Honey and Cider

[jmartie13]

I've been making hard cider every late summer/early fall for years....I've used brown sugar, maple syrup, and cane sugar to add gravity points. My wife and I recently were given a big jug of raw honey as a gift (there's a lot of it) and i though it may be interesting in a hard cider recipe. Has anyone used raw honey for cider? I'm nervous about the "raw" part, yeast, bacteria and such...I'm thinking if I dissolve some in hot water (or cider) before adding it? any input would be great! cheers

 

[TopHatCat]

I can't say I've ever used it but I too really wanted to make some Honey Apple Cider..
The first thing I got told is it will add an extra month onto the brew time (due to the honey). But it's still something I'd love to try!

(Also how was your Maple Syrup cider? That sounds rather nice! Could you taste it at all?)

 

[Devo9]

It is called Cyser and it is awesome. With honey you shouldn't need to worry about bacteria, but a campden tablet will take care of any wild yeast.

You should be using campden on the juice anyways, so just mix the two together and add your campden tablets. let it sit for 24 hours and then pitch your yeast.

I have a lot of experience with cyser, it is my go to drink! Oh, but it might need to age a bit. I have had batches that are awesome right after bottling and I have had others that require a good 6 months of aging before being awesome. It is kind of hit or miss, but it is safest to set it aside for about 6 months to a year for bulk aging. It is a type of mead after all.

I do however recommend trying it. It is a little more work then regular cider, but much better in my opinion! Good luck!

 

[TopHatCat]

I have a lot of experience with cyser, it is my go to drink! Oh, but it might need to age a bit. I have had batches that are awesome right after bottling and I have had others that require a good 6 months of aging before being awesome. It is kind of hit or miss, but it is safest to set it aside for about 6 months to a year for bulk aging. It is a type of mead after all.

Sounds fantastic! How would you describe it?
Any tips or quick walk-throughs/measurements on how you usually brew it?

 

[jmartie13]

ahhh, campden tablets, yes. I do use those, that makes perfect sense now that you mention it. I think I'll do a regular batch for drinking sooner, and a "cyser" for aging, That ought to do it.

My maple syrup cider was tasty. I only added 5 cups to 5 gallons of cider before fermentation, so I think I lost a lot of the actual "maple" flavor during fermentation and such, but there was still a hint of it. If I did it again i would likely use a commericial grade syrup and add a little more than a cup per gallon. Cheers!

 

[BeerMeDuffMan]

Any idea the honey variety? Lots of honey gives different flavors. I think with a cider, the darker Buckwheat Honeys would give a soft marshmallow flavor to it. Some honey is gathered from fruit sources, giving a subtle citrusy flavor.
I made a caramel apple cyser last year that is very awesome after almost a year of aging. The longer you let a cyser/mead sit, the better it gets.

 

[Devo9]

Any idea the honey variety? Lots of honey gives different flavors. I think with a cider, the darker Buckwheat Honeys would give a soft marshmallow flavor to it. Some honey is gathered from fruit sources, giving a subtle citrusy flavor.
I made a caramel apple cyser last year that is very awesome after almost a year of aging. The longer you let a cyser/mead sit, the better it gets.

I have a regular supply of raspberry honey, so that is what I use. I would definitely say a fruit source honey is the best way to go. Although a wildflower honey can turn out pretty good as well, just try to use a raw single source honey (as oppposed to the super market variety)

 

[BeerMeDuffMan]

I have a regular supply of raspberry honey, so that is what I use. I would definitely say a fruit source honey is the best way to go. Although a wildflower honey can turn out pretty good as well, just try to use a raw single source honey (as oppposed to the super market variety)

I would love to try a cyser with meadowfoam honey. That's supposed to give a roasted marshmallow flavor.

 

[Devo9]

Sounds fantastic! How would you describe it?
Any tips or quick walk-throughs/measurements on how you usually brew it?

I think it is pretty fantastic, but I am a huge fan of honey. I use it in my tea and coffee, I cook with it and I brew with it.

I will do my best, but I’m not sure how accurate I can describe it. It tastes like really fresh apple cider to me. I find there is a nice undertone of honey flavour, but it doesn't scream honey, it still taste mostly of apples. Most people don't notice the honey flavour at all, despite being masked by the cider, I think it complements the drink nicely.

Now depending on the type of cider and the type of honey you use this could be dramatically different. Using store bought juices will bring out more honey flavour as the store bought juices tend to be a little blander then what you would get from most orchards. The better quality juice you have (balanced sweetness and tartness with a pleasant flavour), the less honey flavour you will taste and the more it will act as a flavour enhancer. Also choose your honey wisely. Here is a website that describes many varieties of honey: http://www.honey.com/honey-at-home/learn-about-honey/honey-varietals/. I would look for something with a light, sweet, or delicate taste as you don’t want the honey to overpower your cider, so stay away from buckwheat and eucalyptus (I am also not sure about sourwood and tulip poplar, but I don’t really know these honeys). And stay away from store bought honeys if you can, best to get it straight from an apiary (honey farm) if possible.

I usually do 6 gallons at a time with 5 kg (11 lbs.) of honey. This means I use about 5 gallons of cider and 1 gallon of honey. This mix gives me an ABV of about 16%. This is too strong for a lot of my friends, but it is how I like it. Try using a mead ABV calculator to figure out what ABV you want and go from there.

Oh and try not to heat anything, both cider and honey are heat sensitive. Warming it to help them mix is fine, but I would try to keep it from getting hot. Also patience is a virtue when brewing with honey, things will often go slower when honey is involved (not always, but usually).

Good luck!

 

[Devo9]

I would love to try a cyser with meadowfoam honey. That's supposed to give a roasted marshmallow flavor.

I haven't seen anywhere in Canada that supplies meadowfoam honey, but I would love to try it as well. Someday I will try to find some.

 

[BeerMeDuffMan]

Devo that is perhaps the best advice when it comes to anything honey related I have seen...+1 friend

 

[Devo9]

Thanks BeerMeDuffMan, that is great to hear. If you get a chance to do the meadowfoam honey cyser, let me know how it turns out!