Cider Recipe - With A Slight Zang

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Bats

Well-Known Member
Joined
18/11/10
Messages
296
Reaction score
14
Since I was kindly given a couple of 5 litre demijohns from a mate, I have been experimenting with recipes I would never have even thought of attempting in the past, i.e Meads etc.

I have brewed Apple Ciders before using both purchased apple juice and freshly juiced apples.

I want to experiment with an Apple cider with a bit of spice but can not really find too much on here to help.

I was thinking a little over 4 litres of apple juice, then adding some spices to ferment.

Any ideas guys? I have cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg, all spice, cardoman pods etc.

Shoud I experiment with all, or only some? How much of each?

Cheers,

Bats.
 
I was thinking along the lines of Apple pie.

An apple cider with a bit of seasoning but nothing too overpowering.

I have been known to be heavy handed with spices and don't want to mess this up.
 
Remember to not go overboard on the spices though. It is always easier to beef them up down the track if you want some more. Also keep in mind that a good way to add spice to a beer or cider os to create a tincture, which is basically extracting the spice oils into an alcohol base such as vodka. This also lets you add spice at the end to taste. There is quite a good episode of the session on the brewing network where they discuss in depth the art of making pumpkin beers that has a lot of spice info in it.

Personally I would make a tincutre as I like to adjust my cider to taste in the keg. :beer:
 
In my ginger beers, I'll often use maybe 10 short cinnamon quills, 5 cloves, half a fresh, ground nutmeg...uh...nut(?) and up to 10 cardamom pods (23L batch size). I reckon these would sit way more forward in a cider than a GB and would personally start out with half the amounts shown here thene work from there. I'd also leave the clove out entirely, I think it would be too hard to manage in such a small batch size and you'd end up making an oral anasthetic!

The cinnamon and valilla sounds like a pretty good idea - I just wonder how the vanilla would sit if your cider ends up very dry.

Perhaps try Adam's tincture idea and add some to a commercial cider to get an idea of amounts to use.
 
Sounds like a delicious option.

Any tips on how much of each for a little over 4 litres?
I'd be guessing mate.
I've added vanilla to a finished cider, and next time I'll try cinnamon in the ferment, time after that vanilla in the ferment.
Small batches, small amount of spice, work your way up.
I use the Oztops and I've got a bunch of 2 litre glass juice bottles. Ridiculously easy to make cider this way.
 
Heres mine Link
Tasted it the other week
Touch of cinnamon
And vanilla in the back ground
Although it was made to age for at least a year or two

Edit: going to have a tast now

Edit:Touch of cinnamon on the nose Maybe some vanilla and apples of course
Flavour is apples little cinnamon A bit of honey
Tastes still a bit sweet But FG was at 1002 from memory

To me the spices seem right but not a lot of vanilla
Might add a bit more vanilla next time but will make this again
 
I was thinking along the lines of Apple pie.

An apple cider with a bit of seasoning but nothing too overpowering.

I have been known to be heavy handed with spices and don't want to mess this up.

G'day - I'm very interested in what you go with. Liquid Apple Pie sounds delicious :lol:

Cloves would be my bet to get that apple pie spice. That's what I always put in when I make a pie anyway. And brown sugar - so maybe molasses?
 
I've done a full 23l batch using berri apple juice, vanilla pods and cinnamon quills.

I boiled 1 x 2.4l bottle with 2 split vanilla pods and 1 quill plus some yeast nutrient for about 5-10 mins then poured the lot in the fermenter

The cinnamon ended up overpowering and vanilla only just in the background. It had the apple pie taste I was looking for but just too much cinnamon.

I would suggest either take the quill out after pasturising in the juice or 'dry hop' it later in the ferment. The vanilla may shine through a bit more then.

Cheers

NDH
 
Back
Top