Low Alcohol Cider Help

[Dutto]

Opened up the FV today and got this result:

OG 1.074
FG 1.000
ABV 9.7%

I then stirred in the Wilco Stabiliser to kill off the yeast (ti stop further fermentation) and at the moment it is sitting on the worktop in the garage at a bracing 6 degrees!

I'm hoping that the cider will clear in a couple of days and then I intend to syphon it off into a Wilco Keg, adjust the sweetness, flavour and ABV and then carbonate it with CO2 capsules.

I drank the sample I took to get the FG and it is very dry; so it will take a fair amount of straight AJ to bring it up to a sweeter taste; and I'm not sure that I will need any lemon juice to make it "tart".

I'll keep you posted on final results. :thumb:

 

[Dutto]

Today I syphoned the finished product (about 9 litres) into the Wilco Keg and we did some significant taste testing.

After much debate and tasting we decided that:

1. Lemon juice made it too tart in any quantity so we decided not to use it.

2. More that 50% straight AJ lost the taste of cider and replaced it with just the taste of AJ.

3. Our optimum blend worked out to be the addition of 6 litres of AJ and 3 litres of water to give us +/-18 litres of cider.

The ABV will be about +/- 4.5% which is a bit higher than I really wanted; but hey ho, I can guarantee that it will be finished by the New Year!

I tightened up the top of the keg and started forced carbonation with three CO2 capsules.

I will give it two weeks to condition before testing it again. (Obviously, there will be no need to keep it nice and warm with forced carbonation so the current cold weather will actually assist in the carbonation process.) :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Dutto]

It's been sat on the worktop in the garage for ten days now.

I've added 4 x 8g CO2 capsules and it has now cleared to become a low alcohol sparkling cider.

Two elements though:

1. There is absolutely no taste whatsoever of pomegranate!

2. The brew has moved from a gentle pink when first syphoned into the keg to a normal straw cider colour!

Ah well, you can't win 'em all and it is very palatable so it will probably be finished before the New Year! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Dutto]

Okay, a progress report.

1. No1 son liked it but didn't drink a great deal of it.

2. I'm not keen on it because it is too sweet for my taste.

3. The remaining 8 or so litres are taking up a 25 litre Wilco Keg that I could use for beer.

Today's Plan is therefore:

1. Empty the keg into the boiler.

2. Bring the brew up to the boil for a few minutes to nullify the Wilco Stabiliser that I used to stop fermentation.

3. Cool the resulting brew down to 20 degrees.

4. Move it to an FV and pitch a Wilco Wine Yeast in there.

5. Let it ferment out to produce a dry high alcohol cider more to my taste.

6. Bottle it with regular carbonation sugar.

My obvious questions are:

o Will it work? :lol: (Especially negating the stabiliser by boiling.)

o Does anyone see any problems?

 

[Tau]

My obvious questions are:

o Will it work? :lol: (Especially negating the stabiliser by boiling.)

o Does anyone see any problems?

The potassium sorbate is stable upto 270c. So no wont work!

http://www.visitchem.com/product/potassium-sorbate/

 

[Dutto]

The potassium sorbate is stable upto 270c. So no wont work!

http://www.visitchem.com/product/potassium-sorbate/

Bugger!

Down the drain it is then because I have no way of carbonating it in a bottle, there's no way I'm going to drink that amount of sweet cider this side of next year and I need the keg back in service.

Kids! Who'd have 'em!

PS

Many thanks for the info. :thumb:

 

[chewie]

I've no idea what exactly you would need to do but, it should be possible to turn it to an apple cider vinegar for cooking with. Hazarding a guess i would say just add some mother of vinegar to it and bottle, I'm sure someone on here would have some experience in this.

 

[Cwrw666]

You could make a batch of high alcohol really dry cider and mix the 2 together.

 

[Dutto]

Thanks for the suggestions but the Stabiliser was added to kill the yeasts; including the yeasts that create vinegar.

Also, unlike beer (where I would walk over broken glass in my bare feet to sample a new brew) I don't particularly like cider; and definitely not enough to make some more and then use (abuse?) it to dilute the sweet stuff.

So, many thanks and down the drain it goes tomorrow ...

... assuming that my garage isn't under three feet of seawater!

It's one of the joys of living in Skegness in a house that's a metre below sea-level. :whistle:

 

[dad_of_jon]

turn it into snakebite?

brew a dry BEER instead and make a hybrid?

I may jush be talking pish tnacks to the bengali digbons i've had :drunk:

 

[Razor]

If you're really stuck you could always offer a bottle swap with some forumites who like sweet ciders. :lol:


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[Dutto]

turn it into snakebite?

brew a dry BEER instead and make a hybrid?

I may jush be talking pish tnacks to the bengali digbons i've had :drunk:

Oh God! I haven't bought or drunk a Snakebite since I started brewing my own beer ... :nono: :nono:

... and even back then, it was only to disguise the taste of cheap but crap beer like Watney's Red Barrel.

 

[Dutto]

If you're really stuck you could always offer a bottle swap with some forumites who like sweet ciders. :lol:


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The problem is that it was carbonated in the keg using CO2 capsules and it will go flat as the proverbial witches bits if I bottle it.

The good news is that the inundation from the North Sea didn't happen and the garage is still as dry as a bone ... :thumb:

... except for the beer (and that damn cider)!

I suppose other good news is that it should sanitise the drains! :whistle:

 

[cheapbrew]

try a little sample of the cider with some fresh yeast dutto you've got nothing to lose.

http://www.fermentarium.com/homebre...ng-you-know-about-potassium-sorbate-is-wrong/

 

[Dutto]

try a little sample of the cider with some fresh yeast dutto you've got nothing to lose.

http://www.fermentarium.com/homebre...ng-you-know-about-potassium-sorbate-is-wrong/

That's a very encouraging article, particularly as I added a lot of fresh AJ to drop the alcohol content and increase the sweetness after the original cider was stabilised.

It's definitely worth a punt. :thumb:

So Plan D is now:

o Get a starter underway, with a packet of Wilco Wine Yeast and some sugar, on the stir-plate at 20 degrees.

o De-gas the cider and transfer it to a sanitised and insulated FV.

o Place the FV on a Heat Pad at a set temperature of 20 degrees and give it 24 hours to come up to temperature.

o Pitch the yeast starter on Sunday evening when they are both at 20 degrees.

My next order of brewing gear isn't due to arrive until next Tuesday (and I wasn't intending to start anything before next Wednesday) so by the time I need either the FV and/or the Heat Pad the cider should either have started fermenting or stayed inert and be drain-fodder.

Either way, it's worth the cost of a packet of Wilco yeast and the effort to give it a try!

Many thanks for the input. :thumb:

Watch this space for developments! :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Dutto]

GOOD NEWS
That Wilco Stabiliser really does stop a brew DEAD! :thumb:

BAD NEWS
After pitching a perfectly healthy yeast starter into the sweet cider on Sunday afternoon and keeping it at a steady 22 degrees, there is absolutely NO sign of any fermentation taking place.

So, down the drain it goes ...

... and so ends "Making things that I don't like for other people!"

 

[Roddy]

Tough one matey 😕

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