Cyser Question - Add hone after primary?

[BrotherBock]

I'm going to make a gallon batch of ginger cyser. Hoping to hit an abv of 12+%

I'm thinking some residual sweetness would be nice. Assuming my abv exceeds my yeast's tolerance level whatever sugar is left over would be where my sweetness comes from.

I'd prefer that that sweetness comes from the honey rather than the apple juice. So my thought is to let the yeast ferment the apple juice dry first, then add the honey and let it referment as much as it will (hopefully leaving behind some honey sweetness as the yeast reaches it's limit).

Has anyone tired this or have insights? If I go this route will I need to introduce any more O2 when adding the honey? My experience in general is that introducing any O2 at that point risks oxidation but I also know mead/wine is not the same as beer, which is the majority of my experience.

 

[BrotherBock]

bump

 

[Maylar]

I'm in the process of doing exactly that right now, but it's not done yet so I can't tell you how it worked out lol.

Started with cider that was taken to 1.000 with 71B-1122. I added some yeast nutrient and put honey in 3 steps a few days apart. Started just after Christmas and it's still bubbling slowly. I need to take a gravity reading and if it's dry add some more honey.

So... I say go for it!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I definitely wouldn't try to hone during primary. The machine oils would ruin the cyser.

 

[BrotherBock]

I definitely wouldn't try to hone during primary. The machine oils would ruin the cyser.

Maybe I like a light machine character to my cyser. Don't judge me

 

[bernardsmith]

I make cyser by diluting the honey with the apple juice. Allowing the yeast to ferment both the apple and the honey together allows for a better integrated mead.
Rather than aim for your yeast to die from alcohol poisoning you might determine the amount of honey you need to add to the juice to create the ABV you want and then when the fermentation has completely ended, stabilize the cyser with K-meta and K-sorbate (in tandem) and then add either more concentrated apple juice or honey or both or some other sugar source to sweeten to precisely the level of sweetness this particular batch calls for.

 

[BrotherBock]

Update for those that care.

I went ahead and pitched some wyeast British Ale (it's what I had on hand) into a gallon of 1.050 cider with 2 oz of ginger root a few days ago. Yesterday it was down to 1.010. I added 1.5 pounds of honey, some yeast nutrient, and shook it up a bit.

Now I'll just let it sit for a while until that yeast finishes eating what it can. I suspect the yeast will ferment down to 12-14% before it dies. I'm thinking this will leave me with some unfermented sugars from the honey.

OG (corrected for late addition of honey) should have put me at about 1.106 to 1.108.

 

[Maylar]

Cool.

Mine is a morph. I had 3 quarts of cider that had already gone to 1.000 and cleared in secondary. Too little for a 1 gallon jug, too much for a 1/2 gallon. So I added some nutrient and started adding honey in increments. I'm up to about 1.25 lbs in 4 steps and it's still bubbling. Would like to finish at 1.010 or so and 12%.

 

[BrotherBock]

Cool.

Mine is a morph. I had 3 quarts of cider that had already gone to 1.000 and cleared in secondary. Too little for a 1 gallon jug, too much for a 1/2 gallon. So I added some nutrient and started adding honey in increments. I'm up to about 1.25 lbs in 4 steps and it's still bubbling. Would like to finish at 1.010 or so and 12%.

Yeah. I actually put a little less than a gallon of juice in my jug. The 1.5 lbs of honey ended up more than filling the jug, so I poured a bit out. But I've had no krausen the whole time, so my jug is really full now. Perk of making cider/mead I guess. I thought the ale yeast would end up giving me a krausen and I'd have to put on a blow off tube. But maybe krausen formation is more about the fermentables than the yeast?

 

[Maylar]

I only get the brown foam with cider, and only for a day or so. Meads make some white foam but it's different. Step feeding honey into this cyser made nothing at all.