Pages: 1
First batch of cider using gala apple juice and frozen concentrate.
Hello all. I have been reading all the posts and replies in the cider forum and decided to chime in. I have been brewing beer for 15 years and making wine for 3 years. I just started my first batch of cider on 11/29/09.
I decided to use 2 gallons of store bought Gala apple juice to which I added 6 x 12oz. cans of apple juice concentrate. The juice was 12.5 brix and the concentrate raised it to 19.5 brix. In gravity points these would be about 1.050 and 1.078 respectively. I added .5 grams of pectic enzyme and pitched 4 grams of a wine yeast called Rhone 4600. I chose this yeast because I already had it in the fridge and the description seemed like it would yield a nice flavor in a cider. I am fermenting at 60 degrees F.
I noticed several posts about people who did not like the character that came from added simple sugars, so I figured some insight on using concentrate before fermentation would be appreciated. It smells great so far and I will update this post as it evolves in the future. If anyone has experience with this method let me know if this was a good recipe design? Thanks in advance.
Well, I can tell you that Rhone wine yeast leaves a very nice character with the apple juice, as that's what I used this past winter to do mine. It will also make your cider bone dry.
As far as recipe goes, looks like it should work, but I would definitely expect to let that stuff sit for at least 4 months after fermentation is complete to balance out.
4 months? I guess it wont be ready for Xmas. Wishful thinking I figured anyway. What do you recommend if anything for fining? I was thinking sparkolloid but I also have bentonite, gelatine, and pvpp.
I've used champagne yeast & it was to dry for me, without aging for a long time. & I don't seem to be able to age anything for even a short time. So, I've gone to Lavin D-47, leaves it a little sweet, & then I keg & force carb.
Got one going now with some honey & apple pie spices. So, yeah, it's really a melomel, but what the hell, it's good. Over the holidays, it will disappear.
I've made apfelwein with apple juice, apple juice concentrate, 1 pound of corn sugar and Montrachet yeast. OG was about 1.060 I believe and I left it in the carboy for almost 4 months. It was good a month or so after bottling but give it 6 months and its great. And I didn't use anything to filter; I just gave it time to clear on its own.
Thanks for all the info.. I was planning on stabilizing with K-sorbate and sweetening before either force carbing in a corny or bottling it flat. I will age it a while before deciding to sweeten or not.
Brewski wrote:
I've used champagne yeast & it was to dry for me, without aging for a long time. & I don't seem to be able to age anything for even a short time. So, I've gone to Lavin D-47, leaves it a little sweet, & then I keg & force carb.
Got one going now with some honey & apple pie spices. So, yeah, it's really a melomel, but what the hell, it's good. Over the holidays, it will disappear.
I thought that meads made with apple juice/cider were called "cysers"? Melomels I know are fruited meads, but they get more specific when it comes to apples and grapes(grape being a pyment).
Fermentologist wrote:
Thanks for all the info.. I was planning on stabilizing with K-sorbate and sweetening before either force carbing in a corny or bottling it flat. I will age it a while before deciding to sweeten or not.
If you are going to sweeten it, I would definitely toss a couple crushed campden tablets when you go to age it, so the yeasties are good-n-dead. Otherwise, those Rhone buggers will just pick back up again.
I wasn't thinking with my batch. I wanted it sweet, and tossed in a pound of brown sugar per gallon of juice and it wound up around 15% ABV. It's fine, just not what I was trying for.
Is there no concern about preservatives in simple store bought juice and concentrates? How does that effect the fermentation vs. using plain pastuerized cider?
Mort,
You are absolutely correct.
A cyser is a subcatagory of melomels, those made with apple juice, as a pyment is a melomel made with grapes.
Most of the other fruit combinations with honey are just referred to as "Whatever Fruit" Melomel.
Ref: The Compleat Meadmaker, Ken Schramm
Let's talk about potassium metabisulfite for a minute. It has a very minor effect on cultured yeast. Especially wine yeast strains. Using it without potassium sorbate is not going to keep yeast from consuming added sugar unless the yeast is already taxed do to age and or alcohol level. Potassium sorbate prevents yeast from reproducing but does not kill the yeast already present in the medium. The dose of sorbate depends on the alcohol level with higher alcohol requiring less sorbate to stop reproduction. In order for it to work, the ferment must have a very low yeast cell count. So age, rack, and possibly fine the ferment to get it as clear and yeast free as possible. Then add sulfite to protect against oxidation and bacteria. Finally add sorbate at the proper dosage to prevent refermentation, and sweeten away.
Let's talk about potassium metabisulfite for a minute.
Is that the same as campden tables??
Yes it is. Campden tablets can be either sodium or potassium bisulfite. They work the same way except for adding sodium or potassium respectively.
Pages: 1
Search Home Brewing Knowledge Base
Custom Search
|