Want to re-pitch my cider and turn into a cyser.. o ya.

[Aróchito]

Sup folks,
I have 5 gallons of a pretty plain straight cider batch that's been in secondary for the last 5 months and I think I'm gonna re-pitch it and turn it into a cyser.
First question:
Because it's already probably about 4-5% abv, can anyone suggest an amount of honey to mix in with my 5 gallons of cider? I have 7-9 lbs honey at my disposal as well as some champagne yeast and don't mind higher strength.
Second question:
As it'll be fermenting in a 6 gal carboy, can anyone suggest a good, least pain-in-the-ass way of mixing the honey properly in with the cider?

Thanks in advance,
Aaron

 

[madscientist451]

To mix the cider with the honey, heat 2 gallons of it to about 100F and add in your honey. Let it cool down some and add to your main batch.
Yeast needs oxygen to work properly, but oxygen is bad for beverages that are finished fermenting and you might be wasting your honey.
I'm guessing you want to add honey to the cider because you're not happy with it? I'm not so sure adding honey and letting it ferment with champagne yeast is going to make it any better.
Also, honey needs yeast nutrients and adding yeast nutrient to cider that is already fermented might have a flavor impact.
My 2 cents: Sulfite the cider and then rack into 1 gallon jugs. Then use one gallon for your Cyser experiment and see how it comes out.
You may want to consider making mead and then blending it with the cider when its done. If you use the SNA method, and don't make it too strong (ABV) you should have some mead ready to go in 6-8 weeks.
If you divide your batch up, you can experiment with different flavors/additives and I would suggest looking up how to make tinctures with vodka.

 

[videojunkie1208]

I would take either of two slightly different approaches:

Take a small amount of your cider (1-2 Qts) add the honey and nutrients (I would use the TONSA calcualtions, and add it as one batch - you're likely already close to the 1/2 sugar break, and once you add this to your mix, you won't want to disturb it any more) and yeast, and aerate vigorously. (if you plan on adding pectinase or anything like that, add it to the slurry). Add slurry to remaining cider mixing gently,, and make sure you have enough headroom for the yeast to activate.

Second Approach: ferment the 9 lbs of honey with ~3 gallons of water, adding proper nutrients etc. Ferment to dry, and blend with your cider to taste.

I always work cold, so sanitation is essential! the only time I ever heat honey is if it has crystalized, and I can't get it out of the jar. Although I have been known to cut open plastic bottles of crystallized honey, and scrape them directly into my fermenter....

Either approach will likely take several months to complete.

Champagne yeast will likely ferment to dry. so make sure that is what you want.