High ABV Cider

[Launcelot]

As for the percentage possible.

I broke my vintometer, granted, I have not gone the vacuum distallate comparable gross weight route *yet* but I have considered it.

I have a batch of fermented cider sitting on the shelf that unless my estimate is incorrect tips at well over 30%.

If anyone would like a shot at it feel free to shoot me a request, I have about a gallon left.

--L

 

[Oskaar]

I moved this post from the History of mead because it was posted in a thread that was two years old, and was not on point to the original post.

Going forward please be sure to check the date of the post you're replying to because (as in the case of the thread where you originally posted this message) the poster has not been active for several months.

Ok, on to your post. I'm intrigued how you got your cider up to 30% ABV and what the recipe was.

Enquiring minds want to know!

cheers,

Oskaar

 

[UDV]

I know it's an old post.

I'd also like to hear how you got the ABV that high!

My experiments with Ciders in general have been appallingly awful!

 

[GrantLee63]

The highest ABV cider I ever made was 11% and that was a variation - an Apfelwein I made in which was added 2+ pounds of corn sugar to the 6 gallons of apple juice in the primary. You obviously added additional fermentables, and / or it was fortified? Please let us know !

- GL63

 

[UDV]

The highest ABV cider I ever made was 11% and that was a variation - an Apfelwein I made in which was added 2+ pounds of corn sugar to the 6 gallons of apple juice in the primary. You obviously added additional fermentables, and / or it was fortified? Please let us know !

I'm dying to know how he did it as well. I made a 1 gallon apfelwein, and it's slowly losing the fusel order smell, but it will be a long while until the smell breaks down.

 

[Paulc]

I am pretty sure he is referring to apple jack. You make it by a freeze extraction process.http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/mead-techniques-with-mason-jars.htm

I have heard stories of this stuff you can make some really strong hooch doing this.

 

[doctajones]

I don't know how I missed this one . . .

As you probably all know cider was one of the staples of the colonial American's diet. No proper New England farm was complete without at least a few apple trees.

They would make apple cider, then hard apple cider and, as Paulc says, some would use fractal distillation to produce what the colonists refered to as Applejack. This stuff is potent. It's different than normal distillation in that when you freeze the hard cider its the water that freezes and is removed. In essence you are purifying the water while leaving behind all of the impurities in the Applejack. So the longer and colder the winter, the stronger the applejack and the more concentrated all the stuff that's not water is.

Thus Applejack was known to cause unbelievable headaches and was reported even to have caused temporary blindness. These conditions were refered to as "applepalsy."

While apples are not native to this continent, they were brought very early on. Animals then ate the fruit and wild apple trees were planted through natural processes. The first named variety native to North America is the Roxbury Russett. It has about a 12.5% sugar content which is said to ferment out to about 6% abv with no additional sugars. I imagine you could get the abv up there pretty good with a nice cold New England winter. I'd love to try this since I have access to Roxbury Russetts. Now I just have to spring for the apple crusher/juice extractor so I can have pure Rox Russett cider . . .

 

[Medsen Fey]

If you want to keep it strictly legal, you can use apple juice concentrate (from which much of the water has been extracted) added to apple juice to get a gravity up to a level that will get you to 18%+ when fermented by a strong yeast. This keeps it purely a cider without other sugars.