So, that batch from the last thread is done. It's actually been done about a month.
After the primary fermentation for about a a month, I broke it out into 5 one-gallon secondary carboys, and flavored each gallon with different fruit extracts: Cranberry, blackberry, peach, cherry and blueberry.
Everything stabilized about a month ago, and I let clarify in the 1-gallon jugs. It's looking pretty clear now, but I have been too lazy to bottle it, as I still have five 750ml wine bottles left of the last batch. I'll probably get around to doing that this weekend though, because I have to make room for my latest brew project: Applejack!
That's the surface of a 5-gallon batch of hard apple cider I started Sunday. Forgive my labored breathing..the thing weighs like 50 lbs, and I'm getting over a cold. The yeast activity is just crazy! Beer brewers might be used to that kind of thing, but mead is much more relaxed endeavor. It looks like hundreds of tiny minnows are thrashing around just under the surface.
Unlike mead, the apple juice should ferment much more quickly. In 3-4 weeks, I should be ready to turn the resultant hard cider into applejack. Applejack is basically a freeze-concentrated version of hard cider. By freezing out most of the water, you end up with a much more potent (and more flavorful) brew in a process that is evidently completely legal for the homebrewer (though years and years ago, the 'common wisdom' was that it was the same as distillation, and thus, moonshining). I'm really excited to give it a try.
After the primary fermentation for about a a month, I broke it out into 5 one-gallon secondary carboys, and flavored each gallon with different fruit extracts: Cranberry, blackberry, peach, cherry and blueberry.
Everything stabilized about a month ago, and I let clarify in the 1-gallon jugs. It's looking pretty clear now, but I have been too lazy to bottle it, as I still have five 750ml wine bottles left of the last batch. I'll probably get around to doing that this weekend though, because I have to make room for my latest brew project: Applejack!
That's the surface of a 5-gallon batch of hard apple cider I started Sunday. Forgive my labored breathing..the thing weighs like 50 lbs, and I'm getting over a cold. The yeast activity is just crazy! Beer brewers might be used to that kind of thing, but mead is much more relaxed endeavor. It looks like hundreds of tiny minnows are thrashing around just under the surface.
Unlike mead, the apple juice should ferment much more quickly. In 3-4 weeks, I should be ready to turn the resultant hard cider into applejack. Applejack is basically a freeze-concentrated version of hard cider. By freezing out most of the water, you end up with a much more potent (and more flavorful) brew in a process that is evidently completely legal for the homebrewer (though years and years ago, the 'common wisdom' was that it was the same as distillation, and thus, moonshining). I'm really excited to give it a try.
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