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 Holydiver
Registered: 03/19/01
Posts: 5,001
Loc: The midnight sea
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 Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: CptnGarden]
#8587006 - 07/02/08 08:23 AM (5 months, 16 hours ago) |
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I tried about 1/8 teaspoon cloves/nutmeg and a stick of cinnamon in a gallon batch awhile back. I'm afraid it's ruined  2 weeks after racking into secondary the smell is so overpowering, it's undrinkable and sickening. The spices permeated the glass and airlocks, even after washing I can still smell it everywhere. Not going there again.
Be careful with spicing cider.
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To find a place to live between the negatives and positives.
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CptnGarden
Tabaquero
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: Holydiver]
#8587271 - 07/02/08 10:34 AM (5 months, 13 hours ago) |
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yeah cloves especially are scary strong.
i put like 2 or 3 little guys in a 1gal and it was so strong i wanted to puke, it numbed my throat!
im letting that batch age for a few years lol.
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 Crabmeat
Mycoholic
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: CptnGarden]
#8607712 - 07/08/08 10:45 AM (4 months, 25 days ago) |
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Careful with cider it taste great but is so potent. Also it has a lot of "wood alcohol" in it. I can't remember the true name of it as I haven't homebrewed in a few but it leaves a nasty hangover. Drink too much and you feel like you've been skull fucked the night before.
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trillby33
Stranger
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: CptnGarden]
#8613794 - 07/09/08 04:31 PM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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Hmmm, this looks good. When I get the blackberry wine out of my set-up, I may have to try it. I've just started experimenting with brewing my own alcohol, but it looks like there are some very experienced folks here. Does anyone know anything about mead? I know it's been mentioned a couple times, and I have friends who tell me that I REALLY need to try it, but have yet to do so. Any recipes/tips on producing the stuff?
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makaveli8x8
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: trillby33]
#8616136 - 07/10/08 03:55 AM (4 months, 23 days ago) |
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www.gotmead.com should have all the info you need
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  We were sent to hell for eternity  Ø h®
We play on earth to pass the time 
Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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CptnGarden
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: makaveli8x8]
#8735304 - 08/06/08 06:14 PM (3 months, 27 days ago) |
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i just pulled out some cider thats been bottled since 5/24.
this batch, right after it finished, tasted horrible.
so i left it to age and i was shooting for 6 months.
well i cracked one open to see how it was doing and guess i ended up bottling it just a bit too early as its carbonated as hell!
which is  , but good thing the bottle didnt go boom!
this one actually made some improvements in its short span of aging.
i might pick up some oak cubes soon, and i have a question for makaveli:
can you go out and chop down your own oak for this purpose? or is there some special process (or specific species of oak?) which makes the oak usable in wines where it wouldnt normally be?
im cutting down a giant oak in a friends yard soon, if i can just cut up little pieces and dry it, and then use that in my brew, i might give it a shot
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makaveli8x8
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: CptnGarden]
#8735997 - 08/06/08 08:47 PM (3 months, 27 days ago) |
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you would at the least have to toast it, and the flavors it gives off depends on how long you roast it. when you roast it basically you make a fire out of oak and hold a stave of oak next to it and let it smoke. well thats what they do to make oak wine barrels anyways, take a bunch of staves and make a circle with a fire in the middle...kinda like a teepee
im actually not sure which oaks are suitable, i just know there is an american oak or i think sometimes they are called white american oak, and then french oak, and hungarian. im guessing it wouldn't make a huge difference if you used the wrong oak, just as long as you don't use the wood of something poisenious lol. from what ive read regarding using oak barrels if my memory serves me right, american oak is stronger but the barrels stop giving off flavor sooner, where as french oak is more refined and lasts longer. believe it has to do with the pore size in the wood. also i beleave one of the oaks lets the wine breath more but i can't remember which, but i guess that part wouldn't apply to using cubes and such. the breathing of the barrels might actually have something to do with one being stronger than the other flavor wise so again i guess it might not apply to cubes.
after you toast and chop into little cubes you could then put in the oven for a half hour or so to be sure things are killed off more.
ive always used the oak cubes from midwest or northern brewer so i really don't have much experience with DIY'in it. i just know the little square cubes work better than chips, something to do with surface area and the chips they sell at the shops i don't think are toasted. they also make spirals now, i havn't read up much on them however.
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We were sent to hell for eternity Øh®
We play on earth to pass the time
Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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makaveli8x8
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: makaveli8x8]
#8736215 - 08/06/08 09:27 PM (3 months, 27 days ago) |
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i just looked at my catalog and it mentioned the wood is air aged for 3 years and then it is toasted, not sure how much difference that makes but thought i should mention it
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We were sent to hell for eternity Øh®
We play on earth to pass the time
Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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CptnGarden
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: makaveli8x8]
#8736491 - 08/06/08 10:25 PM (3 months, 27 days ago) |
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alright thanks i think ill go pick up a bag from my brewshop within the next few months and report back
and that bottle got me all buzzin hardcore
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Holydiver
Registered: 03/19/01
Posts: 5,001
Loc: The midnight sea
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: CptnGarden]
#8774401 - 08/14/08 07:05 PM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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So how is the aged Cuvee you have tried? I ran 5 gallons of apple juice with Montrachet yeast awhile back, tasted like nasty cheap white wine so I bottle conditioned and forget about it. Now it tastes refined and yummy  Aging works wonders.
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To find a place to live between the negatives and positives.
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CptnGarden
Tabaquero
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: Holydiver]
#8774904 - 08/14/08 08:41 PM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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yeah aged cuvee is to drool over.
its quite good right off the yeast but its even better having been bottled a few months.
it gets a little dryer it seems for the first few months, but it slowly loses that later. mostly the first few months gets rid of that "bite"
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makaveli8x8
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: CptnGarden]
#8774978 - 08/14/08 09:03 PM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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incase nobody has tried it, there are some yeasts out there that add flavor by extended ageing on the lee's(fancy for yeast sediment).
if anyone has actually tried that id be curious to hear the results, i think one of the lalvin yeasts is sopposed to be good for that.
ive also heard of people useing multiple yeasts in brewing, first they start out with a very low alcohol yeast for flavor, then end it with a higher end yeast. seems you brew alot captain maybe you can do some tests for us 
i think the deal is the real high end yeasts ferment fast but give off massive amounts of bad flavors doing it
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We were sent to hell for eternity Øh®
We play on earth to pass the time
Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
Edited by makaveli8x8 (08/14/08 09:04 PM)
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CptnGarden
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: makaveli8x8]
#8775011 - 08/14/08 09:20 PM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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i left some cider past its done point on yeast for about 2-3 weeks once, and it turned out to have a bit more bready flavor to it, much like that of an apple beer.
it wasnt as good as the plain cider though, but still your right i should do some tests on that.
right now im out of money but when shit gets rolling again ill get some yeasts to play with
hell maybe ill order one of each yeast i can find and let u guys know how that goes.
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Holydiver
Registered: 03/19/01
Posts: 5,001
Loc: The midnight sea
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: CptnGarden]
#8775408 - 08/14/08 10:40 PM (3 months, 19 days ago) |
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I have been leaving everything on in the primary, it's good for months in there. Racking to secondary isn't really worth it imo, except for wine and some beers. But juice/cider? They age on lees just fine.
Actually compared identical batches side-by-side, one racked the other not, and there is no difference.
It's all about the yeast and what character comes out with aging.
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To find a place to live between the negatives and positives.
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NewbieShroomie
Registered: 07/18/04
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: CptnGarden]
#8838424 - 08/27/08 08:28 PM (3 months, 6 days ago) |
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Okay so I picked up a gallon of apple cider and a gallon of pomegranite blueberry juice, is this the kind of yeast I'd get? This brew supply shop is the closest to me, but the Wyeast is separated into 3 categories.... Which do I want for a nice strong brew?
http://www.keystonehomebrew.com/Zilron/catalog70_0.html
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makaveli8x8
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thats all beer yeast far as i can see, what i use is wine/champagne yeasts (lalvin is the brand i use)and then add some nutrients(raisins and such) to make them healthy, and then slowly add your sugars to get a high %. turbo yeasts are very popular as well( i think they are just champagne yeasts with the nutrients mixed in) but I'm not sure 2 many shops in town would carry that stuff, but plenty of online shops will carry it
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We were sent to hell for eternity Øh®
We play on earth to pass the time
Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
Edited by makaveli8x8 (08/28/08 02:34 AM)
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NewbieShroomie
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: makaveli8x8]
#8840223 - 08/28/08 06:37 AM (3 months, 5 days ago) |
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Gotcha. I can't wait to taste this stuff!
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~=-=~=-=~=-=~=-=~
Confucius say, "He who go to bed with itchy butthole wake up with smelly finger."
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CptnGarden
Tabaquero
Registered: 05/13/04
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blueberry pomegranate? surely your not going to ferment that!! right?
sorry but that sounds nasty!
i saw that exact juice at the store and had to pass it up!!!
i made a ferment out of pomegranate and it was horrible 
i think the acidity of pomegranate juice keeps it from getting very far too, i did like the "tannin" or "tonic" aspect of it though, it might be good added to a brew. not exactly the best starting material.
i used to have a friend that would add a cup of it to his meads for the tannin aspect alone. they taste "tonic"-like, good background flavor.
i also tried something with blueberry it was like, grape blueberry kiwi or something and i about threw up
if it tastes GOOD beforehand it usually tastes good after, give or take a few exceptions such as strong flavored juices or ones that would taste nasty without their sugar content.
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NewbieShroomie
Registered: 07/18/04
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Re: How-To make 20%+ Apple Cider!!! [Re: CptnGarden]
#8840539 - 08/28/08 08:39 AM (3 months, 5 days ago) |
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Noted.
Another concern of mine is the jug type. The apple cider comes in a standard milk type gallon jug. I'm not sure the condom would stay snug on there. Should I just rubber band it on?
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~=-=~=-=~=-=~=-=~
Confucius say, "He who go to bed with itchy butthole wake up with smelly finger."
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CptnGarden
Tabaquero
Registered: 05/13/04
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you mean like.... a cardboard vessel?
if so, thats not appropriate.
glass, heavy plastic, and certain metals, only.
otherwise, yeah just strap on that rubber 
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