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Apple pie Cyser questions

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Izzie1701

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 10, 2015
14
0
1
I am planning to start an apple pie Cyser this weekend. The recipe is as follows

10# honey
2 gallons apple cider
Water to top up to 5 gallons
3 cinnamon sticks
5 cloves
2 whole nutmeg ground
Yeast energizer
Yeast nutrient
Lalvin k1v-1116 yeast

My questions are:

1) What is the best time and dosage for the yeast nutrient and energizer. It's DAP. I want to do a step dosing.
2) my local homebrew shop only had the lavlin 1116 and 1118 for wine yeasts. Is this a good strain for mead?
3) not sure on the ppg of cider. From what I found from searches I thought around 7. With this my brew calc is showing an OG of 1.103. Does this sound correct and is this around correct for a semi sweet? Yeast strain is showing a tolerance of 18% alc. if my initial reading didn't come that high was going to boost with brown sugar.
4) what is acid blend and should I use it?
5) to add sulfites or no?

Any further comments or suggestions would be awesome.

Thank you,
 
Last edited:
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Izzie1701

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 10, 2015
14
0
1
So I think I have found a few of my answers but still not sure on a few. The dosing of the energizer and nutrient. I am finding a few answers for that. What's everyone's experience? Degassing, is this just stiring or shaking the mead to release CO2 in solution? Nothing fancy about it?
2) looks like quite a few people use the Lavalin 1116 and that's what I picked up.

3) still confused on this.
4)I know it's to adjust the ph but is it necessary?
5)I see lots of people use it and lots dont. It looks complicated and like I need to be a chemist to dose it. Would it hurt not to use it?
6) does the recipe look solid or any suggestions or changes?
 
C

Crowing

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 12, 2014
127
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0
Groton, Connecticut
Degassing is exactly that, just whip it up and let some co2 escape, watch out that the foam doesnt rise up and out and make a mess. I havent used 1116 so i cant speak to its performance. From what I've read, most people just sub out water for the cider (juice) entirely. Not sure about a five gallon batch though. But I would go with like 2.5-3 more pounds I honey if it were me. And why add brown sugar when you can add more honey, it's mead for Christ sake! Acid blend probably not needed. As for sulfites, if your mead goes dry you won't need them other than to help in super long term aging.
 
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Izzie1701

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 10, 2015
14
0
1
I was thinking brown sugar to add some color and add to the "Apple pie" taste. Quite a few recipes I saw had quite a bit of brown sugar and a lot less honey. But like you I want mead not brown sugar wine. Thought if I didn't get the OG I wanted I would boost for a little flavor and color. I am wanting a semi sweet mead so if it ferments out dry I will be back sweetening so guessing I'll need sulfite to kill the yeast and prevent bottle rockets?
 
C

Crowing

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 12, 2014
127
0
0
Groton, Connecticut
If you haven't pitched this batch yet I would get yourself some Lalvin D-47. It accentuates "fruity" flavors, and has always given me good results. Also, it has a lower tolerance than 18% (it goes to 14%) this is important because the published tolerances usually mean little. The first batch I ever made was a cyser, and I used d-47, with a higher OG (1.120) and it went dry and then some.
One thing that I have found in research, when you use cider in your mead, the yeast goes insane. You won't need as many nutrients, and it will probably go well past the published tolerance if you degas, nutrient and baby sit it.
So if I were you, I would step feed the mead to get your sweetness level. This is not the same as nutrient additions, and commonly not a beginner method. But I'm still a beginner, and I would do it, and so should you.
As for brown sugar for taste, it won't add any kind of flavor you want, just alcohol levels.
 
I

Izzie1701

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 10, 2015
14
0
1
So I think I may use the 1116 and let it ferment out. If it goes dry I'll back sweetend. I have spoke to a few wine makers here that have said the 11q16 rarely ferments past 14%. If it does go past I'll try the back sweetening route which will now lead to questions on the best techniques for this and use of campion tablets. Yeah spelled that wrong.
 
Z

zofoandrew

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 25, 2015
34
0
0
Troy, MI
I didn't do any calculations, but I'm pretty sure that will end up dry.
1. I will advise against using only DAP. Many people liken it to feeding your yeast pizza. Its good to fill you up every once in a while, but if thats all you eat, you'll be unhealthy. I've been using only Fermaid O according to the procedure at www.meadmaderight.com.
2. 1116 is good for meads, some people don't like that 1118 blows off flavor but I don't have much experience with it.
3. You should determine a desired OG and add honey to reach that point. My cider was around 1.05 by itself I think.
4. Use acid blend after fementation only if you think it needs more acid. Think of a granny smith, thats malic acid, which is what you would probably use for a cyser.
5. Add K-sorbate and K-Metabisulfite before you add honey to backsweeten

Here's my recipe that is currently fermenting. Will add cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg in secondary in small amounts and taste to see if it needs more.

Sept 4, 2015
4 gallons Blake’s Cider (damn good cider from blakes hard cider)
Around 13.5 lbs Orange Blossom and 2 lbs mesquite to SG of 1.135
15 g 71B-1122 Attemperated, 18.75 g go ferm, 250 ml @ 104 F
2 tsp Pectic enzyme
1.5 tsp K2CO3 to pH of 3.6 (may be slightly higher, didn’t change after second or third ½ tsp addition)
 
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