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Cider Digest #0084
Subject: Cider Digest #84 Fri Dec 6 18:00:06 EST 1991
Date: Fri, 6 Dec 91 18:00:07 EST
From: cider-request@expo.lcs.mit.edu (Are you SURE you want to send it HERE?)
Cider Digest #84 Fri Dec 6 18:00:06 EST 1991
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Jay Hersh, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
Results of 4 test batches (Thomas Manteufel 5-4257)
Re: Cider Digest #83 Fri Dec 6 11:00:04 EST 1991 (karplus)
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Date: Fri, 6 Dec 91 11:38:14 CST
From: tomm@pet.med.ge.com (Thomas Manteufel 5-4257)
Subject: Results of 4 test batches
Here are a few more data points.
I made four gallon test batches of hard cider this fall. I made four
because that's the amount my brother gave me (for free). The apples
were nothing special - ("mostly red, and not too wormy" my brother told me
when I asked what kind they were) the cider was slightly sweet and
unfiltered before I started. Each batch was pasturized for 1/2 hour @
170F before pitching. I used Whitbread Ale yeast for all four batches,
repitching over the yeast from the previous batch.
1 - Straight cider. No added sugar. IG - 1.040. TG - 0.998. Fermentation
took about 2 1/2 weeks. A lot of the proteins settled out and this cleared
nicely (as did all the batches). The taste is very tart, not sour. It's
like (is) a very dry apple wine, almost Champagne. It's kind of rough right
now, but may mellow.
2 - 1 gallon cider, zest and juice (1/2 cup) from two oranges. 1 cup cane
sugar. IG - 1.052. TG - broken hydrometer. Fermentation took about 3 weeks.
The taste is almost as sweet as the original juice, but the orange imparts
a slight "metallic" taste. Okay taste, but not great.
3 - 1 gallon cider, 1 pound clover honey, 1 cup cane sugar. No gravity
readings. Fermentation only took 2 weeks. The taste is not as sweet as the
original cider. It is like a dry apple wine. This would probably be better
with aging.
4 - 1 gallon cider, 1 pound clover honey, zest and juice (3/4 cup) from two
oranges, and 1 1/4 cup cane sugar. No IG. TG - 1.038. Fermentation took
3 weeks. The taste is complex. It is possible to taste elements of the
honey, apple, and orange in progression. None dominates, so I can't really say
if it is sweet or sour. So far, it is everyone's favorite. Guess I'll make a
bigger batch next year.
Thomas Manteufel IOFC
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Date: Fri, 6 Dec 91 12:44:24 -0800
From: karplus@cse.ucsc.edu
Subject: Re: Cider Digest #83 Fri Dec 6 11:00:04 EST 1991
I've not made cyser or cider (yet), but have made many batches of mead.
I find tea to be a very useful addition to mead, both for the tannin and the
acid, but it might not be as useful in cyser---particularly not if you use
a tart apple juice. (Good luck finding a tart apple juice unless you
press your own!) My temptation for a cider would be to add no spices--you can
always spice after brewing if the flavor is weak.
For meads, I've had the best results going for a strong dessert wine (5lbs
honey/gallon water) using a white wine yeast. It takes a lot longer than
a weaker mead using an ale yeast, but the results are worth it to me.
[Caveat: I prefer port to beer---people with other tastes might prefer to
make a 2 lb/gallon mead with ale yeast.]
Kevin Karplus
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End of Cider Digest
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