Clinton's Cider Recipes

Notes on various cider recipes... I don't take this as seriously as actual brewing (read: I'm too lazy to do density measurements or anything fancy with the ingredients) so the notes are not of the usual quality.

Cider #1 (late 2010)

• 1 gal Harris Teeter cider
• 7/16lbs corn sugar
• Yeast: probably Redstar Montrachet

OG = 1.070@50F (1.069 corrected), FG = 1.008 @ 70F

Basically edwort's apfelwein but bottled still. Remember this being tolerable for hooch cider.

Cider #2

Just a jug of Earthfare cider and US-05. Not the greatest at first, but finished somewhat sweet and was OK after a bit.

Cider #3

Notes lost it seems ... extrapolating from the past:

• 1 gal cider
• ?? honey (probably 340g)
• Harris teeter frozen blackberries (weight unknown)
• Safbrew T-58 yeast (belgian ale)

Recall the OG being something like 1.086, FG around 1.005 ... this was really good, and Cider#6 is an attempt at reproducing it on a larger scale with better ingredients... Need to locate the notes for this one!

Cider #4 (2011-09-11)

• 3 gal "perrt lowe orchards" apple cider (0.1% sorbate!)
• 750mL "johnson's peaches" peach cider (no presevatives)
• 44oz "tart farms" honey (pale, unspecified variety)
• 2 packets montrachet red

23:00

1. Heated 3/4 gal cider to 140F and mixed in honey
2. Mixed w/other ingredients in fermenter
3. Treat with 4 campden tablets and let sit for 24 hours

SteveKillen lied: fermenter not 3.5gal, used 5 gal glass fermenter instead

Original Gravity = 1.076 @ 68F

2011-09-13

• 01:26 rehydrated two packets of red star montrachet in 8oz distilled water (room temp, low vol, bad clinton) for 15 min
• 01:49 pitched @ 74F, put into fridge with active beer (t=66F)

2011-09-25

• 21:10 1.030 @ 71F

2011-10-05

• 1.008 @ 74F

Almost there!

2011-11-25

• 00:30 0.996 @ 65F

Beer is pretty clear, preparing to rack into "secondary" (for additional filtering/crashing purposes).

Cold crashing -> 48F

2011-11-29

• Left out of fridge for a day...

• Racked onto two campden tablets into 3 gal BetterBottle (got exactly 3 gal!)

Cold Crashing -> 40F

Cider #5 (2011-11-26)

• 6 gal "Sugar Loaf Orchards" cider (flash pasteurized, no preservatives)
• 44oz "Tart Farms" honey ("near the mountains, sourwood")
• 44oz Nathan Carter honey (High Point NC, from a farm)
• Redstar Montrachet yeast

Cider gravity 1.062@52F

1. Heat .75 gal cider -> 100F, dissolve 44oz honey

2. Repeat
3. Treat with campden, leave overnight

2011-11-27

Rehydrate 2 packets redstar montrachet in 2 cups cider

Mixed Cider OG = 1.086 @ 72F

2011-11-28

Fermentation began! Moved into fridge temporarily to drop from 71F -> 60F.

2011-11-29

• 03:09 @ 60F. Remove from fridge to cold crash Cider #4

New goal is ~74F for fermentation.

Cider #6 (2012-03-18)

• 44oz "W.G. White & Co" honey from Mocksville, NC

• 3 gallons Earthfare apple juice (SG = 1.052) [Season ended, couldn't acquire desired cider]
• 2 gallons Sugarloaf Orchard Cider (SG = 1.058)
• 1.39kg Vinters Harvest Blackberry Puree (SG = 1.052)
• 1/2 tsp Wine Tannin to compensate for lack of tannins in Earthfare "cider" juice
• Safbrew T-58 yeast (Belgian Ale)

Attempt at re-creating a superior version of the 1 gallon blackberry cyser (#3)

2012-03-18

1. Heated 2 quarts Earthfare cider to ~120F, mixed in honey
2. Combined 6 crushed campden tablets and wine tannins into 1 pint water; pitched into fermenter
3. Mixed all cider, blackberry puree, and honey-cider into fermenter (stirred for a few minutes)

SG = 1.068@78F (1.070 corrected). Needs more gravity ... going to add another 44oz of honey to increase SG.