Posted on 10/05/2012 3:32:35 PM PDT by Red_Devil 232
Good afternoon/evening FReepers. Yep, it is Beer Thirty Time Once Again!
Happiness is a bubbling airlock! And a Cold Brew
BEER
Good evening/afternoon brewers and winemakers. Well FReepers I had a couple of unexpected strokes of good fortune this past week. If you have been visiting this thread the past few weeks you know I have been wanting to make a Hard Apple Cider and could not find fresh squeezed Apple Cider that did not contain potassium sorbate (a yeast growth inhibitor) and other additives. I resorted to frozen Apple Juice concentrate and made a one-gallon batch. Yesterday I needed some things from the local Wal-Mart and when I walked in the door there was a big display of Musselman’s Fresh squeezed Apple Cider, which does not have any of the bad additives in it! I bought two one-gallon jugs.
Earlier in the week I saw a commercial on a local TV station out of Shreveport, La. The commercial was for a local beer festival that was combined with a festival that has been on going in Shreveport for years. I did a search on the Web for more info and one of the sponsors was a Local Homebrew Store, which I did not know existed. I visited their website and they carry all the supplies and ingredients I have been ordering over the web. So now I have a local supplier (35 or so miles away) incase I need something or come up short on an ingredient or piece of equipment! Yea! Happy Me!
If you have not seen the video linked below, and are a beer lover you should watch. It was produced by the Descovery Channel and contends that Beer was the most important and influential invention in the world and critical to the birth and servival of civilization – not the wheel, not the airplane and not the car. The video is 43 min. long, fun and informative. Link to the youtube video below.
I hope all of you and your Brews and Wines are doing well. Stop by and share what you are brewing or let us know what your favorite brew, wine or spirit is.
Ping to the Homebrew List
Thought I would ping you to the video linked in the original post. Interesting facts/assumptions about human history and Beer.
Can you give me an idea of how much Lactose you added per gal.?
I found an Apple Orchard about a 90 minute drive from me that had fresh cider pasteurized with UV lights and no additives for about $7 a gal. I bought 5 gals.
Tonight I will start the batch and see what happens. This is my first time brewing, and I hope I don’t screw up too badly. . .
I used about 2/3 cup of lactose (to taste) for the gallon I made. The Musselmann’s cider I bought is much sweeter and tastier than the concentrate I used in my first attempt at Hard Cider. I will just have to see how much sugar the yeast uses during fermentation - taste test and adjust from there.
Watching UFC on FX and enjoying a few Goose Island Summertimes which were on sale. My local store has been having some great sales on beers I have yet to try so I haven’t been brewing for awhile.
Every fall I pick up,5 gallons of fresh, unpastuerized apple cider. Toss it in a carboy, slap on an airlock, and walk away. We will be bottling it this week. We like to make ours sparkle.
We put ours in EZ Caps. It ends up between 6 and 7% abv. Good stuff.
The Local Homebrew Store I found in Shreveport also carries all sorts of beers not typically available in stores that sell beer around here. I have not been to the store yet but I expect to find some excellent brews not available in any other store in my area. I can’t make it to that LHBS until late next week.
Do you prime it before Bottling? If you do, what do use for a primer? I am using 24 oz PET bottles and two Cooper’s priming tabs per bottle for my first sparkling Ciders because I have plenty of them. I used all my EZ swing caps to bottle my Cranberry mead.
Ferment your cider with a highly flocculant yeast. I prefer Wyeast #1968 (London ale). Chill after primary fermentation and siphon the clear cider off the yeast cake. Place the cider in the freezer, or outside if the temperature is below zero. Stir vigorously every 6 hours or so. Use a fine stainless steel strainer to filter out the ice crystals. Repeat until the applejack is of the desired strength.
With cold temperatures you can get the mixture to 80 to 100 proof.
Bottle.
Improves with age.
Even better when aged in oak!
I may do this after I gain a little more experience with making Hard Ciders. But I think I am going to prefer Beers in the long run.
You’ll need to add some yeast to that. UV kills it.
I use lactose for priming. About 3/4 cup for 5 gallons.
Lactose? It is a non-fermentable sugar. I just use it for a sweetner yeast can’t use it.
You are correct of course. It’s corn sugar. 3/4 cup per five gallon batch.
I reviewed all the posted comments from previous weeks on cider, and read a book I got at the LHBS. This is what I settled on.
5 Gal. Cider
1/4 tsp. Sodium Metabisulphite
5 tsp Yeast Nutrient
2 pounds less 3/4 cup corn sugar
Now to wait one day, then add Champagne yeast . . .
I added the step with the Sodium Metabisulphite just to be safe. I want to be sure to kill off all the bad little beasties (aka Democrats) in there. I reserved 3/4 cup corn sugar to carbonate with at the end.
I taste tested my cider brew with the help of a neighbor last night. This is the same batch that I thought was turning into vinegar because of the smell. My O.G. was around 1.080 and I never checked the F.G., but my neighbor walked through his screen door last night..............
Looking Real Good!
At 1.080 O.G. if your yeast was able to do its job you could be looking at 10 - 11% ABV. If you have not added anything else to it you can still take a F.G. reading.
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