Turbo Cider / Apple Wine with Brown Sugar / Honey on Oak Chips?

[YoungJames]

Now that i have 50 litres of TESCOs 16p Apple Juice in the Shed i was thinking off doing a batch similar to a recipe i saw for Apfelwein.

23 litres of Apple Juice with a kilo of Brown Sugar or the equivalent in Honey, fermented on a pack of Oak Chips, maybe with some spices thrown in too.

I thought it might be nice for Christmas, still in Wine bottles, with a bit higher ABV than the average Cider.

Thoughts, advice, criticism?

Thanks

James.

 

[oldbloke]

The juice will give about 5.5%, a kilo of sugar in that volume a little over 2%, I think you want to go a bit higher - more sugar. Some of it as honey or brown might indeed be nice. I think yes to spices, but between last racking and bottling. And maybe it needs some tannin?

 

[YoungJames]

Thanks OB.

So would you think a mix of Brown Sugar and Honey or just one?

I wouldn't want it to turn out too nasty so am leaning more towards honey, a sort of Cyser, that might give it a nicer flavour. Adding some spices after a racking sounds like a solid plan, would the flavours be more pronounced?

I have a batch on at the minute that is AJ and Honey in a Demijohn that i am hoping to push up to a fairly high ABV and lay down out of sight for as long a possible.

 

[YoungJames]

I forgot about the Tannin, maybe some Sultanas for extra body?