Eric's Awesome Autumn Cider

Classification: cider, apple cider

Source: Stuart Paynter (paynter@bnr.ca), r.c.b., 9/18/96

This is based on a recipe from Defalco's Supplies, Ottawa, ON.

The result was a quite dry "apple wine" with a medium to strong apple taste that has been improving with age!

Ingredients:

25L soft cider (to allow for loss in transfer)
5 campden tablets
corn sugar to O.G. 1.060 (~2kg)
1-1/4 tsp tannin
1-1/4 tsp yeast energizer
2-1/2 tsp pectic enzyme powder
2 tsp acid blend
1 pkg Lalvin EC1118 (white wine) yeast

Procedure:

Instructions and what I did to make a still cider:

- got 24L of fresh pressed juice of unknown blend from a local orchard
- crushed 5 campden tablets, stirred them in and let stand for 2 days
- checked SG of juice (1.052) added 2kg of clover honey to bring it up to 1.076. Technically, adding honey makes this a "cyser".
- add yest energizer, pectic enzyme, acid blend, and tannin. stir well
- pitch yeast
- let ferment for 4-5 days until SG ~1.015 then rack into secondary
- let ferment finish to FG ~1.000 (mine was 1.006) and cider to clear. I used sparkalloid finings to speed things up.
- add 2-1/2 tsp potassium sorbate and wait for cider to finish clearing
- bottled in glass wine bottles.

For a sparkling cider, follow the above except:

- bring OG to ~1.060
- do NOT add potassium sorbate at the end of the ferment!
- add 3/4 cup of corn sugar to 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add to primary fermentor and siphon cider from secondary to primary. Bottle and cap. Let stand for 2 weeks at room temperature to allow carbonation.