Basil in cider

[bucketnative]

I have been experimenting with cider in one-gallon batches lately. Various yeasts: Saison dregs (WY3711), stout dregs (S-04), and now some wine yeast (Red Star Champagne). It's been fun so far. I just keep a bunch of 1-gal batches going throughout the time... not even taking notes, just messing around, bottling and drinking in a few week's time.

I was remembering back to my childhood when my mom got some sort of home remedies book, and there was an apple juice w/pureed basil that was supposed to help with my allergies... and I remember it tasting quite good. At least as good as 30+ years of memory allows. I wanted to try putting some fresh basil in my next batch of cider. Plus our basil plants are starting to die off due to change in weather.

I was thinking of "dry hopping" after fermentation, as the alcohol might reduce the risk of an infection.

Or, would it best to muddle basil leaves in some vodka (1 Tbsp) and add that to the batch as a means of further reducing the chances of infection while not adding too much alcohol to the cider?

Most basil beers I have seen add it at flameout in the boil, but I'm not planning on boiling the cider.

 

[Zymomancer]

I recently used some basil in a berry wine, to great effect. I was inspired by a wildberry salad (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry) which tasted insanely good thanks to the added basil.

I used a warm maceration method where I crushed all the berries, with finely chopped basil, to about 160*F for about 15 minutes. The resulting juice, before yeast was pitched, was delicious enough on its own. The basil in the end product was not very noticeable, probably because of the ~14% ABV, but it contributed very noticeable tannins.

If you want the tannins, I believe you need to use some form of heat to extract them. Adding basil at flame-out would have roughly the same effect as making a basil tea pouring boiling water on top of the leaves and letting them steep for 10 minutes or more, then adding it to the carboy before pitching.

If you are interested in just adding the herbal flavour, dry hopping would be better. I do the same thing with cold-brewed iced tea, there's a very noticeable lack of astringency you usually expect from tea, which goes really well with iced tea compared to hot tea.

In either case, I wouldn't really worry about sanitation; I've put herbs in several batches now (such as Gruit Cider : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=7100060) and never had issues. if you're dry hopping, you should probably do it after primary fermentation is complete, and it just happens there's enough alcohol around to sanitize it.

I haven't done side-by-side experiments to figure out how much of a difference the two methods make. If I were to do so, I'd probably make:

- 1 batch with "basil tea" added
- 1 batch with the same amount of basil dry-hopped
- 1 batch using both methods

 

[bucketnative]

Thanks for the tips. I ended up doing a chiffonade of basil, and then muddling in a bit of white rum (Tbsp). Just to be on the safe side... I also added it to the batch after primary fermentation had visibly ceased (no more bubbles and yeast starting to drop out).

I really just wanted the herbal aroma as opposed to the tannins.

I'll report back as to how it tasted in about a month or so, when I am drinking it.

 

[bucketnative]

Just to keep this thread up to date. I bottled the basil cider last night after 11 days of "dry hopping" time with the basil. When I opened the jug, I got a clear whiff of basil followed by a bit of apple aroma. The flavor of basil was not strong, just slight. Nice.

I bottle-primed by adding honey/water to get 1.4 oz/gal, which according to the Northern Brewer carbonation calculator should land me at about 3.0 volume of CO2. I'll let them carbonate for about a week in the basement before putting them in the fridge for a while. I would hazard that they will be very drinkable from the get-go, given how good the still sample was at bottling.

 

[bucketnative]

Keeping this thread up to date:

After 10 days of bottle conditioning, I popped a bottle of this in the fridge overnight. The yeast had mostly settled to the bottom of the bottle already, but after being in the fridge it was crystal clear. Upon opening the bottle, you got a whiff of basil. The first nose was basil, with a bit of honey. The taste was light and crisp, lots of nice bubbles. You taste just a bit of basil, definitely not over powering. Three other people liked it was well.

The recipe was as follows:

1/2 gal White House Premium Apple Juice
1/2 tsp Fermax
1 tsp Red Star Champagne yeast

Waited for visible fermentation to stop (about 3 weeks)

"Dry hopped" with 10 basil leaves (chiffonade), muddled with Tbsp white rum

Waited for 11 days

FG = 0.997
Strained out basil leaves
Bottled with 0.7 oz honey in 1/3 cup water - boiled briefly

Conditioned at about 68F for 10 days.

I think I'll be making a bit larger batch now in preparation for the holidays.

 

[Leezer]

That sounds really nice. What yeast did you use?

I am interested in experimenting with different herbs in beers but hadn't thought of putting them in cider. This cider sounds like something I'd like to try. I just made a rosemary IPA, transferred to secondary yesterday.

 

[Leezer]

Sorry, i was typing my question at the same time you added the above details I guess.

 

[bucketnative]

Sorry, i was typing my question at the same time you added the above details I guess.

Yeah, I hit the send button at an inopportune time, and then took a while to update. It was the yellow packet of Red Star champagne yeast.

I was surprised at how good it was given that it I didn't age it very long.

Rosemary is definitely another herb that I want to try. I might do a mint variety too, given that our mint plant is fairly healthy, still.

 

[Leezer]

Thanks for sharing your recipe, I'm looking forward to trying it. Mint sounds interesting too.

 

[Haden]

Keeping this thread up to date:

After 10 days of bottle conditioning, I popped a bottle of this in the fridge overnight. The yeast had mostly settled to the bottom of the bottle already, but after being in the fridge it was crystal clear. Upon opening the bottle, you got a whiff of basil. The first nose was basil, with a bit of honey. The taste was light and crisp, lots of nice bubbles. You taste just a bit of basil, definitely not over powering. Three other people liked it was well.

The recipe was as follows:

1/2 gal White House Premium Apple Juice
1/2 tsp Fermax
1 tsp Red Star Champagne yeast

Waited for visible fermentation to stop (about 3 weeks)

"Dry hopped" with 10 basil leaves (chiffonade), muddled with Tbsp white rum

Waited for 11 days

FG = 0.997
Strained out basil leaves
Bottled with 0.7 oz honey in 1/3 cup water - boiled briefly

Conditioned at about 68F for 10 days.

I think I'll be making a bit larger batch now in preparation for the holidays.

So I was about to try out this recipe but then noticed it only used a Half Gallon of apple juice - is this for a half gallon batch or was there water added to get the full gallon? I am a complete newbie to ciders but this reminded me of an amazing beer that I have been wanting to recreate and thought it would be fun to try as a cider as well.

Thanks!

 

[bucketnative]

So I was about to try out this recipe but then noticed it only used a Half Gallon of apple juice - is this for a half gallon batch or was there water added to get the full gallon? I am a complete newbie to ciders but this reminded me of an amazing beer that I have been wanting to recreate and thought it would be fun to try as a cider as well.

Thanks!

It was only a half-gallon batch. I made a 1-gallon batch a year later. Turned out well.

 

[Sessionz]

I had a mint cider from Sutton’s Bay Ciders last week and it was delicious! So much so that I will be making some soon!

 

[bucketnative]

I had a mint cider from Sutton’s Bay Ciders last week and it was delicious! So much so that I will be making some soon!

I've used this same technique to make mint cider as well. It was very subtle, just on the back of the tongue as an afterthought. I liked it.

 

[AzOr]

Nice to see an old thread still active.

Earlier this summer I had an interesting cider on draft. It was a basil and mint. I believe it was from Seattle Cider Co., but not positive.

It was well balanced and delicious. The kind you can drink two or four and not get sick of either the mint or basil. I was planning on making a batch this summer but never got around to it. I have some basil and mint in the garden. So......

Would it be ok to freeze the two herbs? Or would it turn black and mushy? I may just make tinctures out of both.

 

[Lucky_Tart]

Several years later,I doubt anyone is still watching this thread, but I wanted to thank it for providing the methods for a delicious mint cider I have going. Instead of rum or vodka, I muddled with mezcal for a hint of smoke as well (This cocktail has been my quarantine obsession.).

 

[Samwisethebrave]

Keeping this thread up to date:

After 10 days of bottle conditioning, I popped a bottle of this in the fridge overnight. The yeast had mostly settled to the bottom of the bottle already, but after being in the fridge it was crystal clear. Upon opening the bottle, you got a whiff of basil. The first nose was basil, with a bit of honey. The taste was light and crisp, lots of nice bubbles. You taste just a bit of basil, definitely not over powering. Three other people liked it was well.

The recipe was as follows:

1/2 gal White House Premium Apple Juice
1/2 tsp Fermax
1 tsp Red Star Champagne yeast

Waited for visible fermentation to stop (about 3 weeks)

"Dry hopped" with 10 basil leaves (chiffonade), muddled with Tbsp white rum

Waited for 11 days

FG = 0.997
Strained out basil leaves
Bottled with 0.7 oz honey in 1/3 cup water - boiled briefly

Conditioned at about 68F for 10 days.

I think I'll be making a bit larger batch now in preparation for the holidays.

Will definitely be trying this. A friend of mine loves ciders, but has recently falling in love with the pineapple basil flavored Press hard seltzer. My idea is making a pineapple and basil cider to give him for Christmas.

 

[susiyust]

Will definitely be trying this. A friend of mine loves ciders, but has recently falling in love with the pineapple basil flavored Press hard seltzer. My idea is making a pineapple and basil cider to give him for Christmas.

I know this is a very old thread now but Wild Cider has a Lemon Basil that I love!!! I have semi copied it in some recipes and it has done very well.

 

[suzeQ]

I know this is a very old thread now but Wild Cider has a Lemon Basil that I love!!! I have semi copied it in some recipes and it has done very well.

Susiyust, do you have a recipe or ratios to your mint and basil cider. I realize your reply is to the old thread but its the only one that comes up on google.