My first cider recipe and procedure

[ColdBraue]

So I made a cider last night and I am totally stoked for it:
4 gal batch (since I will be using my other fermentors for beer and mead later)
3 gals unfiltered dark pure apple juice (pastuerized) Wild Oats Brand
1 gal unfiltered light apple juice (pastuerized) Santa Cruz brand
I say "dark" and "light" because I have no idea the types of apples they used, only what it looks like.
.5 lb seedless raisins
1lb amber wildflower honey
Windsor Ale Yeast

Heated about 2 quarts of the juice in a saucepan and added the honey to dissolve it. Pastuerized that mess for a while to sterlize the pot and the mix.
Pureed the raisins with some just boiled water in a sanitized blender.
Added everything to the carboy, blasted with 1.5 minutes of oxygen, and pitched my rehydrated windsor.
The OG was about 1.065 and the FG should be around 1.018 which is pretty high, but I am ok with a more full bodied cider.
Fermenting around 65-68*F.

I'm going to add a little cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and allspice after primary is finished.

What do you all think? Will it turn out OK?

Thanks!

[Big K]

Hell I don't know if it will turn out or not, but it sounds damn good!

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Big K.

[BDawg]

You will probably want to add some yeast nutrient. The apple juice and the honey lack most of the nutrients you get from malt wort.

(Oh, and not to pick nits, but technically, this is not a cider, but rather a cyser since you added honey to it:

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style25.html#1a
)

Good Luck! Hope it turns out great!

[Sent From My iPhone]

I agree with BDawg, you should add some nutrient. Looks purty good though.

[ColdBraue]

So the .5lb of raisins won't provide enough nutrient? There was also plenty of solids in the bottom of the juice containers.
I also looked at the specialty cider category, and that can have honey in the recipe as long as the cider character is dominant, so it should still be to style.
Thanks guys!

[ColdBraue]

Yesterday I added 1 tsp of yeast nutrient dissolved in some boiled water. I pitched it, and the yeast loved it. Still fermenting strong after 48 hours.

[jacbop]

Hey Cold,

I doubt you will hit 1.018. Probably 1.008 or less is my guess. Cider is very fermentable and it can be a challenge to get some residual sweetness without either back sweetening and stabilizing with sorbate and metabisulphite, or cranking the OG up with sugar or honey until the yeast poop out at a sweet FG.

I like dry cider, but if you want if fairly sweet, add some apple juice and sorbate once it is done fermenting (but then it would then have to be still or force carbonated). Sparkling, sweet cider is a bit of a challenge, but can be done.

I'm sure it will turn out great. Let us know how it goes, eh?

jacbop
Midland, MI

[ColdBraue]

Yeah good point J,
Going from the attenuation rate on Windsor, I got the 1.018. But since the cider is quite a different wort than beer, a lower gravity makes sense. Thanks for the tip.
I'll keep you all posted on how it turns out.
I may end up doing a dry, sparking, spiced cider.....