Cider Variations

Bubba Wade

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I just tapped a keg of cider I made and it turned out pretty well. To be honest, the reason I made cider is that my brewery is in my garage and it's just too dang hot in August in Louisiana to brew in there.

For a recipe I used 10 quarts pasteurized apple cider with no preservatives, Mangrove Jack M02 cider yeast, and nothing else. OG of 1.047 and FG of 1.000. Fermenter at 68 degree F. Natural carbonation in the keg.

What other variations of this have any of you used? What other flavors are complementary?

Thanks.
 
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I did one with 3 gallons Apple juice and 2 gallons cranberry juice. Wine yeast but don't remember which. No extra sugar. Came out great.
 
I use preservative free apple juice from Sam's Club, or Langers if I find it on sale. Rehydrated Lalvin EC-1118 yeast and 1/2 tsp each Wyeast Nutrient and DAP for 5.25 gallons in primary. Once it's fermented out and kegged, I use Brewers Best flavorings. One of the favorites around here is my Black Currant/Jalapeño. 1 oz. Black Currant flavoring/gallon and about the same amount of Jalapeño tincture, adding more if needed once it's force carbonated to about 2.5 volumes.
Probably the second favorite is Mango/Habanero, using the same recipe and next in line is Blackberry that takes 8 oz. of flavoring.

For the tincture, I seed and finely mince enough peppers in a mini food processor to half fill a pint Mason jar and add just enough vodka to cover them. Sit at room temperature for a couple of weeks and strain the tincture off of the peppers.
 
I do cranberry cider as well. I do 1 pound of crushed frozen cranberries per gallon of cider, and I add them after primary fermentation. I back sweeten with an unfermentable sugar like lactose and bottle condition.
 
I've been making cider out of apple juice and bakers instant yeast with temperatures as high as 35 oC and to my surprise it turned out pretty drinkable.
I've also thrown apple juice on the left over trub after making beer. Also worked pretty well (by that time I had some temperature control).
Currently I have apple juice on trub again, but this juice contained sodium benzoate and it ferments, but slowly slowly slowly (the refracto meter readings are going down, so I hope it ferments ;), it tastes less sweet now, than at the start. Also a good sign. Forgot to take a starting gravity reading, so no idea what it will turn out to be)
 
The apple juice we get here in the States is in the 1.048 to 1.052 range, so produces between 6.3% and 6.8% ABV if it ferments to 1.000. The Black Currant/Jalapeño I currently have on tap came in at 6.6%.
 

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