OP
OP
Toxxyc
New and loving it
Yeah I had a tiny batch of mead that I drew off the bigger volume to which I added some of that same concentrate. Just a little. It doesn't seem to be fermenting well, though. Don't think it'll finish up.
Cider from concentrate...with preservatives
- Thread starter Toxxyc
- Start date
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OP
OP
Toxxyc
New and loving it
OK so this weekend I took the fermenting bottle from the chamber, poured the cider off the yeast cake and into a sanitized new container. I wasn't very careful with oxidisation because I don't think this batch will last long. I didn't take a FG but I did take a taste test - super tart, super dry. So, working with my OG down to dry, I have around 6% ABV. I batch primed in the bottle and added a bunch of sucralose sweetener tablets dissolved in some water to break the dryness. Flavour was pretty good, so I let the bottle sit for a few hours to dissolve the carbonation sugar well and got a pretty pressurised container when I got back. Anyway, I bottled as is, and now it's just sitting and waiting.
The flavour is very clean. No sulphur as I expected. VERY tart, pretty sour and the Rooibos is pretty up front and "in your face". The backsweetening I was happy with back then, but I suspect it's not as high as I would have liked it down the line, so I'll adjust in the larger batch. Colour is way off from where I wanted it, but that's OK. I'm not too worried about that. Anyway, here are some pics to show how it came out. Excuse the labels on the bottle, it's the only clear bottle I could find on short notice
The flavour is very clean. No sulphur as I expected. VERY tart, pretty sour and the Rooibos is pretty up front and "in your face". The backsweetening I was happy with back then, but I suspect it's not as high as I would have liked it down the line, so I'll adjust in the larger batch. Colour is way off from where I wanted it, but that's OK. I'm not too worried about that. Anyway, here are some pics to show how it came out. Excuse the labels on the bottle, it's the only clear bottle I could find on short notice
Blacksmith1
Captain Cheap
Looks pretty good. Send me a bottle or ten, and I'll give you my (not so) EXPERT opinion.
OP
OP
Toxxyc
New and loving it
Sounds like a great plan, Sir! Can you recommend me a courier to do the 13,251km trip with liquids?Looks pretty good. Send me a bottle or ten, and I'll give you my (not so) EXPERT opinion.
I'm joking, but I'm a bit far. I'm in South Africa. I can't really send my brews worldwide. I'm nowhere near confident enough in them, at all...
Blacksmith1
Captain Cheap
I'm sure we could find a bicycle courier that wants to set a world record.
OP
OP
Toxxyc
New and loving it
I wouldn't trust someone who's going to cycle 13k km with a cold cider though...
OP
OP
Toxxyc
New and loving it
OK so I tasted one over the weekend. I'm not sure what I think about it. It's not "off", so there's no complaints there. It's obvious the yeast did it's job and all that, but I'm not convinced or sold on the idea. There's something about it that's just not spot on. Perhaps too much Rooibos, perhaps not enough cranberry, I'm not sure. It's pretty clean, but it's just...funny. There's something about it I'm not happy with. Also not sure I'll try to do it again. A kit is cheap enough, so that's probably what I'll go with in the future, to be honest. Less guessing, less hoping and less worrying.
Zambezi Special
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the update. I am about to test drink my first batch and bottle the second!
