Hard Cider Started

[admiral]

Today I pitched the yeast on a hard cider. It ia a recipe that was originally posted by tepe. When I put it all together, the starting SG was 1.084.
Two questions: What makes this a cider and not a wine? Does that SG look correct?

Here is the recipe:

Hard</span> Cider</span>


5 gallon apple cider</span>, preservation free, unpasteurized
2 lbs brown sugar
2 lbs honey
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
4-6 cinnamon sticks
2 pks cote des blancs yeast
5 campden tablets
4 teaspoon acid blend 2 teaspoons yeast energizer
2 teaspoons pectic enzime
2 cups white raisins (optional) I added</font>
1 cup pure maple syrup (optional) I added</font>
Start- day 1 mix cider</span> and crushed campdens
Day 2 add pectic enzyme, acid blend, yeast energizer
Day 2 + 6 hours add brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, mix very well
drop in raisins, cloves, cinnamon sticks, mix
Day 3 add yeast.
Ferment till dry. Stir every couple days.
After 2-3 weeks rack. Adjust taste if necessary.
After another 3 weeks rack again. Satbilize but don't clear.
Bottle after another 2-3 weeks.

 

[admiral]

Today, the raisins are plumped and the yeasties are fizzing. The winery smells of apples.

 

[vcasey]

I think Admiral, the difference between hard apple cider and apple wine is the amount of alcohol. The hard cider usually has a lower amount much like beer and its usually (but not always) carbonated.
Your recipe looks great, much like the one I made except I did not use maple syrup. HMMM.................
VC

 

[admiral]

Did my beginning SG look right to you for a Hard Cider?

 

[vcasey]

Looks more like a wine to me, or a really high gravity beer. Adding all those fermentables will boost the SG which makes it more wine like. But like I said it looks fantastic, treat it like a high gravity cider. Just remember the alcohol level before you indulge too much!
VC

 

[admiral]

Thanks! I am looking forward to this. It smells great right now!

 

[admiral]

It has now been a month and a half since I started this. It has cleared (I think.) It fermented dry to .996 (ABV = 11.6%) and the taste, as of today, is rather harsh. The recipe calls for no stabilizing or clearing.

Should I just bulk age this wine/cider and wait for the taste to improve? If I do that, after racking again, do I ever stabilize it? I have not degassed it. Should I? It really isn't that clear (can't see through the carboy.) Is that the way this is supposed to finish?

Thanks, in advance, for your help folks!

 

[vcasey]

I never clear my hard ciders or my hard lemonades, but I like them sweet so they get stabilized. If you plan on bottling them in wine bottles you'll need to stabilize, unless you don't mind shooting corks and wine spraying across the room. I have heard that maple syrup takes a while to come around so you may want to wait and let it age a bit and with the higher alcohol level as well treating it like a wine might not be a bad idea.
VC

 

[grapeman]

By my way of thinking, this one is a wine. Cider is usually around 5-6 % ABV not around 11 or so. I have never had an unsweetened apple wine that wasn't harsh for quite a while. You either love them or you don't. I have some apple wine from 2005 that is finally getting better. My wife likes it, so she has about 100 bottles of the stuff ahead of her.

 

[admiral]

I think it is wine as well. So, I will set this back in the dark and let it rest. I suppose I should sulfite it every three months as I do my bulk aging wines. Right?

vcasey and appleman, thanks for the help.

 

[vcasey]

Right, just treat as normal. I agree with appleman about putting it away for a while. You can also back sweeten with maple syrup or more honey or both. My apple cysers are pushing 2 years old and finally starting to get really good and I did sweeten them after stabilizing. How is the spice level? These make an excellent mulled wine.
Next time you make this add spices and whatever else you want, but do not add additional sugar and should keep the alcohol level down to under 6%.
VC