MR.BEER® COMMUNITY

I started my second batch of cider for the season today. I do believe that my first batch is infected, it tastes a little vinegary. My first batch was a MB cider kit, which I bottled today. This time I decided to use Motts Natural apple juice and lalvin ec-1118 wine yeast. Not a lot to tell besides the fact that it is super easy being that the juice is pasturized so I just sanitized the keg and whisk, added the juice to fermenter, added the yeast and whisked. I got an OG reading of about 1.050 and my experience with cider as of late tells me that my FG should be around 1.002 or so. My plan was to be drinking this by Halloween but it may be a couple weeks after. I really like seeing pictures of other people stuff so I put a few here for you.



The Juice

The Yeast.

The hydro reading

crazybrody wrote:


Very nice!

I love the Mr Beer Beer and cider. And the other than Beer catagory is all kinds of fun to explore. Thanks for the pics!

Did you just use the Mott's and yeast for your cider? I added a bottle of the Mott's to my last cider brew and it helped a lot. I am interested to see your recipe, if there was more to it than just the Mott's and yeast. If not, that's a pretty cheap and easy recipe!

I've got to do more research. I talked witht he LHBS guy and he said to use the unpasturized apple juice.

Here's the situation: The wife likes a 50/50 mix on the cider. half glass cider, half glass apple juice (doesn't really like the "sting" of the strait cider.

I've tried making the cider the standard way, then, I've replaced some water with unpasturized [1 quart], and pasturized apple juice [1 gallon]. Wife says they taste the same to her. (did two kegs, different mix).

I was thinking of doing a batch of Cider, then, at bottling time, mix the 50/50. And being slow, it just dawned on me, I could be making bottle bombs, and defeating the purpose.

So here's your chance Borg, what say you? Looking for a "fuller" taste in the cider department.

mxstar21 wrote:


Thats it. I used about 4 and half 64 oz bottles of motts natural juice and then a pack of wine yeast. The juice cost me about 10 bucks and the yeast was about a buck a pack. I had some sugar on hand just in case the SG reading was low but at 1.050 I think thats plenty for a cider.

Yankee from what I understand you can make cider from unpasteurized juice or cider but the results are unpredictable with the wild yeast from apples, you shouldnt even have to add yeast if you dont want to. I do think you would be making bottle bombs, and from what I recall you said you liked the still cider better then carbonated.

I've made 2 batches of Ed Wort's Apfelwein, which is basically Apple Juice, sugar & yeast. My personal recipe was 2 gallons of juice, 1 cup brown, 1 cup white sugar & 1 t. of bread yeast. Came out so well I made a 2nd batch. In a Mr. Beer keg.

I tried the Mr Beer cider kit and it didn't carbonate. Unfortunate, but it did taste fine. I guess I didn't use enough priming sugar! Anyway, I'll probably make Cider again. The good part being that you don't need to condition it as long as beer!
Ed

The carbination in these last batches of my cider wern't the extra sugar addition. The first batch I made over a year ago was so carbinated, it'd foam to death before you could drink it. So, now I don't bother with the carbination portion.

I will be trying this recipe out shortly. I love a good hard cider and this couldn't be anymore easy. I have done the Kt's Caramel recipe with a few variations, such as addding blueberries and different sugars. I have also substituted Mott's for the water in the wort. This one sounds pretty good.

Yankee I thought about doing the same thing and leaving out the priming sugar. Cider gets pretty dry my FG was 1.002 and I got the same reading about 3 days apart and I wanted mine carbed so I added 1/2 teaspoon corn sugar to each bottle.

I checked this morning and there is very little foam in the keg but it is bubbling away.

Mousetress wrote:


Does your recipe with the brown sugar remove some of the tartness associated with Hard Cider. I'm kinda wanting something more balanced.

Currently I have the Mr B cider kit and it says to use the extract with 1 1/2 cups sugar.

I'm hoping this will not be too tart - or if it is going to be, any suggestions on reducing the tartness?

In my opinion Brown sugar adds tartness, which I have not enjoyed in any of my beers. However I did add 1.5 cups of regular sugar and 1.5 cups of brown sugar to my cider to get that sort of molasses flavor in Woodchuck dark and dry. I dont know if this was successful yet because I just bottled a week ago and I dont know if I will ever know because this batch may have been infected.

KT's Caramel Hard Cider:

I just tried a taste of this cider after 1 day of conditioning, and the taste is somewhat bitter (a little tart & vinegary). This is my first try at the cider brewing, and I am curious if the cider should have a longer conditioning to let it mellow out a bit. I was anxious to try it, but now I am not too pleased with the taste. I have 7 bottles of it now conditioning. Is there an optimum conditioning time for hard cider. Please advise!

Much thanks!

KT's Caramel Hard Cider:

I just tried a taste of this cider after 1 day of conditioning, and the taste is somewhat bitter (a little tart & vinegary). This is my first try at the cider brewing, and I am curious if the cider should have a longer conditioning to let it mellow out a bit. I was anxious to try it, but now I am not too pleased with the taste. I have 7 bottles of it now conditioning. Is there an optimum conditioning time for hard cider. Please advise!

Much thanks!

KT's Caramel Hard Cider:

I just tried a taste of this cider after 1 day of conditioning, and the taste is somewhat bitter (a little tart & vinegary). This is my first try at the cider brewing, and I am curious if the cider should have a longer conditioning to let it mellow out a bit. I was anxious to try it, but now I am not too pleased with the taste. I have 7 bottles of it now conditioning. Is there an optimum conditioning time for hard cider. Please advise!

Much thanks!

I let my cider sit for a few months, and then add apple juice to the drink. About 12oz cider, 4oz apple juice.

Cider can age for a long time. Ive heard up to a year, if it makes it that long. I tried one of these last night and its gonna be good, like you said its a little tart and vinegary. Mine is also very cloudy, I believe because when I bottled I added another pack of yeast along with the priming sugar since my last batch of cider was undercarbed. At just a week in the bottle this one is still undercarbed, but hopfully with time it will get better.

My batch is cloudy as well, but I believe that is normal. Carbonation seems to be A-Okay (I carbonate for a week for all my brews). I will let my remaining bottles condition for a couple of months and try again around Christmas. Adding some Apple Juice sounds like it might be a good idea if it will help make it less "tart & vinegary" tasting, but I hope the additional conditioning makes it smoother tasting. I have not had any problems with several beer brew batches. They have all turned out extremely well.