Cider - brew 4

My mead has been in the primary fermenter for almost a month and I 

can't wait to start the cider, so I bought a second primary fermenter and I'm going to start the cider before the mead finishes.

I just got another Coopers kit which is $89 (AU) at k-mart.

I'm guessing that the cider will finish primary fermentation before the mead does, as apple juice is mostly simple sugars, compared to honey.

This cider is the same recipe as the mead, but more apple juice and less honey.

Honey is to provide complex sugars for the yeast to digest at later stages of fermentation; which should provide more depth of flavour.

Ingredients

Lavlin ec 1118 yeast 5g 

11 x 2 Litre Apple juice from aldi, no preservatives: reconstituted apple juice 99%, acidity regulator 330, flavour, vitamin C. $1 per litre

2 x 700g bramwells mixed blossom honey.$0.53 per 100g

overall cost

$29.7/24L -> $1.2 per litre

commercial cider is around $7.5 per litre

Brewing

I heated up 8 litres of apple juice to around 50-60 degrees and poured it int. the fermenter. I then poured warmed up honey into the fermenter. Then added the rest of the apple juice that is at room temperature. I took an Original Gravity measurement before
rehydrating the yeast, according to the packet, which I then added to the must.

I put the fermenter on a stool with a heat mat under the fermenter, covering the whole thing with a blanket, as it's a very cold winter. 

Secific Gravity Measurements

OG 

13/7/2013 60 at 26 degrees

SG
14/7/2013 58 at 18 degrees
Tastes Like cloudy apple juice that has been carbonated, no alcohol taste yet. 

15/7/2013 49 at 18 degrees

16/7/2013 44 at 18 degrees 

18/7/2013 31 at 18 degrees 

19/7/2013 25 at 18 degrees

21/7/2013 16 at 14 degrees

22/7/2013 18 at 14 degrees

23/7/2013 15 at 14 degrees

25/7/2013 11 at 14 degrees

26/7/2013 9 at 15 degrees

28/7/2013 6 at 16 degrees

Cloudy apple cider taste, quite dry and medium sour. 

29/7/2013 4 at 18 degrees

31/7/2013 4 at 15 degrees

3/7/2013 0 at 13 degrees

Bottled 3/7/2013

Final Gravity 0

calculated ABV 8.0%

It's turned out really dry and very strong alcohol wise. It's both cloudy and sour, which I like. Back sweetening with cordial makes it a very pleasant drink.  My favorite mix is with the rhubarb cordial from ikea. A cheaper but still delicious option is cascade rasberry cordial. 

I'm very happy with this brew, and I'll be making many more like it.