Question on this.....Monica feel free to jump in as this is your recipe. Everyone else....dying for opinions.
The Cider recipe is going along great. Excellent fermentation, bubbling well with SG as follows;
Original SG 1.10 (Added brew belt after day three)
Day 5 SG=1.074
Day 6 SG=1.062
Day 7 SG=1.052
Day 8 SG=1.042
The recipe calls for keeping it in primary for 4 weeks and then timing the airlock. I'm thinking that at this rate the fermentation will be done in a week or so from now. Do I leave it in the primary or move it when it gets to 1.015 or so.
I'll post the original recipe from Monica below. So far this thing TASTES GREAT, SMELLS GREAT and LOOKS GREAT.
Original Recipe:
Here is my apple cider recipe. I have had lots of luck with it and it has caused many forgotten nights!
5 - gallons of apple cider. (no preservatives but pasteurized is ok)
10 lbs of sugar
12 - cinnamon sticks
1tsp wine tannin
4tsp acid blend
2 - teaspoons of yeast nutrient
1 pack of Cote De Blancs
For those of you that are in the Lancaster County Pa area, Cherry Hill Orchards is the best place for the cider. As a side note, they also sell cherry/apple cider. Don't use this!! It comes out tasing like Robotussin.
Sanitize your fermenting bucket and pour in a gallon of cider. Add the wine tannin, acid blend and yeast nutrient to the gallon in the bucket. Simmer the other 4 gallons on low heat with the cinnamon sticks. DO NOT BOIL. Once you bring it up to a simmer turn off the heat. Add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Pour it into the bucket with the other ingredients. Start the yeast while the cider is cooling. Once it's cool enough to add the yeast stir it in with a big stirring spoon. Put the lid on and attach the air lock. Within 24 hours you should see the air lock bubbling. After about 4 weeks start timing the bubbles in the air lock. Once they are more than 1 minute apart rack it into a carboy. This will not clear completely, its ok that way. Wait 3 weeks and then bottle. I have used beer bottles and wine bottles. Either way it has always come out great! I know that there isn't any sg measurements, but this is they way I've always done it. I did measure a batch once and it came out to 15%. ENJOY!