[TheForge] The hard cider is good... OT:

Fri Oct 22 13:30:02 EDT 2010

I personally cheat and buy the juice. Don't have and apple trees.

It's really a simple recipe in its most basic form. Juice, yeast, time.

You want a container that will not let outside air in, but you have to let the CO2 out, think p-trap.  You'll need to rack it off the lees every few days.  I start in a white plastic bucket, a little bigger than five gallons, then rack into a glass carboy.

Commercial juice has a specific gravity of 1.05, working from memory that can yield about 5.5% ABV. That's not strong enough for my liking, so I add more sugar to it once the specific gravity comes down. I wind up with about 13.7% ABV, on average. I use brown sugar and add about 3 pounds per five gallon batch. Just remember to factor in the additional sugar when figuring the final alcohol content. 

I always make a yeast starter consisting of 1.5 cups of juice, yeast nutrient, acid blend, and of course the yeast. I find it easiest pour the dry ingredients in first, then dump in the juice. Usually don't have to stir a bit. If you do stir the yeast starter, wash your spoon off as soon as you are through, yeast tends to stick to anything it dries on. I'll let it set several hours before pitching it into the juice. After you do this it's called must(beer guys call the fermenting mixture wort).

Some people will tell you to stir it every day, some will tell you not to. I haven't noticed a difference. A heavy white foam will form on top of the must, this is normal, do not be alarmed. In a few days, this goes away.  I have a glass carboy that I siphon(rack) the must into after it does. You could leave it in the first container, if you don't have a glass carboy, that's how they used to do it. DON'T use a plastic water jug, they are gas permeable and can lead to oxidization of the cider. A good brew shop will have plastic carboys but they are made from different plastic. You really need to rack it off the dead yeast(lees) every week or so.  

I use potassium sorbate to stop the fermentation when the alcohol content is where I want it. I use a hydrometer and well as taste it. Some recipes you need to leave with more sugar than others. It's a matter of personal taste, and also depends on if it's spiced and with what.

Once I stop the fermentation, I leave it in the carboy and let the yeast settle to the bottom, racking the cider off and cleaning the carboy about once a week. I keep doing this until it's nice and clear.

>From time to time I make a spiced cider. 
5 gallons juice
Cinnamon sticks(usually about 6)
Three or so oranges peeled and the pieces seperated. 
Yeast starter.

I'll fish the cinnamon sticks and oranges out when I'm ready to rack the must into the carboy. Cinnamon goes in the trash, oranges go into my mouth(unless I'm dumb enough to invite a buddy over while I'm doing it, then he wants some). 

I hope that's as clear as mud. Now for some metal content, in days of old, they'd plunge a hot piece of iron called a loggerhead  into their cider to warm it up when it was cold.

Message body
Anyone even remotely interesting is mad
in some way or another. 

	-Anon

> Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:27:59 -0700
> From: blakkpawss at yahoo.com
> To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] The hard cider is good... OT:
> 
> By the way in all this discussion of making hard cider, other than the freezing to make mind blower juice, I've not seen anything about recipes or methods.  I've found some recipes online with methods.  But, I'd like to hear some tried and true stuff from people that have done it and not take the word of netfolk.  
> 
> Also how are you pressing your juice?  I know you can buy a press but I wondered if anyone had an alternate way to press?  That way I don't have to buy a press and then not get enough use to justify the purchase.  
> 
> Inquiring minds want to know and potential lushes want to know even more so.
> 
> --- On Thu, 10/21/10, Jerry Frost <akfrosty at mtaonline.net> wrote:
> 
> > From: Jerry Frost <akfrosty at mtaonline.net>
> > Subject: Re: [TheForge] The hard cider is good... OT:
> > To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> > Date: Thursday, October 21, 2010, 1:12 PM
> > I can't say, I don't remember much
> > from that winter but fine for swizzling a 
> > coctail I'm sure.
> > Jer
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "peter fels & phoebe palmer" <artgawk at thegrid.net>
> > To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> > Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2010 9:07 AM
> > Subject: Re: [TheForge] The hard cider is good... OT:
> > 
> > 
> > >  You are a dangerous man Mr Frost.
> > > How much more brittle is carbon steel at that low a
> > temperature Jerry?
> > >
> > > On 10/20/2010 11:34 AM, Jerry Frost wrote:
> > >> Freezing wine or cider is called "Winter Wine" or
> > jack. Some decades ago 
> > >> I
> > >> discovered 90 proof single malt scotch will freeze
> > at -45f as will Vodka. 
> > >> I
> > >> have no idea what the new proof was but they were
> > a LOT stronger.<grin>
> > >>
> > >> I'm lovin this thread! It's a perfect example of
> > why I like hanging with
> > >> blacksmiths.
> > >> Jer
> > 
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