Graff (Malty, slightly hopped cider)

[Emil]

Just made my first batch a couple weeks ago. WOW!!! Super delicious. It's a beer and a cider in one; it has the malty flavor of a beer and a nice amount of light tartness to make the apple flavor really pop.
My son discovered how good they are and I saw him taking a few bottles with him when he left.

 

[NickAus]

Hi,

Batch one of this didn't last very long! I have a quick question about back-sweetening and hope I'm not hijacking the thread. I'd like to brew this again then backsweeten in the keg with a few litres of really nice juice. Is there any risk of this going off or anything? If I put juice with a one week expiry into a keg but leave it there for a month etc? Or does the lack of oxygen and the alcohol content preserve it?

Thank you.

 

[MInoobbrewer]

My guess is you'd have to cold crash it, or get those pills that stall out the yeast. But I've back sweetened before with splenda with good results. Just My guess. I'm a bottle guy

 

[BrewerBear]

If you back sweeten and keep the keg chilled it should inhibit the yeast from any further fermentation.

 

[NickAus]

If you back sweeten and keep the keg chilled it should inhibit the yeast from any further fermentation.

And fresh juice would be fine in there? Thanks mate.

 

[BrewerBear]

Yes

 

[Joemomma]

Thanks for the recipe! Turned out great .. going to have to do 10 gallons next time.


~Joe

 

[Strut]

I'm drinking my first carbonated pint as I write this. Quite tasty! It may be a bit too tart for my liking, but overall it is a very nice drink. I may back-sweeten a little with some apple juice to tame the tartness if it doesn't mellow out in a few weeks. FG was 1.009. I used cheap apple juice with vitamin C.

 

[MInoobbrewer]

No need to back sweeten. Mine was v the same way. After another two weeks in the bottle it calmed down to some really easy drinkability

 

[Strut]

No need to back sweeten. Mine was v the same way. After another two weeks in the bottle it calmed down to some really easy drinkability

This is what I'm betting on, but now that I've had a few pints, they are getting pretty damn drinkable already!

 

[MInoobbrewer]

Lol a lil secret I've learned. I aged six of them in plastic bottles to a perfect sweet/tart flavor. And I take one to the gym with me after work.

 

[Aleaxnedr]

Good afternoon,
I put Cara-50 malt (20L) instead of Crystal 60L. My bad. It's in fermenter already. Did i spoil my cider?

 

[hunter_le five]

Good afternoon,
I put Cara-50 malt (20L) instead of Crystal 60L. My bad. It's in fermenter already. Did i spoil my cider?

It'll be fine. The taste and color will be slightly different, but no, you didn't ruin anything.

 

[Aleaxnedr]

It'll be fine. The taste and color will be slightly different, but no, you didn't ruin anything.

Even low figure of Diastatic power isn't a problem?

 

[hunter_le five]

Even low figure of Diastatic power isn't a problem?

No. The Crystal 60L which you replaced has little if any diastatic power anyway. The grains in this recipe are mostly for color and sweetening with unfermentable sugars. Diastatic power is a non-issue.

 

[Reindeer]

Sampled my first bottle of my first batch last night. I'm very happy with it. I'm not normally much of a cider fan, but this is great. I followed the recipe pretty closely. I used locally sourced fresh-pressed cider and Wyeast 1056. Kept it in primary for about 3 weeks, then transferred to secondary for 2 weeks to clear it up a little.

I added 2 oz of rum-soaked toasted oak cubes to the secondary about a week before I bottled it, which I think added a little depth and a hint of smokiness, without being overpowering.

I'll definitely make this again next fall.

 

[Strut]

No need to back sweeten. Mine was v the same way. After another two weeks in the bottle it calmed down to some really easy drinkability

Well, I'm not sure if the tartness is mellowing, or I'm getting used to it, but I've put away a couple gallons already! It is really growing on me. I'll be picking up more juice for another batch tonight.

 

[peejaynj]

Is ONE ounce of the torified really all that's used here? It just doesn't seem logical that that's enough. I'm probably wrong but I just was curious.

 

[peejaynj]

I just called in the grain bill and I'm gonna be brewing this tonight!

 

[Strut]

Is ONE ounce of the torified really all that's used here? It just doesn't seem logical that that's enough. I'm probably wrong but I just was curious.

I sub'd in one oz of carapills and get a nice head that sticks around.

 

[peejaynj]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1417840760.111787.jpg and we are off!

 

[gatsby174]

I brewed the original recipe to a "t" last night, with some raw, right off the press cider. If u've never had cider before uv or pasteurization, your really missing out! (Yes, I also realize it's not as safe, but WOW is it good!!) Hopefully in a couple weeks I'll have done nice graff. Thanks for the recipe Brandon!

 

[peejaynj]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1417875719.992878.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1417875768.187319.jpg

Let it ride and see what happens or is this way too infected after ONE DAY. I sanitized like crazy idk what could of happened

 

[brewski09]

View attachment 240172View attachment 240173

Let it ride and see what happens or is this way too infected after ONE DAY. I sanitized like crazy idk what could of happened

Infections tend to take longer than 1 day to show up because the souring bugs are slower growing than beer yeasts.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[peejaynj]

Infections tend to take longer than 1 day to show up because the souring bugs are slower growing than beer yeasts.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Idk man, thanks for the reply, it just doesn't look too good and it showed up over night! First time working with Apple juice so I didn't know.

 

[foy1der]

Any thoughts on not using any specialty grains? I'm trying to clean out the freezer of leftover ingredients and I don't have any grains. I'm also going to be using a lager yeast.

 

[MInoobbrewer]

I think you got an cider with extra fermentable sugars then. Idk with the lager yeast though. As long as you control your temps it should work out to a very dry cider

 

[hunter_le five]

Just put another batch into the fermenter. This time used a ratio of 3:2 juice to beer instead of the standard 4:1. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[peejaynj]

Thinking about bottling half and racking the other onto some blueberries. Anyone try anything like this?

 

[graycobra]

My second Graff came out pretty tasty. If anyone wants to bottle carb with FAJC, don't use a whole can. Too much co2 bite IMO

 

[peejaynj]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1418410965.711258.jpg

Anybody else's krausen look so sludgy?? First time working with Apple juice so is this just how it comes out? Looks gross! But the smell is great!

 

[hunter_le five]

Looks about like mine.

 

[Aleaxnedr]

OG 1053
FG 1008
primary fermentation 14 days at 73 degrees and its already really tasty! thx! gonna bottle it now. hope its not going to fermenting more. dont want to take bottle bombs.

how it looks like after 14 days in primary

 

[brewski09]

If you want to make sure it's done wait a day and take another gravity reading. While you are technically supposed to take a total of three with each being 24 hours apart, I've never had it change if it was stable 24 hours later and near my target FG.

 

[MrSnacks]

Anyone added tart cherry concentrate to graff before?

 

[Strut]

Somehow my Graff keg is cashed already! Just when it was getting good too!

I knew I should have started another batch last week, but in my defense, I figured it take me longer than two weeks to go through 5 gallons

 

[Siberian]

View attachment 240172View attachment 240173

Let it ride and see what happens or is this way too infected after ONE DAY. I sanitized like crazy idk what could of happened

That's nothing to worry about at all, I've seen that in batches I've used wheat in, it's just stuff from the grains, it'll settle out don't worry about it. It's not a bug/infection.

 

[chemist55]

Just started my first batch of this and man does it smell amazing.

OG was 1.053 and I'm using S-04, it's my first time using this yeast and I'm very impressed, less than 18 hours after pitching it was bubbling away nicely.

Can't wait for this to finish!

 

[MInoobbrewer]

Down to my last twelve bottles. Think I'll start another batch this weekend

 

[peejaynj]

OG: 1.06 FG: 1.01. Can't complain. Came out nice and dry, next time I think I'll back sweeten a little. I've also got about 2 and a half gallons sitting on blueberries in a secondary now so we will see how that comes out on Monday!