I'm looking into making a 1 gallon batch of cyser really soon and im curious about some of the recipes i've been seeing. So far i've come up with using 1 gallon of apple juice, around 2 #s of honey and the yeast (i would like to use lalvin k1 for a bit of a higher abv). my question is whether or not that is enough honey for the abv to get to a decent number... does the apple juice add enough sugar to the must where do you dont need more that 2 #s of honey?
Cyser recipe question
- Thread starter BaronIV
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Hello BaronIV,
You're probably going to need more than two pounds of honey, but this is a good opportunity to use your hydrometer (you have one, right?). Since honey and juice can vary quite a bit, you need to get the gravity up to a level that will produce the alcohol content you want. For ABV of 17%, you are going to need a starting gravity of around 1.125.
So take your gallon of juice an measure the gravity. Then dissolve in the 2 pounds of honey (your volume will be a bit more than a gallon now) and measure the gravity. I expect that will be in 1.100-1.110 range, but from this number you can see how much gravity was add by the 2 pounds, and can then determine how much you need to add by weight to get to 1.125. Then you can add that amount, dissolve it well and confirm your starting gravity.
This will allow you dial in the amount of alcohol you want fairly accurately.
The GotMead calculator can be a very helpful tool for getting some estimates for projects like this.
I hope that helps.
Medsen
You're probably going to need more than two pounds of honey, but this is a good opportunity to use your hydrometer (you have one, right?). Since honey and juice can vary quite a bit, you need to get the gravity up to a level that will produce the alcohol content you want. For ABV of 17%, you are going to need a starting gravity of around 1.125.
So take your gallon of juice an measure the gravity. Then dissolve in the 2 pounds of honey (your volume will be a bit more than a gallon now) and measure the gravity. I expect that will be in 1.100-1.110 range, but from this number you can see how much gravity was add by the 2 pounds, and can then determine how much you need to add by weight to get to 1.125. Then you can add that amount, dissolve it well and confirm your starting gravity.
This will allow you dial in the amount of alcohol you want fairly accurately.
The GotMead calculator can be a very helpful tool for getting some estimates for projects like this.
I hope that helps.
Medsen
Check out the brewlog for my first cyser.
I made a 1 gallon cyser by pouring 2.75lbs of honey in a 1 gal jug and topping it up with fresh cider... OG was 1.130, pitched a packet of K1V. (Both cider and honey were local to NC from Whole Foods.)
It finished at 1.002, and I topped it up with fresh cider and a little leftover must when I racked.
It tastes awesome at 2 months with good body and mouthfeel and an impression of residual sweetness, can't wait to try it in another couple months.
I made a 1 gallon cyser by pouring 2.75lbs of honey in a 1 gal jug and topping it up with fresh cider... OG was 1.130, pitched a packet of K1V. (Both cider and honey were local to NC from Whole Foods.)
It finished at 1.002, and I topped it up with fresh cider and a little leftover must when I racked.
It tastes awesome at 2 months with good body and mouthfeel and an impression of residual sweetness, can't wait to try it in another couple months.
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