• 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.

Cyser for Newbies

Barrel Char Wood Products

dnrobert24

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 11, 2005
9
0
0
I plan on brewing my first mead this afternoon, a 1 gallon cyser. After doing a little research, here is my tentative recipe, I would love some feedback!

For a 1 Gallon Recipe
.5 Gallons Cider
64 oz. Clover Honey (why is this always in pounds in recipes, when it is sold in ounces?)
2 Lemons
2 Cinnamon Sticks
2 Whole Star Anise
1 Tablet Yeast Nutrient
1 packet Wine Yeast (D37 Lolvin)
Water

Prepare Yeast starter. Boil Cider and juice from lemons and toss Anise and Cinnamon in Cider. Cut boil and let stand for 10 minutes. Spoon out the spices out and let dry for future use. Stir in honey and bring to 145F for 15 minutes. Place the stainless steel pot in an ice bath to quickly drop the tempurature to near 90F. Rack and pitch the yeast and add crushed yeast nutrient tablet to carboy.

I plan to let it sit in primary for 2 weeks, then rack onto oak chips for 2 weeks, then rack to tertiary for 3 months.
 

Oskaar

Got Mead Partner
Administrator
Dec 26, 2004
7,874
8
0
34
The OC
Welcome Robert! You'll find a great many resources here on Gotmead.com

Here's my approach to cysers in general:

For a one gallon batch I generally don't heat the honey or the cider, there's just no need unless you are doing a period recipe or historical reproduction recipe.

I wouldn't use two lemons, and I would generally wait until I taste the cyser after I've racked it to see if it needs acid adjustment. I sometimes will zest a small orange and/or lemon and put the zest in the primary.

I'd cut the cinnamon and anise in half for a one gallon batch.

When making a gallon batch I just dump the honey into the cider/juice and stir until completely dissolved and then top up to one gallon with additional cider/juice. I want all that apple flavor in there as much as possible.

I also use two to three pounds of honey per gallon, anything less than that tastes a bit thin to me.

I think that you're talking about D-47 yeast by Lalvin

Fermaid K is an excellent nutrient for your cyser and for one gallon you would add 1 gram. You can also use some dried cherries, dates, blueberries, rasins or any other sweet/tart dried fruit you like as nutrient at a rate of about 1/4 pound and well minced.

I don't put myself on a timeline for racking, I've found that monitoring the fermentation and racking when the bubbling slows to 1 maybe 2 beats per minute works for me, other people do it differently.

Take a look, see what you think and let us know,

Cheers,

Oskaar
 

dnrobert24

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 11, 2005
9
0
0
Thanks for the advice! I made the cyser today. I'll let you know how it turns out. I ended up cutting the honey to two pounds or so (32 oz.) and used 96 oz. of cider. I used two lemons (hope that is okay) and actually used two and a half star anise and two very old cinnamon sticks. I heated, but did not boil the cider, let it stand at 190 for 10 min, cut the heat, let stand another 10 min, then stirred in the honey, getting to my target 145, then quickly chilling to 85 or so. The cider tasted great before adding the honey! It smelled great after the honey. I am thinking it will be good sans oak chips. What do you think?
(I also topped the gallon jug with previously boiled and cooled water which was about a 8 to 12 oz.).
 

Oskaar

Got Mead Partner
Administrator
Dec 26, 2004
7,874
8
0
34
The OC
Should be good. A little lemony and anise-y for my tastes though.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 

JoeM

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 9, 2004
665
1
0
43
Two lemons is a lot for one gallon. Just one man's opinion, whatever floats your boat.
 

memento

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 3, 2005
379
1
0
53
www.flickr.com
make sure you're not mixing up fluid ounces with weight ounces.

32 fluid ounces is 1/4 gallon which is 3 lbs honey.

32 weigh ounces is 2 pounds.

Your last message says 2 pounds is 32 oz. That would mean that you put your honey on a scale. But if you bought a 64 fl oz container of honey and used half of it, that would be 3 pounds.
 

MacLupine

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 23, 2005
204
0
0
47
www.maclakey.us
heh, I would but then I'd be totally lost.
what I ended up doing was just pouring in honey till I reached 1 gallon, then all the rest of my stuff and then added water till I got to 5 gallons.
 

Brewbear

NewBee
Registered Member
May 10, 2005
959
0
0
Thank you scout.
I still think that metric is the way to go!
1 ml = 1 cc = 1gram-->no confusion!

Ted
 

scout

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 4, 2005
229
0
0
48
scoutbrewblog.blogspot.com
Yeah, except that I KNOW what a cup looks like. *grins* I don't KNOW what 255cc looks like. I just can't picture it in my head. And besides, I'm afraid it would spoil my cooking abilities to try and start thinking in metric.
 
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns