Crystal malt in turbo cider

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Laripu
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Crystal malt in turbo cider

Post by Laripu » Fri Apr 21, 2017 2:00 am

The goal .... slightly sweet cider, without post-fermentation sweetening.

I had the idea to make a small 11.3L (3 US gal) batch turbo cider like this:

Note: Recipe was modified. See posts below.


* 3 US gallons (11.3 L) apple juice
* 1 lb (454g) crushed 10L crystal malt, steeped at 155°F for 30 minutes in 2 L water.
* 0.25 lb (113g) light DME

* 3 tsp grape tannin
* 3 tsp yeast nutrient
* Windsor, 1 pack, rehydrated.

There's obviously more than 11.3 litres there, so the I'll use a 19L primary FV, and after primary fermentation is done, it will be siphoned into an 11.3 litre secondary FV. I assume there will be some left, to go into a small jug in the fridge for some sneaky tasting.

I expect OG 1.055, FG 1.006, ABV 6.5%, and I'm hoping for a little residual sweetness from the crystal. (After I thought of it, I looked it up and it seems like it's a pretty common idea.)

I chose Windsor for the low attenuation.

Any comments / ideas / warnings / quibbles / hectoring ??
Last edited by Laripu on Mon Jun 19, 2017 3:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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k1100t
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Re: Crystal malt in turbo cider

Post by k1100t » Fri Apr 21, 2017 10:28 am

Have you considered keeving to make a naturally sweet cider...? Not sure if it's possible with concentrated apple juice mind...
http://www.cider.org.uk/keeving.html
I like beer --- Currently rebuilding the brewery, this time with stainless...

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Laripu
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Re: Crystal malt in turbo cider

Post by Laripu » Fri Apr 21, 2017 12:26 pm

k1100t wrote:Have you considered keeving to make a naturally sweet cider...? Not sure if it's possible with concentrated apple juice mind...
http://www.cider.org.uk/keeving.html
I think it isn't possible with juice. The article talked about using pectin from apple solids. The juice I'm going to buy isn't concentrated, but it is filtered, so there won't be a cap ("chapeau brun"), and much less pectin.

Florida, where I live, isn't an apple growing area. Here, apples are things you get at a supermarket. Quebec, in Canada, is where I originated, and they do grow apples and have a cider tradition. I remember sweet carbonated cider from when I was a teenager (and dinosaurs walked the earth ;)). I have no idea how they did it, but I suspect that stabilizers and artificial carbonation were employed.

But the article was interesting and I'd never heard about it before. I'm always ready to learn something new. :)
Cheers.

Have you tried it?
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Re: Crystal malt in turbo cider

Post by k1100t » Fri Apr 21, 2017 1:59 pm

Laripu wrote:Have you tried it?
Yes, I've got about 100 litres of keeved cider from 2014 still to drink. The process was relatively easy, although I think I left it on the yeast for a bit too long. It's certainly sweeter than my normal, ultra dry, stuff!

Cheers,
I like beer --- Currently rebuilding the brewery, this time with stainless...

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Laripu
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Re: Crystal malt in turbo cider

Post by Laripu » Mon Apr 24, 2017 1:02 am

Minor change of plans: instead of 1 lb of steeped 10L crystal malt and 0.25 lb of light DME, I'll ferment with 2 lb of crystal and no DME. That should be sweeter.

Except at bottling, when I'll use DME for priming.

Next weekend. :)
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Crystal malt in turbo cider

Post by Laripu » Thu Apr 27, 2017 12:50 am

One more minor difference:
At bottling, with the batch-prime DME for the 11 litres, I'll add 0.6g of white stevia powder.

I did a taste test, and found that, per litre, 0.055g of that powder is just barely noticeable. Multiplying up gives me 0.6g. My little Chinese scale is paying for itself. :)

That and the crystal malt should do it.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Crystal malt in turbo cider

Post by Laripu » Sat Apr 29, 2017 10:47 pm

It's in the FV.
The final recipe is somewhat different than what I originally posted. I skipped the yeast nutrient and DME, used 2 lb of crystal, and reduced the grape tannin powder based on the instructions on the packet.

I'm assuming the crystal will add enough nutrient; and since I want it to finish a bit sweet, it's ok if it's just barely enough nutrient.... or not quite enough.

* 3 US gallons (11.3 L) apple juice
* 2 lb (908g) crushed 10L crystal malt, steeped at 158°F for 60 minutes in 4 L water, then boiled down to about 3 litres.
* 1 tsp grape tannin
* Windsor, 1 pack, rehydrated

Still planning on 0.6 g of Stevia powder and DME at priming, appropriate to final volume.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Crystal malt in turbo cider

Post by Laripu » Mon Jun 19, 2017 3:18 am

I bottled it yesterday. It tastes promising.
I'll let you know in a month.

You can find the label and an explanation of the name here.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Crystal malt in turbo cider

Post by Laripu » Wed Jul 26, 2017 1:33 am

It's been a bit more than a month.
It's good.

Not very sweet, just a tiny bit that takes the edge off the dryness. SWMBO has had some and likes it. I will do the same again, and maybe add 1 gram if stevia instead of 0.6 grams.

It's a good variation on turbo cider.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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