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Brown sugar and cinnamon
Hi Everyone,
I've been reading all the various cider threads and it has piqued my interest. It sounds so easy, that I thought I might give it a try on a 3-gallon batch.
I currently have an ale in secondary ferment and thought that I might just throw some apple juice + extras on the yeast slurry when I bottle. Will the beer in the slurry affect the flavor of the cider too much? Do I need to wash the yeast first? FYI, the yeast is Yeast 1275 Thames Valley Ale.
Also, I've seen threads mention adding brown sugar and cinnamon. This sounds tasty to me. What amounts would I be looking at for 3 gallons of apple juice/cider?
One last question - can I use pretty much any old brand of apple juice/cider? Do I need to get something without preservatives?
Thanks
moises
Dear moises,
I don't know if I would just throw the juice and sugars right back into the ferment or. You may want to pour the slurry into a container, let the yeast settle, decant the liquid off the top, and then use the yeast that has settled. Otherwise you may have a decent amount of beer flavor coming through to your cider. But if you are careful you may be able to get the majority of the liquid out when bottling. It depends on how much liquid remains in your "slurry" I guess.
As for the additional fermentable I don't have my notes with me now, but I know I have put 3+ pounds into a 5-gallon batch. My ABV% usually ends up around 8-10%, so when they are bottled in 16 oz growls bottles those things can rely get you.
Have a great time!
quinn
Please don't use the slurry. This will definitely influence the flavor and a packet of Champagne yeast is $4. You'll be very disappointed if you proceed with the slurry.
One comment on champagne yeast; I've read it can create a really dry cider. I did a small ferment using a 1.5L rum bottle with about 20 oz of reconstituted apple juice, a couple tablespoons corn syrup and a good pinch of champagne yeast. After about 2 weeks I had a tasty apple bubbly that hubby & I enjoyed on New Year's Eve. I have another batch, 2 gal no-preservative added apple juice, about 3/4 lb brown sugar and 1/2 packet of champagne yeast. It's been in primary for about 3.5 weeks. When I pulled a sample to take a gravity reading, I found the taste to be quite alcohol-y with very, very little apple flavor but quite nicely carbonated. I'm going to bottle it and use it as a mixer, since it doesn't really have a taste.
Next batch, I'm going to try either a cider yeast or try to find an ale yeast that is pretty neutral but doesn't have a high attenuation level. Hopefully I'll be able to get a cider to maintain a bit of apple flavor and sweetness.
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