Strawberry Cider (in progress)

[codyfree]

2 gallon recipe (I had a Mr.Beer fermenter left over from a christmas present)
2 pounds of strawberries (frozen)
6 cans of apple juice concentrate
1/2tsp: yeast nutrient, yeast energizer, pectin enzyme
1 packet of preferred yeast (mine is Lavlin Ec-1118)

Mix strawberries and aj concentrate and additions
Add yeast and wait
I forgot my o.g but i remember it came out to about 6-7% abv

I plan to bottle with 1 tsp sugar. 2 tsp non-fermentable sugar. Bottle in beer bottles and cap.

For one gallon cut the strawberries and aj concentrate in half




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[SeeAliceBrewery]

I am interested in this....is this a recipe that you created...or one you found? Also...what yeast are you using?

 

[codyfree]

I just kinda made it up as i went along. Im using lavlin ec-1118. I always love experimenting with different ingredients and flavor combos. And using frozen concentrate is always easy and cheap.


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[SeeAliceBrewery]

let me know how the finished product is...and a pic if you dont mind!

 

[codyfree]

Ill try. No promises its gunna be any good. But it should be light and fruity. Considering Ec-1118 is good for white wines


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[codyfree]

Bottled tonight. It was at 1.005. Bottled with 1tsp sugar and .5 tsp artificial sweetener. Going to let them carb up for a few weeks.


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[Rhu]

I'm pretty new to cider, but I have a feeling that you should be careful with those bottles, I just had EC1118 take my cider down to 0.996 which is 9 pts below yours, plus you added extra sugar.

You should consider the grenade issue..

Anyone else out there agree, or am I completely wrong?

Hope I'm wrong tbh, it sounds like it could be delicious.

 

[codyfree]

Ill keep an eye on them. On 3 are true glass. Most are PET bottles


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[Rhu]

Cool cool...as I said I'm probably talking out of turn...I hope I am anyway.

Should be fine in PET though I guess..just don't get your eyes too close to the glass ones!!!

 

[codyfree]

Yeah. I thought it was safe because it was sooo close to 1.00 and ive been brewing for about a year and it seemed fine. But nobodys always right.


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[Rhu]

Well you've been brewing longer than me!!

I'd probably go with your opinion.

sorry for butting in.

 

[codyfree]

No need for apologie. I didnt even think about it. So glad u brought it up


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[Randzor]

Thu old timers don't know everything... about the only thing people get worked up about is pasteurizing and bottle bombs.

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[codyfree]

I don't plan on pasteurizing. But i dont know everything. Haha i think the only person who does is Yooper




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[Rhu]

I've just looked around the forum and in one of the beer threads it mentions that 0.002 points is approx 1 vol. CO2. If that is true, and your E1118 goes to 0.996 then you're looking at 4.5 vols CO2 plus whatever your sugar adds...

I think that's definitely bottle bomb territory.

I'm only going on what I've read though, so maybe someone with a bit more experience can wade in?

I know I'm sticking my nose in, but I don't want you ending up with flying glass!!!!

 

[codyfree]

Ill heed your warning. Ill only let the glass carb untill next weekened and ill open them up. Or ill put them in the fridge. I know the plastic bottles can withstand alot


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[Rhu]

Cool man, let us know how it goes...maybe I don't need to be so timid!!!

 

[codyfree]

Im so embarrassed to say this, i had a contamination. I used my mr.beer fermenter and it came out tasting like beer. So most of my family loved it but i wouldn't drink it on an abandoned island. It would have been beautiful. Maybe ill try again another day. I learned my lesson to always clean throughly. Or you end up with and apple strawberry dirty ale.


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[BrewTech117]

Darn! I was loving this thread - So no bottle bombs but instead a sneak attack by infection?

Sorry - I run 5 gallon carboys and am doing a pure apple cider now - i think i may try this one since i have 4 un used carboys sitting around.

 

[codyfree]

No I avoided the bottle bombs. I feel this could use a back sweeting. But then there's no chance of fermentation. You think a bottle bomb is bad. I had a one gallon carboy get plugged up and split into pieces

 

[BrewTech117]

I have had a carboy "Pop" or explode as well - I think it was a defected carboy as it was the first time i used it and it was a used one i bought online. Scared the living piss out of my wife, she grabbed the shotgun and headed to the door thinking someone knocked down the front door.

Even spooked our old lab dog - he was barking frantically trying to figure out where the noise came from.

 

[codyfree]

I had started a raisin wine. The next day i was pushing the cap down every hour. Decided to go to a dinner party, came back and i had a tub of bubbling raisin juice, (i use a tub that hasn't seen water in years to put all my carboys in case of foam overs and apparently exploding)


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[Swissmtndog]

After some experimentation, I like to add the fruit AFTER primary fermentation. It seems to bring out the fruit flavor better. Not sure if there is a right or wrong time to add it. Just my opinion. Also, I like using White Labs English Cider yeast. A bit more expensive, but it doesn't strip all the flavors out like the Lavlin EC-1118.

 

[bernardsmith]

Why would folk ferment ciders, wines or meads in carboys and not buckets. Once the active fermentation has ended then that's the time to rack off the fruit and sediment and into a carboy with a drilled bung and airlock. When you pitch the yeast don't you stir the must a couple or three times a day to add air and remove CO2? Primary fermentation in a food grade bucket makes that very easy. Using a carboy makes that a challenge and by all accounts here makes you liable to have erupting if not exploding carboys.

 

[codyfree]

I don't have any buckets. And I'm not planning on getting one. I stick by carboys. If i do any other risky fruitcap wines. Ill find a small food grade bucket, like my Mr. beer fermenter


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