Update: 21:22 hrs. Both brews are bubblin’ away nicely, although the cider looks like it’s a fully carbonated, shook up pop, it’s fizzing so much. Ya think too much sugar? I actually used half as much as the new recipe I found called for, but it’s looking like something else… Oh, well. 🙂
It’s that time of year. Unfortunately, since I just started the cider today, it won’t likely be ready for Thanksgiving, but it’ll most certainly be ready for Xmas.
This is a really simple, easy-peasy cider recipe. Uses all stuff you can get off the shelf in most grocery stores, except for the wine yeast, which may not be available in your local store.
- 2.5 gallons of apple juice
- 1 quart “hyper-concentrated” apple juice (from frozen concentrate, made with 1/3 the water called for on the cans)
- 4C sugar
- 1 package Red Star Premier Couvée wine yeast
Heated the juice in a stock pot to 100-105 degrees Fahrenheit (about 40 degrees Celsius). Simmered slowly at about that temp.
Took about 1C of the sugared juice in a clean crockery bowl and added the yeast. Covered and let sit for about 15 minutes.
Checked the apple juice. Turned off heat and let cool a bit.
When the juice had reached a clear 100 degrees F, added it a bit at a time to my primary fermenter. When I had about a gallon in the fermenter, added the proofed yeast (it was really bubbling away!) and sirred with a clean stainless steel spoon. Added the rest of the juice pretty quickly after that, then added the airlock and placed the fermenter in a warm place, covered from light.
I’ll check back in a day to see how it’s cooking. In about a week, it could be ready to rack. I may just skip secondary fermenting, save for some bottle fermenting, of this first batch. We’ll see.
Next up? Some “Nut Brown Ale”. That’s cooking away in the stock pot now, with yeast proofing on the side. In 30 minutes or so, it’ll be time to start cooling the wort down… which I’ll do “impatient man’s style” by adding a gallon or so of cooler water. I’ve found by experience that that works as well for me as just letting it sit–at least with these “kit beers” like this “Nut Brown Ale” is.
When Thanksgiving weekend comes around, I want to cook up some beer that’s more from scratch, but getting back into the swing of another season of beer brewing, this is an easy way to get some better than average brew going.