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Pumpkin Cyser
We'll certainly be updating, I think we've pretty much narrowed down our final recipe, I'll post that eventually.
Would anyone have a clue as to what the OG might be? I think we've settled on 2Lbs of honey per gallon of cider. We'll just be using store bought cider/juice, but of course all natural, organic, no preservatives and all that jazz. We'll be doing a 5 gallon batch.
With two pounds per gallon, and the pumpkin you'll almost certainly be over 1.100. Like I said I did a batch where I started out with 1lb per gal roughly and was in the 1.096-98 range. You could be looking at 1.110 but that also depends on what the juice is before you start.
If you do go with the D-47 keep an eye on it after the first month, that same batch got down to .996 (bone dry) and I backsweetened, that time I did it wrong and just added the honey without disolving it in some more juice (See "Honey Just Crystalized" thread) but I stirred it up and it turned out just fine...and strong!
Remember to disolve the honey in warm apple juice, just warm enough to disolve it, no boil. Can't wait to hear all about it.
Hey, remember this thread?! Well the farmers markets are starting to get pumpkins which means it's just about time to brew this giant cyser. I just read the whole thread to remind myself of what the hell was going on. Does anyone have any experience using sweet mead yeast? White labs and wyeast both have a strain of the stuff and I'd think it'd be perfect for what Mike and I are going for. I'd love some confirmation on that though.
Also can anyone point me to a reference that will tell me how to calculate the predicted OG? sort of like brewing software for meads. That would be great. Also since we're adding fermentables to the primary/secondary (the pumpkin) how can we accurately calculate abv? If we take a reading of OG then later put pumpkin in our gravit will go up slightly.
Thanks all.
e_mott09 wrote:
Also since we're adding fermentables to the primary/secondary (the pumpkin) how can we accurately calculate abv?
The best way I know how, and this is what I do when I add new fermentables.
Take original gravity(X). Take final gravity before fermentables(Y). Add fermentables and take new original gravity(A). Take final gravity(B). Do this every time you add new fermentables.
(A-Y) + X = original gravity
B = Final gravity.
Enter data into ABV calculator from there.
The first calculation is now the new original gravity and do the same every time you add new fermentables.
I've had very good results with mead & ciders using Lavin D-47. & It's cheap.
Doesn't ferment to super dry like other wine & champagne yeasts.
Madscientistmike and I brewed this today. Aside from the spices we got all of our ingredients from two different local farmers markets. Even the honey was made in the town I live in. Mike and I are turning this into a tradition. We'll be brewing it and drinking it every October. It suck that this is the first time, and we won't be drinking it for a whole year, but t will be worth it. We've already got a friend designing labels (the headless horseman will be the focal point), and it will be bottled in slim black/green wine bottles swapped with red wax. So here was our final recipe.
All Hollows Mead
5 gallons cider
10lbs wild flower honey
2 pie pumpkins (seeded and skinned, baked in the oven with nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cloves)
7 cinnamon sticks
2 more pumpkins prepared the same way once fermentation has slowed significantly.
Lavlin D-47.
It's fermenting away nicely right now in my nice cool garage. 
I just reread this thread since we pitched today and Idk where my head was in the beginning of this lol. I come up with some CRAZY Ideas. Thank you all for politely steering me away from some of my original ridiculous ideas. Even though I was very against D47 in the beginning, I am happy we used it. I cant wait to drink this!
For some of you that have followed my previous posts, Eric and I tried my original brew today, still slightly premature. It was a 1 gallon oak mead. I am very pleased with it, and it makes me look forward to this cyser. I also pitched a 1 gallon smoked cider that I am also interested to try. It will be good to have all 3 drinks side by side next year to compare.
P.S. We didn't get a very pronounced pumpkin flavor heating up the pumpkin pieces in the cider and honey mixture. Anyone have ideas on how to increase pumpkin flavor?
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