Sparkling Harvest Honey Mead/Cider

[bpokorny1]

Hey all. I was thinking about making a sparkling cider to be ready for Thanksgiving, and I was wondering if I could get thoughts and tips because I've never made a cider this size (I usually make very small batches... around 1 gallon). Here's what I was thinking:

5 gallons water
7.5 pounds apples (mixed variety)
7.5 pounds cooking pumpkin (skin and pulp removed)
15 pounds local honey
10 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. mace
(x) pumpkin spice
1 packet champagne yeast


I figured I'd bring the water and honey to a boil, cut up the apples and pumpkin and steep them with half of the cinnamon sticks in a grain bag until I feel the flavors have incorporated. After that, add the nutmeg and mace and let it all sit in a fermenting bucket for about a week, at which point I'd add some champagne yeast and let it ferment for two weeks. After that, rack it and add some more honey or sugar to charge it and bottle it up in growlers with a dash of pumpkin spice and the leftover cinnamon sticks divided among each.

First, does this sound like it'll work? I really want it to be bubbling pretty good when we crack it open. I also want it to be good and sweet, and for the apple, pumpkin and honey to really shine through.

Second, any recommendations for the flavor profile, or does this sound good?

Thanks!

 

[Jessiegaddy]

Ok first of all you are making mead and not cider. A melomel actually which is mead with the addition of fruit. Secondly it will take a lot longer than a month to be ready when all of your fermentable sugar is honey. The apples and pumpkin will only flavor the mead and not really contribute any sugars. Third if you let all that sit for a week you a asking for trouble. Murphy's law says anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Next carbing in growlers is risky they can hold a little pressure but not enough for 2 or 3 volumes of CO2. Use apple juice or cider from the store and skip the honey if you want it ready for Thanksgiving. The higher the alcohol content the longer it takes to be ready to drink. Ok I am sure you will get some more feedback for this but as it is now it ain't cider.

 

[Maylar]

I agree with Jessie - you're making mead. And the apples and pumpkin in your recipe probably won't add much flavor.

You can ferment honey, fruit & spices together. Don't let it sit for a week before adding yeast. Don't boil anything. Use whole spices, not powdered.

Getting a sweet sparkling mead is not as simple as you think. And your timeline for Thanksgiving is not realistic. I suggest you search the mead forum for "pumpkin" or "cyser" (honey & cider) and see if you can find a recipe that meets your needs.

 

[Transamguy77]

Here is a video on how to do a mead and it could be ready by thanksgiving, I followed it and had drinkable mead in 6 weeks but was really good after 6 mos.

https://youtu.be/IwjAZI86bOo

If your trying for thanksgiving I would do a simple cider with those spices, just juice, yeast neutrient and yeast. The last cider I did was done and kegged in a month I did have to back sweeten though.

I noticed you were going to use 2 yeasts and the last being champagne yeast and you said you wanted it sweet, the champagne yeast will dry it out and you will most likely have to back sweeten it.

If the recipe is truly what you want to do then I would still do it but plan to drink it next year and do something that will be done by thanksgiving this year.

 

[Jessiegaddy]

I have a Curt Stock mead kit from Northern Brewer in a corny keg in my brew room right now I did in January for Christmas this year and it is not ready in six weeks. Even the instructions that came with it says to let it age at least 3 months after secondary. If you want a quick turn around mead then look for the BOMM recipe by Bray Denard. That is a true one month mead. I have made 30 or more gallons of mead this way and it is very good for a young mead. But it gets better with age.

 

[WVMJ]

Why not use all apple juice instead of adding water? Its hard to get a good pumpkin flavor unless you use a lot of pumpkin. Who says you cant drink cloudy yeasty cyser at Thanksgiving? (we dont but you might like it) WVMJ