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Test 1
1 gallon motts
3 cups brown sugar
20 raisins
1/5 packet nottingham yeast
dash of yeast nutrient
OG ???? FG 1.021
Tastes sweet. Has very strong alcohol taste. Enjoyable but probably needs to age a while
FG seems pretty high. I think the cider is maxed out for this yeast
Very dark... probably from the brown sugar and raisins. Also, lots of head when I poured some into a sample glass
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Test 2
1 gallon motts
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/5 packet nottingham yeast
OF ????? FG 1.036
Tastes sweetest of all. Actually tastes very good. Honey, white sugar, and brown sugar all blend to make a great taste. Tastes like very powerful alcohol in it.
1.035 FG seems outrageously high but I think the yeast was killed off by alcohol. There were more fermentables than Test 1 which might explain why the FG is so high. Also, lots of head when I poured some into a sample glass
Very dark... probably from the brown sugar
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test #c 2/17/10
1 gallon motts juice
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup raisins
Nottingham yeast 1/5 packet
OG - 1.065 - FG - 1.010 = 7.2 % ABV
Might just be the best taste+ABV combination. Tastes very perfected already. I think this is my favorite. Astonishing hahaha
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test #d 2/17/10
1 gallon langers apple juice
nottingham yeast 1/5 packet
Yeast nutrient
OG - 1.05... FG - 1.01 = 5.25% ABV - tastes like Magner's surprisingly. I was really shocked hahaha. It tastes very good. Its a very simple recipe with great results as far as I could tell. Might be the best tasting at this moment.
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test #e
1 gallon motts apple juice
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup white sugar
Yeast nutrient
Safale US - 05
1.08 OG - 1.001 FG = 10.35% ABV
This one seemed to ferment out nearly completely no problem (and fairly quick) Id like to see what its like with a few months of aging.
The safale US -05 can handle a higher ABV than nottingham I think.
Fairly clear
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test #f
1 gallon motts
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup honey
1 cup white sugar
safale US - 05
1.07 OG - 1.0075 FG = 8.2% ABV = Very tasty. Not much else to say. I think Raisins are very helpful
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Test A
1 gallon of Shaw's Unsweetened Apple Juice
with 1 cup of white sugar
safale us-05 1/5 package each
1.065 OG - 1.002 FG = 8.25% ABV
Tastes great. Pleased with safale us-05 again
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Test B with TWO 1/2 gallon containers of Shaw's Unsweetened Apple Juice
with 1 cup of honey EACH
(TWO 1/2 gallon containers each containing 1 cup of honey)
safaleus-05 1/5 package each
1.085 OG - 1.005 FG = 10.8% ABV
Hard to believe that this is 10.8% but it is. The honey seems to really come through with its taste. Fairly dry taste but not totally dry. Still some sweetness left over. This one is pretty exciting.
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What I learned :
1) Nottingham so far seems to be very good on lower ABV cider
2) Safaleus-05 can definitely be used for cider. I'd like to make some cider that is lower ABV using safaleus-05 and see how that compares to Nottingham.
3) Raisins are fantastic
4) Be patient and don't worry about your cider so much when it is fermenting.
5) 1 gallon jugs are great for experimenting. I will probably pick up a bunch of them and keep experimenting.
6) Each test I made was very unique tasting. Every little variable seems to make a difference.
Now while my Test 1 and Test 2 ciders are very high FG I can still bottle them right? Doesn't this just mean that they are dense with sugar that can not be fermented? I should mention. Test 1 and Test 2 have both been hanging around for 2 months. The other tests have all been fermenting for about 1 month.
Test 1
1 gallon motts
3 cups brown sugar
20 raisins
1/5 packet nottingham yeast
dash of yeast nutrient
OG ???? FG 1.021
Tastes sweet. Has very strong alcohol taste. Enjoyable but probably needs to age a while
FG seems pretty high. I think the cider is maxed out for this yeast
Very dark... probably from the brown sugar and raisins. Also, lots of head when I poured some into a sample glass
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Test 2
1 gallon motts
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/5 packet nottingham yeast
OF ????? FG 1.036
Tastes sweetest of all. Actually tastes very good. Honey, white sugar, and brown sugar all blend to make a great taste. Tastes like very powerful alcohol in it.
1.035 FG seems outrageously high but I think the yeast was killed off by alcohol. There were more fermentables than Test 1 which might explain why the FG is so high. Also, lots of head when I poured some into a sample glass
Very dark... probably from the brown sugar
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test #c 2/17/10
1 gallon motts juice
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup raisins
Nottingham yeast 1/5 packet
OG - 1.065 - FG - 1.010 = 7.2 % ABV
Might just be the best taste+ABV combination. Tastes very perfected already. I think this is my favorite. Astonishing hahaha
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test #d 2/17/10
1 gallon langers apple juice
nottingham yeast 1/5 packet
Yeast nutrient
OG - 1.05... FG - 1.01 = 5.25% ABV - tastes like Magner's surprisingly. I was really shocked hahaha. It tastes very good. Its a very simple recipe with great results as far as I could tell. Might be the best tasting at this moment.
_________________________________________________________
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test #e
1 gallon motts apple juice
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup white sugar
Yeast nutrient
Safale US - 05
1.08 OG - 1.001 FG = 10.35% ABV
This one seemed to ferment out nearly completely no problem (and fairly quick) Id like to see what its like with a few months of aging.
The safale US -05 can handle a higher ABV than nottingham I think.
Fairly clear
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test #f
1 gallon motts
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup honey
1 cup white sugar
safale US - 05
1.07 OG - 1.0075 FG = 8.2% ABV = Very tasty. Not much else to say. I think Raisins are very helpful
__________________________________
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Test A
1 gallon of Shaw's Unsweetened Apple Juice
with 1 cup of white sugar
safale us-05 1/5 package each
1.065 OG - 1.002 FG = 8.25% ABV
Tastes great. Pleased with safale us-05 again
_____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Test B with TWO 1/2 gallon containers of Shaw's Unsweetened Apple Juice
with 1 cup of honey EACH
(TWO 1/2 gallon containers each containing 1 cup of honey)
safaleus-05 1/5 package each
1.085 OG - 1.005 FG = 10.8% ABV
Hard to believe that this is 10.8% but it is. The honey seems to really come through with its taste. Fairly dry taste but not totally dry. Still some sweetness left over. This one is pretty exciting.
_________________________________________________________________
What I learned :
1) Nottingham so far seems to be very good on lower ABV cider
2) Safaleus-05 can definitely be used for cider. I'd like to make some cider that is lower ABV using safaleus-05 and see how that compares to Nottingham.
3) Raisins are fantastic
4) Be patient and don't worry about your cider so much when it is fermenting.
5) 1 gallon jugs are great for experimenting. I will probably pick up a bunch of them and keep experimenting.
6) Each test I made was very unique tasting. Every little variable seems to make a difference.
Now while my Test 1 and Test 2 ciders are very high FG I can still bottle them right? Doesn't this just mean that they are dense with sugar that can not be fermented? I should mention. Test 1 and Test 2 have both been hanging around for 2 months. The other tests have all been fermenting for about 1 month.
