Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

Hard Cider Update

On October 26, 2011

Tonight, I pulled a sample from the bubbling carboy to check on the current specific gravity. The hydrometer read 1.004.

I tasted the cider and all I can say is ale yeast is the way to go. When making hard cider, use ale yeast.

Yeah, I said it twice and it’s still early but this cider is way superior compared to the one I made with champagne yeast.

Sure, my base cider was probably better this time around too. Even without that variable, I now know the difference between an apple wine and an apple cider.

I was going to bottle it up after my final gravity target was hit but the plan now is to rack this cider into a new vessel and let it clear. I may stick it in the fridge to slow fermentation and hasten the clearing.

Once it’s clear, I’ll bottle. The target is to have something to drink at Thanksgiving. I think the timeline is tight but doable.

Hard Cider Making 2011

By John Krochune

On October 23, 2011

In Brew Log

I bought the farm fresh cider on Thursday and I was able to put it all together on Friday.

I added the 2 pounds of sugar and the 4 gallons of apple cider together and met my target gravity of somewhere between 1.060 and 1.065.

I heated the mixture to 150°F for 20 minutes and then I put the lid on my pot and let it cool in a water bath. I didn’t use my immersion chiller. I didn’t want to fuss with it for the cider.

While it was cooling, I proofed the two packets of Nottingham yeast in water I boiled and let cool to 85°F.

After stirring with a sanitized spoon, it foamed up in 15 minutes.

I added my yeast nutrient and energizer, then I racked it to a glass carboy. For 30 minutes, I aerated it with the ol’ aquarium pump and stone.

I took some snapshots to document this year’s hard cider making:

Hard Cider Recipe

By John Krochune

On October 18, 2011

In Brew Log, Recipes

Ok, I think I have my hard cider recipe for 2011.

Ingredients

4 Gallons of Cider from Cider Hill Farm.

2 pounds of white sugar

2 packets of Lallemand Nottingham Ale yeast

Someday, we’ll get back to pressing our own apples. This year, we’re going to get the process down. The last time I made cider, it came out really dry with no real apple taste.

With buying quality cider, I am hoping the base will be superior to what we pressed two years ago.

Instructions

My plan is to add the sugar to the cider over some heat to dissolve the sugar and get my starting gravity to 1.060 to 1.065.

Instead of using sulfites, I am going to heat the cider/sugar mixture and hold it at 150°F for 20 minutes. I am looking to kill wild yeasts – maybe someday I will skip this step. This time around, I am looking to keep my variables to a minimum.

Chill it to 70°F. While it’s chilling, I will proof my dry yeasts and get them ready for pitching.

Before I pitch, I will aerate the sweetened, hopefully pasteurized cider.

Once fermentation has started, I am going to keep an eye on it. I think last time I let it ferment too long. I think once fermentation starts to slow, I’ll be stealing samples to taste for sweetness.

Rather than ferment too long and back sweetening, I plan to rack it, prime it, and bottle it when it comes to my sweetness preference.

Once it carbs up, I plan to cold crash it in my fridge so the yeast will stop fermenting and I won’t have bottle bombs.

I may pasteurize some bottles by boiling them in my kettle but we’ll see what I have time to do and what space I have in my fridge.

See you on Thursday when I get this cider going.

Raspberry Mead Update

By John Krochune

On October 13, 2011

In Brew Log

I have been having fun with this mead but I don’t exactly know what I am doing. I added yeast nutrient and yeast energizer to the fermentation bucket every day for the first three days.

I was degassing the must. I was adding the stuff. I was stirring it up again.

Although I didn’t take a gravity reading after it all came together, I found a calculator online and estimated that started off at 1.110.

When I took a gravity reading at day three, it was at 1.040.

Two days ago, the gravity reading was at 1.000.

The plan was to let it hang in primary for two weeks and then rack it to a glass carboy for some conditioning for… I don’t know… two months.

I’ll keep tasting it over the course of the conditioning phase. The few samples I did taste were fusel-ly as all hell.

I don’t know how this mead is going to turn out but I am not giving up hope.

Here’s some photos of the fun.

Best Cider Yeast

By John Krochune

On October 11, 2011

In Yeast

Through internet research and informal polling, I have come up with the list for the best yeast to make hard cider.

I am not sure if it is THE list, but it’s the best from what I gathered.

In the past, I have used a Champagne yeast strain and it made a very dry cider. I was looking for a better alternative.

Here is my list for the best cider yeasts:

Lallemand Nottingham Ale
Safale S-04
White Labs WLP775 English Cider Yeast

Again, this list is based on asking people online about what they use and reading forums, blog posts, brewing websites, etc.

I haven’t used any of these personally but before the end of October, I will.

Mike is heading to a Local Home Brew Shop in Cambridge, MA tomorrow and I gave him this list as a guide. I don’t have a preference outside of using something that isn’t champagne yeast.

It was interesting that Wyeast and Mead yeast did not make the list. Hmmmm.

Any other thoughts?