Question about my three first batches

[Eilertso]

I'm a first time cider-brewer, and I have a question about my first three batches. Now, September (2013) I made three 35 liter batches from fresh apple juice directly from a local apple farm; 2 months in primary, then 1 year in secondary (glass baloons in a dark basement). One were made with English Ale yeast (no ads), one with California Ale yeast (1 kg sugar added), and one with Wyeast Cider yeast.

The result was pretty good, and all the bottles carbed up without any problems (though with some nice-advice from this forum without any extra yeast added.) My question is: Although the taste is pretty good, all the bottles so far has a pretty "thin" taste. Almost like watered out apple juice if you know what I mean. It's OK, my friends and familiy like it and I like it, but I prefer "richer" taste. The other day, I treated my self to a couple of bottles of Dunkertons Premium Organic Cider which was absolutely lovely. How can a similar taste be achieved, I wonder, you wise men of this forum? Any tips for a richer taste is more than welcome.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

They use real cider apple cultivars & custom blend the juice. Most of us don't have access to those varieties of apples unless we grow them ourselves.
http://dunkertons.co.uk/the-cider/

We can get a tasty enough cider, but to really shine, we need true cider apples, which are not very good to eat, same for perry pears; this is why they're not usually grown by non-cider makers. If you can find a source of real cider apples/juice, you can blend & ferment it. Otherwise your options are buying different varieties of apples & pressing them yourself for a custom blend or non-cider apples or adding various adjuncts to your juice (or both).

You can add different types of sugars, or raisins. You can add frozen apple juice concentrate (thawed) to the juice, sort of "juicing up your juice." You can use various yeast strains for certain effects. You can add wine tannins or acids, you can add oak, you can add other fruit/juices. Try adding crab apples, they can really make home made cider great.

None of these will take the place of real cider apples, but there are certainly options you can try to improve your end products. Check out the recipe database, there are plenty to choose from. Graff is one of my favs.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f81/
Regards, GF.

 

[MarkKF]

I think the commercial cider makers achieve a better flavor and mouthfeel by using the traditional cider apples like Northern Spy. Home cider makers achieve better flavor by back sweetening with frozen apple juice concentrate.

P. S. I have achieved a very good flavor by adding 5 pounds of frozen peaches to 5 gal. of fresh pressed apple juice before pitching yeast.

 

[MindenMan]

I agree, the commercial guys have access to way more apple varietys than we do, and they have been doing it for years. This is not to say a non-commercial cider maker can't make great cider, very many do just that. This coming spring, I am hoping our neighborhood has a lot of apples, pears, peaches, and crab apples to choose from. One grower will usually barter with another, so come juice time, they both win.

EDIT: If a cidery has to make 1- off batches based on what apples they get that year, wouldn't that make it even more "craft-y"?

 

[SomersetRedstreak]

I live in the heart of what many call 'Ciderland', I'm in Somerset, UK. The thing is, here some of us have access to some or many varieties of true cider apples, Bittersweets & Bittersharps- as do Dunkertons in Herefordshire. In the U.S, you may be lucky enough to be able to source some Bittersweet & Bittersharp varieties, but it's hard to imitate the chacteristics of a cider like Dunkerton's without access to the right apples.

 

[SomersetRedstreak]

I meant to add that I'm no Purist. Out of season I make ciders with store bought juice, and sometimes experimental additions. (Hard) cider is fermented apple juice, whatever you choose to add flavour.