Brew #4 – Simple Apple Cider v2.0 and v2.1

A few months ago I made my first apple cider — it was good, but it needed some improvement. I had a few ideas on how to improve the recipe, so for my second batch I decided to experiment with a few factors that differentiate these batches from v1.0, specifically: the juice type, the type of sweetening/priming sugar used, and the time for conditioning.

An image of the apple ciders in their fermenters.

Apple Ciders v2.0 and v2.1 prior to transferring to secondary.

Here are the recipes that I used:

Simple Apple Cider v2.0

  • One Gallon of Unfiltered, Organic Apple Juice
  • 1/2 Can of Frozen, Organic Apple Juice Concentrate
  • 1/2 Packet of Nottingham Ale Yeast

After Fermentation

  • 1/2 Can of Frozen, Non-Organic Apple Juice Concentrate for Priming and Sweetening (roughly 100g of sugar)

Process: 2 weeks primary, 4 weeks secondary, 4 weeks bottle conditioning

Simple Apple Cider v2.1

  • One Gallon of Unfiltered, Organic Apple Juice
  • 1/2 Can of Frozen, Organic Apple Juice Concentrate
  • 1/2 Packet of Nottingham Ale Yeast

After Fermentation

  • 100g (roughly 1/2 cup) of Brown Sugar, Dissolved into a Simple Syrup for Priming and Sweetening

Process: 2 weeks primary, 4 weeks secondary, 4 weeks bottle conditioning

v2.0 Notes & Stats

This cider was just okay — it was highly carbonated and tart.  In comparison to the brown sugar in v2.1, the yeast were able to convert the sugars in the concentrate much quicker, resulting in a very bubbly, champagne-like carbonation. However, the concentrate did not add much noticeable sweetness to the cider — in fact, the added vitamin C in the concentrate added a strong tartness that was not welcomed.

In addition, the conditioning time should have been shortened, since off-gassing of the bottles was required to prevent bottle bombs.

Brew Name Simple Apple Cider v2.0
Brew Number #4.0
Actual O.G. 1.055 (Adjusted)
Actual F.G. 1.003 (Adjusted)
Alcohol by Volume (%) 6.90%
Rating 2.0 of 5
General reaction from others Not very good. Tart and too carbonated.

v2.1 Notes & Stats

Overall, this cider was very good! This cider was lightly carbonated and semi-sweet. A little more carbonation would have been nice, but the flavor profile was spot-on with what I was trying to achieve.

I’m sure this will be my base recipe going forward — like I said, it’s really good! For my next batch, I may attempt to tweak this recipe in an attempt to create the perfect the carbonation levels. I may also experiment with pectic enzyme to clarify the cider further.

Brew Name Simple Apple Cider v2.1
Brew Number #4.1
Actual O.G. 1.055 (Adjusted)
Actual F.G. 1.003 (Adjusted)
Alcohol by Volume (%) 6.90%
Rating 4.0 of 5
General reaction from others Very good!

Keep checking back for future improvements on this recipe!

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