CormanoWild
Member
Like, almost better than most of the stuff I've actually sat down to try to make.
It actually started as an accident - I was brewing a batch of New England-style cider (brown sugar, honey, cinnamon and allspice) and realized I would need to boil some apple juice to dissolve the honey and brown sugar in. So I cracked open a gallon of Motts and poured out about two cups.
A few days later, I noticed the Motts was getting pretty cloudy and realized what I'd done. Not one to waste potential alcohol, I tried using a ballon-airlock (all my fermenters were now full!) and then found it was easier to just remember to crack the bottle open a bit every night before going to bed.
It took a long time - about 3-4 weeks - but the thing finally fermented out. I realized the process was about to finish up and stopped cracking the bottle open for the last few days, so the cider actually stayed highly carbonated.
When I finally got around to trying it, it tasted like nothing at all, almost - perfectly dry, it seemed. So I backsweetened with a bit more Motts from a new bottle.
Deliciousness! Clear, no yeasty flavors, no weird off-flavors. I guess the Motts's Corp. does a good job sanitizing their 1-gallon plastic jugs! Worked out perfectly. I fully expected the thing to be skunked, but what I had was a perfectly good cider I'd actually take over Strongbow, even if the prices were the same - which they definitely weren't!
Tried the process again with more Motts, intentionally this time - worked great again! Not much of a huge difference in flavor, which I was worried about, because who knows with wild yeast?
Trying the process again now with some BJ's brand juice to see if I can really get myself a perfectly-easy automatic brew.
But just thought I'd let people know that going basically the most ghetto, theoretically unhygienic, half-assed route possible can work out perfectly! Though maybe your place of residence might not have as delicious natural yeast floating around as mine, haha. I think if I get a batch that tastes really good, I'll just save some of that batch to pour into my next jugs, and thereby keep the yeast strain consistent.
It actually started as an accident - I was brewing a batch of New England-style cider (brown sugar, honey, cinnamon and allspice) and realized I would need to boil some apple juice to dissolve the honey and brown sugar in. So I cracked open a gallon of Motts and poured out about two cups.
A few days later, I noticed the Motts was getting pretty cloudy and realized what I'd done. Not one to waste potential alcohol, I tried using a ballon-airlock (all my fermenters were now full!) and then found it was easier to just remember to crack the bottle open a bit every night before going to bed.
It took a long time - about 3-4 weeks - but the thing finally fermented out. I realized the process was about to finish up and stopped cracking the bottle open for the last few days, so the cider actually stayed highly carbonated.
When I finally got around to trying it, it tasted like nothing at all, almost - perfectly dry, it seemed. So I backsweetened with a bit more Motts from a new bottle.
Deliciousness! Clear, no yeasty flavors, no weird off-flavors. I guess the Motts's Corp. does a good job sanitizing their 1-gallon plastic jugs! Worked out perfectly. I fully expected the thing to be skunked, but what I had was a perfectly good cider I'd actually take over Strongbow, even if the prices were the same - which they definitely weren't!
Tried the process again with more Motts, intentionally this time - worked great again! Not much of a huge difference in flavor, which I was worried about, because who knows with wild yeast?
Trying the process again now with some BJ's brand juice to see if I can really get myself a perfectly-easy automatic brew.
But just thought I'd let people know that going basically the most ghetto, theoretically unhygienic, half-assed route possible can work out perfectly! Though maybe your place of residence might not have as delicious natural yeast floating around as mine, haha. I think if I get a batch that tastes really good, I'll just save some of that batch to pour into my next jugs, and thereby keep the yeast strain consistent.