Everclear Apple Pie, with fall out?

  • PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.

SuperSquirrel

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jun 27, 2011
34
0
6
Texas
I grabbed some Everclear on a whim the last trip to the store. I decided it'd be a nice treat to mix up a batch of apple pie to have it ready for Christmas/New Year's. Mixed it up a couple days ago and have two 1gal carboys in the supply closet and a 750ml bottle in the drink fridge. I am noticing that I've got some kind of fall out collecting on the bottom of all three containers. Anyone shed some light on what and why? First thing that might stand out is the Ksorbate and Campden tablet. I did this on my own, not according to any recipe, purely as a preventative. It's probably unnecessary but it's pinging my alarm as a/the reason for the fallout. Could it be from the cider? But I await some ideas.

Here is my notes and recipe:


1 gal. Apple Juice
1 gal. Apple Cider
1-1/4c Brown sugar
8 Cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
750ml Everclear 151 proof (75.5%)
375ml Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum 92 proof
1 Campden Tablet
K Sorbate


In large container/pot combine juice, cider, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. SG: 1.062. Add Everclear and spiced rum. Stir. SG: 1.043. Transfer as much liquid to two 1gal glass carboys as will fit. Place 4 cinnamon sticks per carboy (take from pot). Place 1 clove per carboy. Place ½ Campden tablet and a small pinch of Ksorbate per carboy. Close carboys with rubber plug. Place carboys in dark, cool, dry place for a couple weeks.

Pour the remaining liquid into the empty 750ml Everclear bottle. Add 1 cinnamon stick and 1 clove. Put in fridge. Can drink immediately but the flavors will not have infused. More wait, more flavor.

Drink whatever is left over, about a cup.​

I planned to pour right out of the carboys and drink. I'm not interested in racking off but it'll look prettier if it were clear. So might have to...?? Either way, it's drinkable.

Also, with the SG measurements up there, that enough to do the math for an ABV%?
 
Sounds pretty good!

My guess is that the sediment is probably from the cider. In any case, seems unlikely that it is cause for alarm, aside from the presentation. I got 8.5% ABV with my calculations.
 
Thanks Shmafty. I'm having a hard time staying out of this batch. Been wanting to try this recipe for a while. And now it's here!

For future batches I'm going to adjust the juice/cider proportions, perhaps use concentrate for stronger flavor and not water down the alcohol. I'd like to work up to a higher ABV% so it really knocks off the socks. You know, have on hand for those night we get a little crazy :laughing7:
 
Yep, probably just the K sorbate, or sediment from the cider, if it wasn't pasteurized and filtered. Bump that alcohol level a little higher, and then you won't need to use either sulfites or sorbates.

Oregon has the 96% stuff. Still have a couple handles at the house from the last trip I made there. Used to make jello shots with it for parties... now I'm old and don't party. Apple pie is delicious.
 
That does sound delicious! Why not just use another bottle of Everclear and infuse two cans of apple juice concentrate with the clove/cinnamon for about 20 min on the stove, then cool and mix with the booze.

I bet that will knock your socks off for sure! You can lower the alcohol content by adding spring water or apple juice.

Now I want to do this!
 
Thinking forward to the next batch, two bottles of 750ml doesn't sound crazy ;D I'm certainly leaning towards the concentrate for flavor and higher ABV but I do want to be able to have "a whole bunch". So if I can find that balance of ABV/volume and cost, I'll be pretty happy.

As for doing the batch on the stove, it was my understanding that aging made for better flavor than adding the heat for a quick flavor infusion. That the temperature heat would draw out some of the raw/hot flavors of the spices compared to letting them infuse at a slower, lower temp rate. But this being my first batch I'm working purely off theory and anecdotal evidence of internet blogs.

Like mead, te hard part is staying out of it and let it do it's thing. I realized today that I forgot about it and hadn't peeked into the closet lately. It is much easier waiting if I can forget about it lol
 
Thinking forward to the next batch, two bottles of 750ml doesn't sound crazy ;D I'm certainly leaning towards the concentrate for flavor and higher ABV but I do want to be able to have "a whole bunch". So if I can find that balance of ABV/volume and cost, I'll be pretty happy.

As for doing the batch on the stove, it was my understanding that aging made for better flavor than adding the heat for a quick flavor infusion. That the temperature heat would draw out some of the raw/hot flavors of the spices compared to letting them infuse at a slower, lower temp rate. But this being my first batch I'm working purely off theory and anecdotal evidence of internet blogs.

Like mead, te hard part is staying out of it and let it do it's thing. I realized today that I forgot about it and hadn't peeked into the closet lately. It is much easier waiting if I can forget about it lol

You certainly have a point about the heat possibly drawing out some bitterness from the spices, but if you're going to be making apple pie moonshine I doubt it will get noticed. LOL In addition, the rum you're using will further serve to hide any off flavors. Also, you don't have to boil the heck out of the whole thing. You can steep the spices in a cup or two of apple juice at a temp just below the boiling point and add that "tea" to your mix.

I'm going to make a batch this weekend and I'll let you know if I get any off flavors. After paying 30 bucks for 750ml of apple pie "moonshine" (it isn't really) I'll never do that again.

There are a ton of recipes on youtube... here's one of them. You can spend hours picking the one you like best. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5vzWR62IQc
 
Last edited:
Confession - couldn't wait any longer. I got into the 750ml bottle in the fridge.

Man, it's good. No other way to describe it than the cliche "I tastes like liquid apple pie". The cinnamon is very prominent, it is sweet, but oddly I'm not feeling like it is ugly hangover sweet. Perhaps the morning will tell more.

On a glass I used a 3 to 1 shot of vodka before the Apple Pie as flavor. Ehh, it killed it and it was just a vodka drink. Eh! Wrong move SuperSquirrel. This beverage deserves to be sweet on it's own.

I still plan on opening a 1gal carboy on new years. I anticipate it will be very sweet and cinnamony.

Incidentally I was at the wine/beverage store last ight and they had a "generic" (can't remember the brand) grain alcohol of 190 proof. I almost got a bottle to experiment with. No idea how the store had that on the shelf. I was under the impression it wasn't legal here in this state. I'm going to go back and see if I can get one.

Ok, that's an update. Yall have a good night :)
 
12/31/13 Racked & bottled (10) 750ml bottles. I know I know, not mason jars. But wine bottles and corks are what I had so that's what I used. The AP cleared out a lot. The flavor is good, but there is a hint of hot. I suspect it from the cinnamon sticks. Next time I should pull them out after a week.

All in all not a bad supply of drink. I'll do a few tweaks next time to get to my tastes but give this recipe a shot. The fresh made batch is very good, it has a very raw sweet flavor. By sitting a couple weeks that slightly mellowed. I've got 10 bottles in store now and I look forward to seeing how they age out.
 
eje4y4eg.jpg


Ok. So I couldn't resist. I had half a bottle of 151 everclear from an attempt at making some green dragon (look it up) and I put two cinnamon sticks in there and reduced some apple juice I had by half to concentrate the sweet and apple flavor and filled up the bottle then threw in a clove. Two days later I got rid of the clove and let the cinnamon steep for a few more days. Wow! So nice! Liquid apple pie! Must be about 70 proof.


Sent from my galafreyan transdimensional communicator 100 years from now.