This time, I wanted to try to stay away from the sulfur-sanitation method. Rather than try to heat sanitize, I opted to rely on the sanitation from the company that bottled it. This product was pure apples, sanitized and bottled to be shelf stable.
I also wanted to add a kick to the end product. I included some additional fermentables to the must to boost the alcohol. The only heating that happened to any of the cider was to bring 1 gallon up to 120 degrees to help facilitate the dissolving of sugars.
This was the recipe I concocted:
Ingredients:
5 gallons of cider
2 sticks of Cinnamon
5 tsp yeast nutrient
2.5 tsp yeast energiser
1 lb honey
2 lbs light brown sugar
2 lbs table sugar
Directions:
Warm 1 gallon of cider to 120 degrees with the cinnamon sticks. Dissolve the sugars. Mix with the rest of the cider and add the dry ingredients.
At 4 weeks, fermentation was totally done, but the cider was still cloudy. There were no bubbles coming from the airlock so with enough time I could be sure it wasn't yeast in suspension. The only culprit left was pectin.
I hadn't used pectic enzyme when I started, but at the same time I didn't heat it to the point that would set the pectins. I tried adding pectic enzyme three different times after fermentation but I saw little improvement in clarity.
I ended up stabilizing, kegging, force-carbonating, and back-sweetening the cider with3 cans of frozen apple juice. The end result tastes good - a hint of sweetness, a hit of champagne, some dryness from the carbonation, but looks just as cloudy with the same color as the day it started.
The cloudiness is really just a cosmetic problem, but I disliked it to the point that I didn't give any away. We just finished it and at 10% ABV without the taste, this stuff is dangerous. Hope I can get the next batch to clear out.
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