Early Sweet Cider

[esarkipato]

Hey it's my second season of cider making. I tried two 'slight' graff recipes last year, and wasn't very happy with them. I would like a end result with good body and decent residual sweetness, with apple and caramel flavors, with a touch of bitterness from the hops. Like drinking an apple filled with brandy and carbonated with a hoppy finish. Here's where I'm starting this year, but I need suggestions:

-3 gallons unpasteurized cider (est. OG 1.056 if same as last year)

"Mini-mash":
-1.5 gallon water
-2 lbs Crystal Malt 120L
-5 oz torrified wheat malt (head retention)

I would mash/steep this starting at 160 degF for an hour, then sparge with 1 gal 170degF water.

Boil 30 min with 1/2 oz US Sorachi hops. Maybe another 1/2 oz at flameout.

Add 2 lbs Amber DME at flameout.

Combine with Cider and ferment.

I'm looking at Safale 04, or a Bell's ale yeast culture.

Comments?

 

[Fletch78]

If you search for "Brandon O's Graff" I believe he doesn't call for near that much torrified wheat. Secondly, using 2 pounds of crystal malt in a 4 gallon volume should give you all the head you need, in addition to your two pounds of DME.

Also, I've never used C120, but my understanding is that it's more roasty-toasty, perhaps consider C-60 or C-80 for the caramel-ness.

Other than that, it looks pretty delicious.

 

[esarkipato]

I ended up doing something that may actually be a fruit beer rather than a graff. Here's the ingredients:

-2 gal cider (unpasteurized)
-3 lbs amber DME
-2 lbs 120 crystal malt
-1 oz Sorachi hops for 30 m (10 % AA)
-apple skins at 10m, 5m, 0m (small handfull)
Water to 5gallons.

Bubbling right now with Safale s-04 .... will give feedback. If it ends up being good I'll give more details on the brew.

 

[esarkipato]

It's now been bottled for a few weeks. I think I'm on to something here, but in hindsight should have used a crystal malt with lower lovibond rating. The 120 does have an aftertaste of almost charred apples, kind of cool but not exactly what I was going for. The bitterness is just fine, nothing too much at all. Got a nice head too! I think it will get massively better with age since there's a little hotness from the cider still. Overall a good experiment ... but needs improvement.