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Time to try my first cyser! Questions...Questions..

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dougmedic

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 22, 2008
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Winnipeg, MB, Canada
I was given a Black rock Cider kit, and was considering trying to use it to make a cyser. The kit is basically a can of cider-apple concentrate (mfgr claims it's from cider apples...), and a 7gm pkt of ADY labelled "cider Yeast".

According to the Mfgrs website, the concentrate along w 1 kg of sugar will yield an ABV of approx 4.5%, and by the Mead Calc this would indicate the concentrate is approx 65% sugar. I want to have a dry cyser with an ABV of around 8%. If I have the numbers right I should need about 2.5kg of honey, replacing the sugar, and adding honey to bring the ABV to 8.

So.... This is my tentative spiced cyser recipe:

Batch size: 23 litres

2.5 kg Alfalfa/clover honey (unpasturized)
1.7 kg cider apple concentrate (Black Rock cider kit)
3 cinnamon sticks.
2 Vanilla Beans
1 tsp ground allspice powder

Approx OG should be 1.060.

Now here is where I need the advice of more-experienced heads that I...

1. YEAST? Should I stick with the kit yeast ADY "Cider Yeast", or use a wine yeast such as D47, 71B, etc...

A) If I stick with the included yeast, should I still rehydrate w GoFerm, not knowing what yeast is
actually in the packet?

B) If I stick w. the included yeast, is it best to stick with the cider-kit's recommended temp (21-24C), or go with a lower temp?

2. Are any additional nutrients needed, or will the apple juice supply enough?
I have DAP, Fermaid-K, and generic "energizer available.

3. Would dark toast oak be a good complement to a cyser?
 
Medsen Fey

Medsen Fey

Fuselier since 2007
Premium Patron
May 23, 2007
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48
Fusel Shack, in the swamp west of Ft. Lauderdale
This recipe sounds good.

I think you might need closer to 3 Kg of honey, but that will vary with the type of honey and you have the right idea which is to add it until you get the gravity of 1.060 regardless of the weight required.

While you can always pick another yeast, it might be interesting to make it with the cider yeast. Virtually any yeast will take it dry with a gravity of 1.060. I would rehydrate the yeast with GoFerm as I think it will be beneficial for any active dry yeast. However, that isn't absolutely essential for a low gravity batch such as this and it would probably work fine if you just sprinkled it dry on top.

If you use the cider yeast I would follow the temp recommendations and keep it at 21C which should be cool enough to give good results.

I think such a batch would benefit from some nutrients. I would probably use about 6 grams of DAP and 6 grams of Fermaid K. You can probably do fine with less but that would be around 80 PPM nitrogen, plus the amounts in the honey and juice and I expect that should be plenty especially if they were not recommending any nutrients in this recipe.

Oak is a very "personal taste" thing. I would probably prefer some medium toast French myself, but that is just me. Whatever oak you use, remember you can always add more, but you can't take it out (though it will fade some with time). 1 or 2 ounces may be enough, and you should taste it at least weekly. When it is slightly more oaky than you like, you can rack it off the oak.

I hope you get a great result.

Medsen
 
akueck

akueck

Certified Mead Mentor
Certified Mead Mentor
Jun 26, 2006
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Ithaca, NY
Sounds good to me. I do like some oak in my cysers, I have discovered. I have only used med toast (so far) and think that did a good job. I added the oak cubes a few days into the fermentation, after the crazy bubbling had settled down a bit.
 
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