so i got ahold of 3 bushels of jonagold apples and 2 bushels of asian pears. i am trying to make a perry cyser but not sure how much honey to use. i read somewhere that asian pears have more un-fermentable sugars then most pears and it will leave a cider sweeter. because i am doing a cyser i am not sure how much honey to use. i usually do about 12lbs per 5 gallons of mead. but because there is residual sugars from the pears should i lower it? i was thinking of even doing 5bs per 5 gallon so it wasnt a strong mead, but more of a strong perry. any thoughts or suggestions? ps i have yet to replace my hydrometer, so i cannot just test the OG and get a potential %ABV.
Perry Cyser
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fatbloke
Well-Known Member
You need to decide exactly what it is that you're aiming for.....
Perry here, is usually carbonated. Plus to make it like a strong perry, you'd need to juice the pears first, otherwise its just like a pear wine.
I would opt for freezing the pears first but have no idea of what weight is represented by a bushel......
For working out the possible strength of brew from the pears, a refractometer would likely be best (with unfermented juice).
If you know what level the pears are at you can easily work out how much honey to bring the numbers up to where youd like them......
Plus whether you will want to carbonate or not, and how that's likely to be achieved (which yeast or CO2)......
I doubt whether any possible unfermentable sugars will make much of a difference. There may be some, but nothing like the levels found in some beer formulations.......
Perry here, is usually carbonated. Plus to make it like a strong perry, you'd need to juice the pears first, otherwise its just like a pear wine.
I would opt for freezing the pears first but have no idea of what weight is represented by a bushel......
For working out the possible strength of brew from the pears, a refractometer would likely be best (with unfermented juice).
If you know what level the pears are at you can easily work out how much honey to bring the numbers up to where youd like them......
Plus whether you will want to carbonate or not, and how that's likely to be achieved (which yeast or CO2)......
I doubt whether any possible unfermentable sugars will make much of a difference. There may be some, but nothing like the levels found in some beer formulations.......
fatbloke
Well-Known Member
Either scrat the fruit and then press, or just freeze it, defrost and then press.
If you use just milled fruit and water to make up the volume, you end up with like the pear version of apfelwein.....
Cider (hard cider to you lot in the US) isn't juice, water and yeast is it. It's just juice and yeast. I'm alluding to the same thing, but with pears......
If you use just milled fruit and water to make up the volume, you end up with like the pear version of apfelwein.....
Cider (hard cider to you lot in the US) isn't juice, water and yeast is it. It's just juice and yeast. I'm alluding to the same thing, but with pears......
yea i use a garbage disposal to scrat and then i press. i get all that, but the quantity of honey is my real question. i think i have decided to use 1lb/1gal cider. i did 5 gallons of asian pear/jonagold blend and am just letting it ferment naturally...want to do the same thing with honey for a cyser but will prob use red stars cote de blanc
fatbloke
Well-Known Member
Well I still feel it depends on what you are aiming for......
i.e. likely to want to carbonate it ? Just as a "still" wine etc ?
You'd get what ? 1.040 to 1.050 sort of level from just the juice so 1lb per gallon will raise it to maybe the 1.080/1.090 sort of area ?
I like to start my batches in the 1.100/1.110 sort of area so I'd likely use 1.5 to 2lb honey to the gallon......
Oh and I would use 71B-1122 as well, so some of the malic acid is metabolised during the ferment......
i.e. likely to want to carbonate it ? Just as a "still" wine etc ?
You'd get what ? 1.040 to 1.050 sort of level from just the juice so 1lb per gallon will raise it to maybe the 1.080/1.090 sort of area ?
I like to start my batches in the 1.100/1.110 sort of area so I'd likely use 1.5 to 2lb honey to the gallon......
Oh and I would use 71B-1122 as well, so some of the malic acid is metabolised during the ferment......
i would like to carbonate it, i think 1.080 1.090 sounds good. i dont really need much more than that. but even a still wine is fine. if i was to carbonate i would prob force carb. but i am not even sure yet...just did some reading on the 71B-1122 that sounds like it would be a good all around choice!
Depending on if your pears are acidic or not, our pears and Blokes could be different. We just picked some growing wild, sweated them a week, crushed and pressed, acid less than 0.4%, 71B wouldnt be the choice for that low level if you wanted to use it to lower the acid. I had some crab juice and boosted the pear with that, should taste a little better when its done. Tossed in QA23, supposed to be similar to D47 but can take it warmer. I like the garbage disposal setup, I need to find something though that you dont have to cut up the apples and does more than one at a time. WVMJ
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