Goal: Angry Orchard-like Hard Apple Cider

[KatyDinkle]

First time cider-maker, have made wine from kits and juice for about two years.

I've read what I could find on cider making here. Went to pick-up local cider from my supply store and tasted their hard cider - didn't care for it! Too bitter and a hint of vinegar (to my untrained tastebuds, anyway).

I love Angry Orchard - a little sweet and a little bubbly. (Their's was very bubbly.)

Any tips or recipes that you recommend for this goal?

Thanks!

 

[KatyDinkle]

Just took an SG of an Angry Orchard - slightly below 1.030! No wonder I like it...sweet!

 

[BernardSmith]

Wikipedia suggests that Angry Orchard get their apples from Europe (French Bittersweet and Italian "culinary") and I think that that (or something like that ) is likely to be the "secret" so unless you have access to some true cider apples (cooking apples rather than eating apples) my guess is that it is going to be a challenge to clone that cider.
But that said, to make a bubbly sweet cider (and I do not advocate this I am merely reporting) you may need to pasteurize the cider while there is still some residual sugar and before you have allowed the cider to degas (pasteurize in the bottle). How dangerous that is I have no idea but I would take out lots of life insurance and make sure that your home is also fully insured. Alternatively , if you brew beer or know folk who do and you can force carb the cider then you can stabilize and then backsweeten and then force carbonate. Perhaps Sodastream can do that job....
Another option may be to use a non fermentable sugar to sweeten the cider while priming the finished cider with about 1 oz of corn sugar per gallon. That will provide your cider with some "fizz" but be sure to use beer or other bottles that can withstand the pressure of the CO2.
Good luck...

 

[Deezil]

I've tried quite a few ciders... Are these one of the ones that has the green-apple sort of bite to it?

If so, it's not too difficult.. You'll need some quality cider - easy to find this time of year; if any local source fails there's always the Mussellman's cider at Wal-mart in the fall.. But you'll also want a good amount of granny smith apples.

There's various ways to you could the fruit in the ferment, each is going to have a slightly different effect and alter the outcome some, so it may take some trial and error before you find the process that works best for your taste buds. The first is to add it to the beginning of the fermentation; the second is during the transfer from the primary fermentation bucket to the secondary fermentation carboy; or third, after fermentation is over and you've racked off the gross/first set of lees/sediment, during what's almost bulk aging at that point.

Then just add k-meta, sorbate and backsweeten it.. If you like the ones with the bite, that's found in the acidity-residual sugar balance.. But if you know you like it just under SG 1.030, then get that right first, and fix the acidity with an acid blend afterward.

To get the "bubbly" part, you just need a small kegging system, but thats a whole 'nother ball of wax.. I'd just try to figure out how to get the cider right without the bubbles first.. Then when you have a repeatable process, work on the bubbles


Having a source of cider apples would be far superior, but not everyone does, so.. For the average joe, above is the easiest and most reliable/repeatable..

 

[KatyDinkle]

Make hard cider, then carbonate it. We have a home soda set up Called Charlie O it has a co2 bottle with a regulator and a hose that attaches to a bottle which the soda is placed in to carbonate. It would work for cider, wine, mead, anything. I think Walmart has home soda pop kits that work the same way. Hook it up Voilà bubbly hard cider.

That is really interesting! So, would I carbonate each bottle and then cap it or do you have to carbonate it immediately prior to drinking it?