Apfelwein #5C, aka, should be hooch-tastic but will probably just take forever to ferment. I write this because AW #5C (I don’t know why I settled on the C nomenclature for the sixth gallon on normally 5-gallon batches) is only 1 gallon of apple juice but has an extra 1.5 cups of brown sugar added… Continue reading Apfelwein #5C
White Grapefruit — Fermenting
Just as Bryce and I wanted to break out of the box by fermenting Hawaii’s Own, so too did we want to break out of the box, and possibly ferment it, when we decided to take on White Grapefruit Juice. Once again, we figured out how much sugar we needed to add to bring it… Continue reading White Grapefruit — Fermenting
Hawaii’s Own — Brewed!
Bryce and I decided that it was time to take some drastic action. Mainly, I’d picked up 16 carboys from a response to an ad on Craigslist and we wanted to start experimenting. For, we cannot become better brewers until we break out of our comfort zones, no? No matter. We figured out the needed… Continue reading Hawaii’s Own — Brewed!
AW #3C — Bottled
AW #3C was a first for us. We’d read that brown sugar gives a “cidery” taste to alcohol, so, we figured that we’d increase the sugar content of a cider, a 1 gallon batch, exclusively with brown sugar. AC #3C and AW #3 were taken out and taste tested at the exact same time and… Continue reading AW #3C — Bottled
Raspberry Apfelwein #3
Apfelwein #3, we decided, should be a batch of few things. We bottled AW #3C straight, no lactose, just priming sugar. We also bottled one gallon of AW #3 with just priming sugar, no lactose (sweetening sugar, unfermentable by yeast.) The other four gallons we stuck into a bucket. In between, we stuck four packages… Continue reading Raspberry Apfelwein #3
Winter Spice Graff
The Winter Spice Graff appears to have been a mistake. Graff, by itself, is great. Add raspberries (we added raspberry liqueur) and it tastes incredible, something you’d be willing to buy. Alas, when we added allspice and cinnamon, the Graff took a turn for the worst. No, no, it took no turn. It went from… Continue reading Winter Spice Graff
Apfelwein #1 Racked on Blackberries
We had blackberries, frozen, on hand. Apparently, much like the Python’s elderberries, they do not go well. Unlike our raspberry concoctions, the blackberry cider didn’t taste very good. It was always good enough to be drunk, but no more. We argued over who had to drink it. The label’s nice though. Just, we don’t make it… Continue reading Apfelwein #1 Racked on Blackberries
Apfelwein Batch #1 Racked on Raspberries
Our raspberry experiments are proving to be wildly succesful. Our first batch of raspberry racked cider, made with a wine yeast none-the-less, is all gone because it just tasted so damn delicious. It also made pretty pictures. We’re working on four gallons, but made with Nottingham Ale Yeast. Raspberries were boiled (12 oz. of raspberries… Continue reading Apfelwein Batch #1 Racked on Raspberries
Apfelwein #1 Racked on Cinnamon
We racked one gallon of AW #1 on top of cinnamon sticks that had been boiled in water. The taste is pleasant, mildly like Christmas. However, it doesn’t appear to heat well. We’ve bottled it still and it’s sitting in a 12-pack in our newly reorganized work room.
Apfelwein Batch #3
October 14 was a cider day. Leo came over with six gallons of apple juice. We got our measurements ready, realized that we didn’t have the needed two pounds of corn sugar and made up the extra six ounces with brown sugar. We boiled the brown and corn sugar and added them to the bucket.… Continue reading Apfelwein Batch #3
Apfelwein Batch #3C
We did two things on October 14, 2011. We made a 5-gallon batch of Apfelwein with ale yeast (Nottingham) and we made a 1-gallon batch of Apfelwein with ale yeast in a carboy, exclusively with brown sugar. The 5-gallon batch was mixed with a majority corn sugar and a little brown sugar to finish out… Continue reading Apfelwein Batch #3C
Digital Thermometer
Leo and I went to two places, before the massive bottling and brewing that is tomorrow. The first place we went, making a dent in our collective wallets, was the brew store. We got all we needed, and then some, for a clone of 8-Ball Stout. It’s one of Leo’s favorites. Unfortunately, we miscalculated the… Continue reading Digital Thermometer