[TheForge] The hard cider is good... OT:
Hoss McGregor
thor54 at hotmail.com
Sat Oct 23 09:27:22 EDT 2010
I've had great luck using Tree Top brand juice. It's just pasteurized, no preservatives. The problem with preservatives is they preserve. If the juice has ascorbic acid(vit. C) that's fine, might even be advantageous. Yeast prefer a more acidic environment than most other biologicals that could set up shop. In fact, Vitamin C is the primary acid in the acid blend that brew shops sell.
I've never intentionally made a sparkling cider, so I can't give you many tips on that. I do seem to remember that you don't use the potassium sorbate. You'll want to use something besides the standard wine bottles that I use. Champagne or beer. IIRC, Bud and Miller and the like aren't suitable, the glass is to thin and gives out under the pressure. Even the thicker bottles that microbrews come in can only be reused once or twice. After that they start breaking.
Message body
Anyone even remotely interesting is mad
in some way or another.
-Anon
> Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2010 05:52:41 -0700
> From: blakkpawss at yahoo.com
> To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] The hard cider is good... OT:
>
> So far what I've read you have to buy juice that is either in raw form or has been handled a certain way. I've read that preservatives in the juice are a big no-no and that it needs to have any wild biologicals killed. preferably by UV pastuerization to keep it clear. it could be boiled but that makes it cloudy. From you experience how much of that is true? By the way I'm totally fine with it being around 5% ABV and will probably bottle with a little sugar to get some carbonization going(i like a little fiz and foam).
>
> --- On Fri, 10/22/10, Hoss McGregor <thor54 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > From: Hoss McGregor <thor54 at hotmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [TheForge] The hard cider is good... OT:
> > To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
> > Date: Friday, October 22, 2010, 12:30 PM
> >
> > 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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