the_rayway
Always busy
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- Aug 3, 2012
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We did our (now) annual apple crush on the weekend! Approx 250 Lbs of crabs - unknown variety. I did not have the freezer space to freeze many before hand so they went in raw this year.
We rented an electric crusher, and press this year, total cost was $70 incl tax for the weekend-long rental. Wish I had picked more apples!! The total output was 9 gal UK, so plenty for me to work with.
After processing 12 Litres to make them shelf-stable for the kids to drink, and plonking a gallon in the freezer, I was left with exactly enough to make two 11.5L batches (port kit sized).
An old friend from the site gave me his apple cider recipe, here's where I started with one batch. I changed a couple of things by accident/on purpose:
Batch #1 Pumpkinman's Cider
- 11L Crab Apple juice
- White sugar to S.G. 1.080
- 2 vanilla beans, split
- 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
- 1Pkg 71B yeast (to reduce malic acid)
- 1/3 cup medium french toast oak chips
- 1/4 tsp FermK
- 1/4 tsp Kmeta
1. I added the Kmeta to the juice and sugar on day one
2. Day two I added the pectic, oak chips and vanilla bean
3. Day three I added the yeast. Realized the next morning I pitched the wrong one. Ah well, it will still do the job!
4. Day four a small foaming was starting, so I left it till the evening then popped in the first dose of FermK. Stirred the heck out of it.
*Hopefully by tonight there will be more of an active ferment happening, it's lagging behind the other one in terms of activity.
As to the second batch, I want to do something that will warm me up when it's -40Celcius in the winter and to drink when the autumn days become long and cool. With the option to drink it warm or cool.
Batch #2 - Ray's Apple...Something
- 11L Crab Apple juice
- Golden Brown sugar to S.G. 1.095
- 2 vanilla beans, split
- 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
- 1pkg Nottingham Ale yeast (see accident above)
- 1Pkg 71B yeast (to reduce malic acid)
- 1/3 cup medium french toast oak chips
- 1/4 tsp FermK
- 1/4 tsp Kmeta
Same as above, only I ended up re-pitching with the 71B. Nottingham Ale wouldn't have gotten going with that high a starting SG!
The Cider I would like to end up sweet and sparkling, so once it's fermented down and cleared, I'll use Tom's method of adding brown sugar and honey to backsweeten/secondary ferment and check a bottle each week until the ideal carbonation is achieved. Then I will pasteurize the bottles to stop fermentation. I'm going to leave it fairly simple, possibly adding some American Oak during clearing for more vanilla/toffee flavours.
The Apple Something is still in the thought-adjustment phase. Likely there will end up being a touch of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and peppercorn added at some point. Also will keep my options open regarding the addition of further oak types and toast levels (American, French, untoasted, heavy toast, etc.), and more vanilla. I'm considering the addition of a few coffee beans as well, but nothing too overpowering. I want to backsweeten this one with honey, preferably with one I purchased from a co-worker, if I can get my hands on some more.
Pics to come!
We rented an electric crusher, and press this year, total cost was $70 incl tax for the weekend-long rental. Wish I had picked more apples!! The total output was 9 gal UK, so plenty for me to work with.
After processing 12 Litres to make them shelf-stable for the kids to drink, and plonking a gallon in the freezer, I was left with exactly enough to make two 11.5L batches (port kit sized).
An old friend from the site gave me his apple cider recipe, here's where I started with one batch. I changed a couple of things by accident/on purpose:
Batch #1 Pumpkinman's Cider
- 11L Crab Apple juice
- White sugar to S.G. 1.080
- 2 vanilla beans, split
- 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
- 1Pkg 71B yeast (to reduce malic acid)
- 1/3 cup medium french toast oak chips
- 1/4 tsp FermK
- 1/4 tsp Kmeta
1. I added the Kmeta to the juice and sugar on day one
2. Day two I added the pectic, oak chips and vanilla bean
3. Day three I added the yeast. Realized the next morning I pitched the wrong one. Ah well, it will still do the job!
4. Day four a small foaming was starting, so I left it till the evening then popped in the first dose of FermK. Stirred the heck out of it.
*Hopefully by tonight there will be more of an active ferment happening, it's lagging behind the other one in terms of activity.
As to the second batch, I want to do something that will warm me up when it's -40Celcius in the winter and to drink when the autumn days become long and cool. With the option to drink it warm or cool.
Batch #2 - Ray's Apple...Something
- 11L Crab Apple juice
- Golden Brown sugar to S.G. 1.095
- 2 vanilla beans, split
- 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
- 1pkg Nottingham Ale yeast (see accident above)
- 1Pkg 71B yeast (to reduce malic acid)
- 1/3 cup medium french toast oak chips
- 1/4 tsp FermK
- 1/4 tsp Kmeta
Same as above, only I ended up re-pitching with the 71B. Nottingham Ale wouldn't have gotten going with that high a starting SG!
The Cider I would like to end up sweet and sparkling, so once it's fermented down and cleared, I'll use Tom's method of adding brown sugar and honey to backsweeten/secondary ferment and check a bottle each week until the ideal carbonation is achieved. Then I will pasteurize the bottles to stop fermentation. I'm going to leave it fairly simple, possibly adding some American Oak during clearing for more vanilla/toffee flavours.
The Apple Something is still in the thought-adjustment phase. Likely there will end up being a touch of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and peppercorn added at some point. Also will keep my options open regarding the addition of further oak types and toast levels (American, French, untoasted, heavy toast, etc.), and more vanilla. I'm considering the addition of a few coffee beans as well, but nothing too overpowering. I want to backsweeten this one with honey, preferably with one I purchased from a co-worker, if I can get my hands on some more.
Pics to come!