Toffee Apple Cider Recipe (UPDATED!)

[Djtrouble1982]

Here's a strange question for you, I suffer from hayfever and have had allergic reactions to honey. I'm wondering if I would be safe to make and drink this without looking like I have done 10 rounds in the boxing ring?

 

[Steve]

A tip for reducing the hayfever symptons is to eat honey from a local source. On that premise I would argue that using local honey in a brew to drink could only be beneficial :thumb: .

 

[GrumpyBunny]

I also had a go at this at the weekend and if it tastes half as good as it smells it won't last long; thanks for the recipe Rob :thumb:

I used Sainsbury's cheapest honey and put it on a low heat and it caramelised perfectly; just be patient as the temperature will rise as the water is driven off.

Fermentation was almost immediate and has being going strong since.

 

[stevie1556]

I'll be making this around xmas time ready for the following year. My mouth is watering just reading this thread!

 

[RobWalker]

glad to hear of your success GrumpyBunny!

absolutely no idea on the hayfever front trouble, but i do get mild hayfever myself - sneezing fits sometimes in the summer - but have never swelled up or anything from drinking it :lol:

 

[liampenn]

Tried my first bottle tonight.
Tasted like scrumpy! :sulk:
I really wasn't aiming for a scrumpy... :nah:

(I left it to mature for 3 months and primmed with 1tsp sugar per 500ml bottle )


I followed the exact recipe. Has anyone else had this?

 

[motomaniac]

ive had some sitting under the stairs for about 2 months, maybe slightly longer.... chilled one bottle down and tried at the weekend.... initial thoughts are good taste, but still needs more maturing, i liked it, so did my dad, but the wife and mother didnt.... i think served with some apple juice it would benefit at the moment, but i think theres definate potential there.....

 

[BigDDunc]

In racked mine into a second DJ last night, after a 2 week primary ferment. I tried a tiny bit and must say i didn't pick up any of the flavouring from the pears or the burnt honey. I actually added some dark caramel at the start to try and increase the toffee/caramel/burnt sugar flavours too. I understand this is still very early in the process and the flavours may well develop yet, I was just expecting to pick some sort of flavour or nose from them.

I 'll top up with 1/4 - 1/2L of AJ tonight and add the vanilla pod wrapped in muselin.

From people's experience how long did it take to impart a vanilla flavour with vanilla pod or how much essence was used if using that?

It could also be the fact this was the first brew I added "proper" tannin - 1 tsp (i.e. not a cup of tea), and also malic acid, and it could be that as these haven't had time to age properly it's throwing my taste buds off.

Fingers crossed with age, comes beauty :)

 

[loppy]

Hi all.
Started my toffee apple cider last week and still bubbling away.Is it normal for the pears to be floating on the top of the brew?
Hoping they will drop out before fermentation finishes! :wha:

 

[motomaniac]

mine floated for ages, most dropped away, but there was still some floating when i racked it....

 

[RobWalker]

yeah like motomanic says they will float but you just avoid them when racking it's easy :thumb:

 

[anthonyUK]

Mine has been maturing since April but is still awful much like all the TC I have made.
I'm cutting my losses on TC as I don't think it is worth it.

 

[pollymorph]

I have some youngs super wine yeast, will this be fine?

 

[pollymorph]

the shopping has been done, the DJ is currently having a lovely bath in VWP. This should be gorgeous by July when the plan is to drink it, in fact may have to get another batch going....

 

[pollymorph]

three days in and still bubbling away nicely, got a nice thick krausen (sp) on top and a bit of lava lamp action, it does seem to have lightened a bit. Have got a second DJ to rack into when it's ready then will wash, sterilise and bung another batch on. It is also proving a crowd pleaser just purley through the action of fermentation, have had guests and they just sit and watch it

 

[TonyT40]

Hi all

How long should it ferment for? It did the lava lamp bit and settled down. I racked it off after about 3 weeks but its been going now for about another three weeks :? There is a steady stream of bubbles and it is still quite cloudy with a bit of sediment. I thought I should have bottled it by now.

Tony

 

[RobWalker]

it will take a good while because of the abv!

 

[GREBO75]

hmm, don't do what I did guys. I started one of these about 2 months ago. Just tasted it and it tastes like someone poured TC over a bonfire, with the bonfire taste being much stronger than the TC taste.

Guess I must've cooked the honey a bit too much. Find it really hard to judge for some reason. So this batch has gone down the sink, might try another batch but think i'll try making some caramel from sugar rather than using honey, should be a bit more controllable (and a lot cheaper) ;p

 

[BigDDunc]

I've tried this (although only a spoonful) and I couldn't pick up any toffee-ish notes at all, despite putting in more than recommended by the recipe.

I've going to leave this for another few months out in my shed - hopefully for MLF and to help the flavour develop as at present the Malic Acid and Tannin combination have put me off.

 

[danb]

i set a gallon of this off 9 days ago and bubbling in the airlock had stopped yesterday and also no more bubbles rising or around the top edge. i sorted bottles out to bottle it up and thought i would have a go with the hydrometer to be sure, the reading as of now is 1.010 is this too early to have finished and should i leave it for a while longer and recheck. instead of pouring away i decided to taste it and really couldnt taste the toffee effect but hopefully this will get better with time.
i didnt take an original reading as i didnt have a hydrometer then as i had just started brewing and this was the first brew i put on. only difference from the recipe is i used golden syrup instead of honey and by mistake put 800g of it in.
thanks