
after 3 weeks i racked to secondary for 1 week and then cold crashed for 1 day and kegged.
AMAZING RECIPE! thank you PAPS!

 

[globell]

Paps...Have you ever added tea bags or tannin? or are you getting that from aging barrel?

 

[globell]

I took a batch of this and placed it in a used bourbon barrel i bought from a HBT sponsor (thank you farmhouse brewing supply) and took it to a local homebrew/chili contest. Giving out tiny samples the barrel kicked in about 4.5 hours. Had several people return for 2nds/3rds/ect, about 5 people asked me `how much for a bottle` and 2 veteran homebrewers came over to finish it off before it ws gone. I HIGHLY recommend oaking of this on bourbon.

Did you leave this in the barrel for 4.5 hours or did you empty the barrel in 4.5 hours?

 

[Paps]

I do a mock solera in the barrel.
That means that the cider spends plenty of time in it.
The event empties it out each time.
People go hog wild over it.

 

[Paps]

Paps...Have you ever added tea bags or tannin? or are you getting that from aging barrel?

No teas or tannins added.
ATM i make 4 versions of this cider
1 - regular (just plain ole apple)
2 - cinnamon
3 - vanilla ( i use 16-oz of an organic extract made from bourbon madagascar vanilla beans to a 5 gal corny keg, it's very prominent )
4 - the oak barrel aged version

out of the 4, i like #4 the most. I'm sure it picks up some tannins from the oak. It has a whiskey like quality and flavor about it without having to add whiskey.

I plan on adding more variations in the finishing such as maybe dry hopping a batch with Mosaic or perhaps Ammarillo hops.
"Dry hopping" with nuts such as pecans,walnuts, or almonds.
Also thinking about blending with other fruit wines and meads.
Picture a "Bochet Cider"....i just need the time and motivation....and perhaps a fermentor to open up for it.
-prost

 

[globell]

I do a mock solera in the barrel.
That means that the cider spends plenty of time in it.
The event empties it out each time.
People go hog wild over it.

I bet people love it!! Just putting another batch on tonight. Half fresh press and half not from concentrate juices.

also added some whiskey barrel chips soaked in rum to my last batch and what a difference!!! Makes it much more complex and dare I say sophisticated tasting! (and it was only a short soak)

 

[BILTIT]

Just a visual of what Pappys recipe uses (with a twist, i prefer some brown sugar). It makes a great high abv sweet wine and it just happens to make a great starter for applejack!

Just started purchasing items for my keg setup, very excited to keg this recipe!

Just tasted this, been fermenting for 1.5 months and sitting at about 1.028.

Man, is it smooth!!

 

[XPLSV]

My Pappy's Cinnamon Pub Cider won a Silver at the 12th Annual Peterson AFB Homebrew Fest last night in the Specialty Cider & Perry combined category! Pretty much took Pap's recipe and scaled it to the three gallons of cider I had obtained from a local orchard. Used 3 cinnamon sticks in the secondary. That gave a lot of cinnamon flavor! Might cut back a bit next time...but will think about it as I drink the rest. Added the two part clarifier and force carbed. Did nothing in the realm of back sweetening...it came out perfect all on its own.

My late Wife's New World Cider, her first ever competition entry, also took a Silver. She had back-sweetened it two nights before she passed.

 

[Paps]

My condolences on your wifes passing.
And congratulations on both of your's medals.

 

[XPLSV]

My condolences on your wifes passing.
And congratulations on both of your's medals.

Thanks Paps.

 

[BILTIT]

Very tasty after the first freeze/thaw, excited to taste the end product!!

 

[acarr160]

Just did three gallons of this with my buddy before an extract session IPA kit. 10 quarts apple juice, 4 lbs white sugar and two pounds dark brown. Should be awesome. Thanks Paps. 1.106 og.

 

[BILTIT]

I do have to say, i think this is my best applejack recipe yet.

Thanks Paps!

 

[TGFV]

Damn this was a long read!

Thanks for the link to this Paps! Going to be starting 2 5gal batches later this week with plans to Jack one, and age half of the other. (at 15-20% don't see me going through too much too fast, but you never know especially with a session cider already fermenting).

Was wondering if anyone had every tried making snakebites using this cider? Could see those being either amazing or a good way to lose a day or two.

Also Biltit, when you Jack yours, do you mind me asking what temp and for how long? I am planning on doing mine at -25c in 4l jugs 2/3 full for 24hrs for the first freeze and seeing how much I can seperate before deciding on how many freezes to do. (also, do you pre spice your Jack or after jacking? The one time I helped an old co worker jack, the cinnamon came out ridiculously concentrated too.)

 

[BILTIT]

-23C and i leave it until it is frozen, usually a day minimum and many days sometimes.

I have never been able to do more than 3 freezes, just not frozen enough on the 4th. Works out well though because i can put the finished product in the freezer at -18C and it doesnt freeze or slush up, makes for a fantastically cold drink!

I havent spiced my jacks much but would do it after jacking for sure. I will try some cinnamon and maybe a few other spices this go around though.

I do mine in 2L pop bottles, tried a 4L milk jug but didnt like the way it worked.

 

[TGFV]

Got 2 batches made yesterday and added an extra .5 tablespoon of yeast nutrients to help out with the fermentation at the temp range we are at right now. (right at the low end of the yeasts ability).

Got starting OGs of 1.125 and 1.122 for them but the second one didn't have all the sugar dissolve in it properly at first. My daughter decided she wanted to be my helper and when I turned to open more juice boxes she ended up pouring in more than I wanted and it was a b**** to stir and dissolve lol.

Not expecting to see activity until tonight but already getting excited.

 

[brandon138]

Hello, just tried this recipe and it is wonderful. However, I have one question.

I followed the recipe exactly: 5 gal. Tree Top Apple Juice, 10 lbs sugar, the recommended yeast packet, and yeast nutrients. Here is the dates I did everything:

Started: 24 Jan
Moved to Secondary: 22 Feb
Added Super Clear: 1 Mar
Bottled: 4 Mar
Drank 1st Bottle: 15 Mar

The only thing i didn't do was cold crash it because I do not have a freezer big enough.

I tried my first bottle today and there was absolutely no signs of carbonation. Has anyone else had this problem? I know two weeks is recommended but I got a little curious. It tasted great, just no bubbles. Is there any ideas of anything I did wrong? Maybe I waited too long between one of the steps? Thanks for any feedback!

 

[Paps]

Hello,. Is there any ideas of anything I did wrong? !

You didn't do anything wrong.
The recipe is to make a "still" cider.
Some preffer it "bubbly"
I personally keg EVERYTHING and have done so for so long that i don't at all
remember when i bottled to get natural carb. I do vuagely remember having a cork or two pop out of the bottles.

( IMPORTANT NOTICE....ONLY USE CHAMPAGNE OR BEER BOTTLES FOR THIS, NEVER REGULAR WINE BOTTLES IF YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO BOTTLE CARB )

Anyways...a few posters on here have posted rough approximations as to when to bottle to get carb. I don't remember which pages. Perhaps read the whole thread. Just be carefull....bottle bombs are no joke.

 

[Paps]

Got starting OGs of 1.125 and 1.122 for them but the second one didn't have all the sugar dissolve in it properly at first. My daughter decided she wanted to be my helper and when I turned to open more juice boxes she ended up pouring in more than I wanted and it was a b**** to stir and dissolve lol.

Just an FYI........
You don't need to stir/dissolve the sugar.
You can be a lazy arse like me and just pour it in.
I usually have probably a 2 inch layer of sugar at the bottom of the fermentor.
Scientifically i can't say if it's really better to dissolve the sugar or not.
All of it at the bottom "might" shield the yeast from sugar shock vs having it all in solution from the get go ( i have no evidence to back up this claim, it's just a hunch )
My reasoning as to not dissolving comes from time saving/pure laziness.
I like to keep things simple.
I do make little changes every now and then. But usually don't tell about those changes unless asked. (for example. I now use a pretty insane amount of yeast nutrient at the start of fermentation. 5 spoonfulls)
But after x amount of time, you cannot edit posts (as in the 1rst one to express any changes to the procedure) but i guess those interested enough read the whole thread and pick up on the info that way.

Anywho.....
brew on:rockin:

 

[Hankhill11]

Hello, just tried this recipe and it is wonderful. However, I have one question.

I followed the recipe exactly: 5 gal. Tree Top Apple Juice, 10 lbs sugar, the recommended yeast packet, and yeast nutrients. Here is the dates I did everything:

Started: 24 Jan
Moved to Secondary: 22 Feb
Added Super Clear: 1 Mar
Bottled: 4 Mar
Drank 1st Bottle: 15 Mar

The only thing i didn't do was cold crash it because I do not have a freezer big enough.

I tried my first bottle today and there was absolutely no signs of carbonation. Has anyone else had this problem? I know two weeks is recommended but I got a little curious. It tasted great, just no bubbles. Is there any ideas of anything I did wrong? Maybe I waited too long between one of the steps? Thanks for any feedback!

Hi Brandon. If you went right from fermentation/clearing into bottling, theoretically you let it ferment out all the way? That would mean no more sugar for bottle carbing. I can't say your experience, but if you did not add a little sugar into your bottling bucket or use carb drops, you probably will get no carbonation no matter how long you wait. If you did add a little sugar, i have had carb take up to 3 weeks or a little more. If you had any specific gravity info from start to finish it might help tell a story.

 

[Paps]

Hi Brandon. If you went right from fermentation/clearing into bottling, theoretically you let it ferment out all the way? That would mean no more sugar for bottle carbing..

That is untrue for this particular recipe.
Adding more sugar at bottling does NOTHING as even EC-1118
will normally not be able to chew up all 2-LBS a gallon worth of table sugar.
If this were a beverage with a starting gravity of say1.040, then what you said would be accurate, but that is not the case with this recipe.

To get this sweet cider to carb in a bottle takes a good bit of timing regarding what gravity to put it into bottles before fermentation stops completely.

 

[brandon138]

Hi Brandon. If you went right from fermentation/clearing into bottling, theoretically you let it ferment out all the way? That would mean no more sugar for bottle carbing. I can't say your experience, but if you did not add a little sugar into your bottling bucket or use carb drops, you probably will get no carbonation no matter how long you wait. If you did add a little sugar, i have had carb take up to 3 weeks or a little more. If you had any specific gravity info from start to finish it might help tell a story.

I was lazy this round and didn't grab the OG or FG. And I did not add any more sugar before bottling, I was following the recipe exact for the first time. I assumed the 10lbs from the start would be enough! But I was also unaware this made a still cider. Not at all disappointed with the results because it tastes great.

I will be attempting to time it as earlier posts suggest to try and get some carbs. I'll also be adding some cinnamon sticks this round.