If you don't let the sugar ferment all the way out there will some sweetness available. I always make sure my applejack starter (my hard cider) has just the tinyest bit of sweetness left before it goes into the freezer; I have found through trial and error that applejack is much smoother after aging with a bit of residual sweetness left in. I am talking about bottle aging the a/j for at least 9 months, but preferably twice that or longer. The hard part is letting it age without drinking it too young. If you cold ferment your hard cider you can drink the a/j right out of the freezer and it is very tasty with no aging, but with aging it is a completely different thing altogether.
What constitutes the tipping point between ice & "port" cider? ABV?I apologize for waiting so long to reply, I haven't visited this site in a while. Hey, ten80, adding more juice will add more fermentables, not just increase the volume. Weezy, if I want to fortify my must/cider I use FAJC; that way I get more sugar and flavor all in one addition. I am not sure why anyone's applejack would not taste very "apple-y" the freezing concentrates the flavor in all of my experiences making applejack. If the cider were fermented bone-dry first, then I could see how the "apple-ness" could be lacking. If I have a batch of applejack that does not taste apple forward, I will add FAJC to the bottle before I fill it with the applejack; after 9 months or longer in the bottle the apple flavor is fantastic. Yes it does lower the ABV by 10% or so, but my starting ABV % is high enough that "diluting" my applejack is not an issue.
As to making a "port cider", I have accidentally made a batch and I don't know what I did to cause it. The flavor is amazing at 6 months, and I cannot wait to see what my "apple-port" will taste like. I will say what started out to be ice cider is what became the "port-cider."
The cider I have that tastes like port probably stayed in the fermention bottle too long and some oxygen got to it. I does taste very similar to a brandy fortified wine, but with the only juice/alcohol in it being made from 100% apples, there is a different flavor, but a great flavor none the less. Looking back, I really have no idea how to replicate the apple port again, so I will sit on the rest of the accidental port for another year or so to see how it tastes then.What constitutes the tipping point between ice & "port" cider? ABV?
Hey Mark, Great post! Very informative! Quick question - I thought hard cider is often made by adding alcohol to the cider to get a higher ABV. Isn't this how the big guys do it (Angry Orchard, Smith & Forge etc.)?I think the difference is in the method. Iced is freeze concentrated juice to get more sugar and less water. Port is unfinished wine with alcohol added to stop fermentation.
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