This one is aging on oak now and tastes like it will be really good one day. I wanted a high ABV cider with lots of body and somewhat sweet that could age well and be really potent. Thought I would share it for those experimenting with step-feeding and pushing up the ABV. My rough calculation look like I got this one to hover around 20% with Red Star Pasteur Red (16% indicated tolerance).
Into 6.5 gal primary bucket to equal about 1.1 gallons :
1 gal apple cider (SG 1.054)
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange
10-15 raisins
1 3" cinnamon stick
1 clove
1 campden tablet
1 drop olive oil
Other ingredients added along the way:
2.75# Cane sugar
1 whole banana w/ peel (peeled)
1/2 ounce medium toast oak
Closed bucket, put airlock in hole and shook vigorously for 10 minutes. Opened lid, swirled to exchange the air and closed. Shook another 10 minutes. The protocol on this wine for the first three days in primary bucket is 2-4 times a day, I open the bucket, and whisk it to aerate and remove CO2. Aeration is done for 5 minutes or so at a time to try and get all the CO2 out so some oxygen can get in the bucket.
12/22/07 Pitched rehydrated Red Star Pasteur Red
12/23/07 Airlock blipping. Added 1/2 pound sugar during aeration.
12/25/07 Added 1/2 pound sugar, 1/2 tsp nutrient, and one whole peeled banana and peel. At this point I stopped whisking and just swirled the bucket for a few minutes a couple times a day to keep the yeast stirred up.
12/27/07 SG: 1020 , added 1 pound sugar and agitated. Took a gravity reading about 12 hours later: 1042
12/28/07 Added 1/2 pound sugar and agitated.
12/29/07 Poured into gallon glass jug through a wire strainer to remove raisins, banana, etc without removing yeast. I shook well to out-gas and get the yeast stirred up first.
1/4/08 Added 4 ounces sugar to jug.
1/5/08 Bubbles really slowing down now.
1/6/08 2-3 BPM in airlock. SG: 1022
1/18/08 Racked onto 1/2 ounce medium toast American oak. Toped up with clear organic apple juice.
We'll see in about a year what this really works out like. Right now it is nicely sweet and apply, but not overly so since there is a big alcohol kick. The spices and other body adding ingredients are coming through in a very nice and complimentary way. It just needs some time to tame some of the heat. Right now it burns going down akin to a spirit.
Into 6.5 gal primary bucket to equal about 1.1 gallons :
1 gal apple cider (SG 1.054)
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange
10-15 raisins
1 3" cinnamon stick
1 clove
1 campden tablet
1 drop olive oil
Other ingredients added along the way:
2.75# Cane sugar
1 whole banana w/ peel (peeled)
1/2 ounce medium toast oak
Closed bucket, put airlock in hole and shook vigorously for 10 minutes. Opened lid, swirled to exchange the air and closed. Shook another 10 minutes. The protocol on this wine for the first three days in primary bucket is 2-4 times a day, I open the bucket, and whisk it to aerate and remove CO2. Aeration is done for 5 minutes or so at a time to try and get all the CO2 out so some oxygen can get in the bucket.
12/22/07 Pitched rehydrated Red Star Pasteur Red
12/23/07 Airlock blipping. Added 1/2 pound sugar during aeration.
12/25/07 Added 1/2 pound sugar, 1/2 tsp nutrient, and one whole peeled banana and peel. At this point I stopped whisking and just swirled the bucket for a few minutes a couple times a day to keep the yeast stirred up.
12/27/07 SG: 1020 , added 1 pound sugar and agitated. Took a gravity reading about 12 hours later: 1042
12/28/07 Added 1/2 pound sugar and agitated.
12/29/07 Poured into gallon glass jug through a wire strainer to remove raisins, banana, etc without removing yeast. I shook well to out-gas and get the yeast stirred up first.
1/4/08 Added 4 ounces sugar to jug.
1/5/08 Bubbles really slowing down now.
1/6/08 2-3 BPM in airlock. SG: 1022
1/18/08 Racked onto 1/2 ounce medium toast American oak. Toped up with clear organic apple juice.
We'll see in about a year what this really works out like. Right now it is nicely sweet and apply, but not overly so since there is a big alcohol kick. The spices and other body adding ingredients are coming through in a very nice and complimentary way. It just needs some time to tame some of the heat. Right now it burns going down akin to a spirit.
