bottle conditioning hard cider with raisins

At the same time I bottled the raspberry-pomegranate cider I added some priming corn sugar to the last bit of cider number 3 hoping that I'd get some carbonation. Even after several weeks the plastic liter bottle (laden with deadly bisphenol A, no doubt) had developed no pressure. I figured that whatever yeast it still contained after being racked twice and filtered once was either dead or fast asleep.

Thinking back to the kvas recipe I tossed in three raisins and put it in a dark cupboard to think about what it had done. I gave it a friendly squeeze after a couple of weeks, and sure enough the bottle was quite firm. Another week or two and it was rock hard so I opened 'er up.

Well, very very nice! The raisins made no undesirable flavor contribution as far as I could tell, and the moderate carbonation was an excellent enhancement.

As a further bonus the raisins provide live entertainment as they accumulate carbon dioxide, lazily climb to the surface, release their cargo, then drift back to the bottom.

I don't know if there's any particular reason to carbonate this way instead of using priming sugar and residual yeast when bottling, but it seems to be a handy trick for circumstances like this.

hard raspberry-pomegranate-apple cider, part 3

The raspberry-pomegranate-apple cider, bottled back in November, is really good. It has clarified beautifully, is nicely carbonated, and has lost its yeastiness. The flavors are well balanced. I didn't take any gravity measurements so I don't know the ABV but it has a surprising kick. I'd say it's in the 6% to 7% range.

I don't know that I'd be able to identify the non-apple fruit flavors without knowing the ingredients, but it definitely has a detectable touch of something different.

I should make something like this again. A puree of a couple of whole pomegranates per gallon of apple cider would probably be sufficient to dramatically affect both color and flavor.

I bottled this in the clear EZ-cap bottles that did not seal well when used for a previous ale. That must have been a usage error, as I've not had any trouble since then.

hard raspberry-pomegranate-apple cider, part 2

I bottled the cider today, drinking what didn't quite fit.

Clarification after adding the pectic enzyme has proceeded reasonably well. It has a nice translucence, if not total clarity. It's a lovely peachy color.

Flavor is dry and pleasantly tart with a nice balance between the apple and the other fruits. It has a faintly yeasty aroma, but I don't detect that as a flavor. I'd probably identify this as a rather fruity white wine if I tasted it blind.

It may be a little early to bottle, but I'd love to have it sparkling by Thanksgiving. I filled six 16 oz bottles, using about a teaspoon of corn sugar per bottle (boiled with cider). I just poured from the jug into the bottling bucket, figuring that it will be consumed before any problematic oxidation occurs.

hard raspberry-pomegranate-apple cider, part 1

Saw a gallon of flash pasteurized cider with no preservatives on sale (only one jug left, unfortunately) which reminded me that I hadn't made a hard cider in six months.

I wanted to try something different, but I hadn't exactly planned this. A bit of kitchen scavenging turned up a few raspberries, part of a pomegranate, and some honey. I still had additives and champagne yeast from last time. Sounded fine!

Some of these quantities are a little approximate:

• 2/3 teaspoon yeast nutrient
• 1/3 pomegranate
• 3 oz red raspberries
• 2 oz clover honey
• 1/3 packet Red Star champagne yeast
• 1 gallon Ryan's orchard blend flash pasteurized cider, unfiltered, no preservatives

Pureed the pomegranate and raspberries. Simmered for 10 minutes with honey and yeast nutrient. Tasted like basic raspberry jam with just a hint of the pomegranate. It darkened while cooking; perhaps if I'd used an acid blend it would have stayed bright. I don't think this quantity is going to make much difference in final color, but once all the apple particles have settled perhaps I'll be proven wrong.

Warmed the refrigerated cider in a hot water bath to just above room temperature, then poured cider and jam into the glass jug with splashing. Pitched dry yeast directly into the cider and jam mix and rocked it for a while. Very murky, as expected.

Is cooking the yeast nutrient a problem? I guessed not based on the fact that you boil wort.

At the November meeting of the North Seattle homebrew club I was told by Eric that it is best to add acid blend after primary fermentation is complete. Adding it prior to fermentation may create conditions that don't appeal to the yeast. He said that it should be added on the basis of sampling and tasting.

Primary fermentation was done within a week. It was explosively vigorous for the first hour; I should have just left it uncorked. I racked to a new jug, where more sediment settled quickly, but unlike the previous ciders it has not really clarified. Perhaps the pectic enzyme I used in those was really effective. I've read that it's best to add it before primary fermentation, but that it may still help if added later. I may or may not.

I sampled when racking. Nice! The raspberry is subtle. The pomegranate I would never identify in a blind tasting, but I think I can detect it. There is certainly a hint of pink, which I think might be more apparent after clarification. I don't think I need additional tartness.

2009-11-12 update: I sprinkled in about a teaspoon of pectic enzyme yesterday afternoon. Within a few hours I thought there was more sediment at the bottom, and after a day it's considerably clearer. I doubt that it will approach the clarity of the pure apple ciders but it's prettier.

first hard apple cider, part 4

This morning I racked the ciders into new gallon jugs, for the sake of clarity, and we had a taste. Another week or two and I'll bottle them. Here they are after racking, looking quite different than they did on March 11.

Number 1: Gravity is about 1.002 but it's not a good reading because of persistent bubbles. It might really be at 1.000. Flavor is tart and dry. Maybe a hint of yeastiness. There's nothing unpleasant about it. I didn't do a great job of keeping some of the sediment out when racking, so it's a little murkier than the others.

Number 2: Gravity is right around 1.000. Flavor is tart and dry, hint of yeast. We both like it a little better than #1 but it is very, very similar.

Number 3: Gravity seems to be below 1.000 but it's not a great reading. Good enough that I do think it's less than 1, though, which would put this at well over 9% ABV! The others will be around 7%. Flavor is rounder, less tart, less dry, but not sweet. There is more detectable sweetness but it doesn't feel well-integrated into the whole. The flavor of the brown sugar is clear. If that flavor persists into the final product then it's not a winner for me. This one is still fermenting slightly, judging by the small amount of bubbling in the airlock.

We both like 2 best. If it mellows for a while and is carbonated I think I'd like it tremendously. I'll have to keep some of it as a still cider, though, for comparison. I'd never had a still cider before now and I  liked it fine that way, although I suspect that I'll prefer it sparkling.

They have really clarified nicely.

first hard apple cider, part 3

After a week the cider fermentation has slowed considerably. Number 3, with the brown sugar, is showing the most activity but it's a small fraction of what it was at its peak.

Yesterday I noticed that the cider had cleared sufficiently to reveal the thick layer of particles accreted on the bottom.

I wonder what the white streaks in the sediment are. I hope it's not inadequately dissolved additive of some kind. If so then it's either the yeast nutrient or the pectic enzyme, since all three have it.

Number 3 is the least clear by a long shot.

Another week or so and I'll have a taste.

first hard apple cider, part 2

Fermentation of the cider has been going great guns since within about 12 hours of the yeast being pitched. I'd say it accelerated for about the next 12 to 24 hours. All airlocks are glurping enthusiastically, bubbling is intense, and the steady fizzing noise is remarkable. I did not expect it to be so talkative.

Klaus is intrigued. I suspect that he may have bat as well as cat genes.

first hard apple cider

I took the day off and decided to make a hard cider. Well, three hard ciders, as this is an experiment. At The Cellar I picked up three glass gallon jugs to use as primaries, some champagne yeast, and a few additives. I eluded the tantalizing maw of the cider press, tempting as it was.

My main reference materials were:

• http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-10-01/How-to-Make-Hard-Cider.aspx
• http://www.leeners.com/cider.html
• http://www.byo.com/stories/article/indices/22-cider/1096-make-your-own-cider
• http://www.fermentarium.com/content/view/43/58/
• http://www.instructables.com/id/Home_Brew_Hard_Cider_from_Scratch/
  

Ingredients:

• 3 gallons Columbia Gorge organic flash pasteurized cider, unfiltered, no preservatives
• 1 packet Red Star Pasteur Champagne dry yeast
• yeast nutrient
• acid blend
• pectic enzyme
• brown sugar
  

The only significant cost is the cider itself, at $8 per gallon at Central Market. I went with the dry yeast rather than the Wyeast cider smack-pack mainly because the latter didn't seem cost effective for an experimental three gallons. I asked about using citric acid for some tartness and was told that the acid blend would be better. I was told that the pectic enzyme is entirely optional but will aid clarification.

The yeast nutrient was also suggested. In reading Palmer's section on yeast nutritional needs I see why it's important. Malted barley provides the nitrogen and amino and fatty acids that yeast need. A wort (or must, in this case) lacking these elements, which I think is going to be the case with cider, would be more conducive to good fermentation with the addition of the nutrients.

All three gallons include 2/3 teaspoon each of yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme. Gallons 2 and 3 also contain the acid blend. Gallon 3 also contains eight ounces of brown sugar (dissolved in cider on the stove).

The additives were all dissolved in the jugs in a bit of cider. I proofed the yeast before pitching, then topped up with cider fairly noisily to achieve a little aeration. None of the cider was up to room temperature at this point, so I expect it may take a little longer than usual for fermentation to begin.

The original gravity of the plain cider is about 1.055. The gravity of the cider with brown sugar is about 1.069. Expected final gravity is 1.000, from what I've read.

I think I'd like to make all of these sparkling rather than still. Bottle-conditioning just like beer should do that. Guy at The Cellar also mentioned that the more it's racked the clearer it will get.