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[KnightoftheRoc]

I have a question regarding cider- this seemed the most likely spot to ask it.
If I press my own cider, and bottle it, if left it can go hard. When that happens, you need to have it in glass bottles, or it will rupture the plastic jugs from the gas pressure (ask me how i know ). What I'd like to know, since I love cider, but don't drink alcohol, is if there's a "fixing" additive I could put in cider to prevent it from turning hard during storage. My thanks in advance, and I apologize for jumping into the middle of the thread.

[Greg Focker]

I have a question regarding cider- this seemed the most likely spot to ask it.
If I press my own cider, and bottle it, if left it can go hard. When that happens, you need to have it in glass bottles, or it will rupture the plastic jugs from the gas pressure (ask me how i know ). What I'd like to know, since I love cider, but don't drink alcohol, is if there's a "fixing" additive I could put in cider to prevent it from turning hard during storage. My thanks in advance, and I apologize for jumping into the middle of the thread.

Somewhat out of my area of expertise, but campden tablets might work out for you. Also, I REALLY REALLY DON'T SUGGEST GLASS BOTTLES. Plastic jugs might rupture under less pressure, but when glass let's go... there's a reason why they are known as bottle grenades. As in, you can sever a tendon picking one up when they explode.

[Confucius]

I have a question regarding cider- this seemed the most likely spot to ask it.
If I press my own cider, and bottle it, if left it can go hard. When that happens, you need to have it in glass bottles, or it will rupture the plastic jugs from the gas pressure (ask me how i know ). What I'd like to know, since I love cider, but don't drink alcohol, is if there's a "fixing" additive I could put in cider to prevent it from turning hard during storage. My thanks in advance, and I apologize for jumping into the middle of the thread.

Sodium Metabisulfate (aka Campden) + Potassium Sorbate, both available at your friendly neighborhood homebrew shop.

[KnightoftheRoc]

I thank you both!
My grandfather, so I'm told, was a moonshiner in the Prohibition era, and he and his partner also made Applejack, a VERY hard cider. I've never seen cider in anything but the plastic milk jugs (had one go hard on me on the floor of my kitchen and it ruptured), and in glass bottles or gallon jugs. What would be better for storage, if the glass is a no-no? Cause I loves me some cider....

[Greg Focker]

Greg, Attached find a copy of my water quality report. I get my water from Coldwater Creek. I know that my calcium is low. I also suspect that I need to adjust the ph, but maybe the mash takes care of that. Please offer advice on adjusting my wate to brew light beers, especially pale ales and pilsners.

http://www.awwsb.org/Sites/Anniston_Wat ... Report.pdf

Thank you.

I can't open the pdf right now, but a couple general pointers:
-if your water is too hard, you can cut it 50/50 with distilled water to reduce the ion concentration of your water. You don't want to use pure distilled water, as your yeast will not be healthy without various elements in "normal" water
-you can buy 5 Star's 5.2pH adjuster if you are worried about you mash. It is a buffered chemical mixture that will bring your mash pH to 5.2.
-Pale Ales really gained popularity after they were brewed with the water from Burton-on-Trent, which is really hard water. Pilseners were first brewed in Pilzn, which has extremely soft water (use distilled water to make your's softer). You can buy "Burton salts", which when added to distilled water will give you the same profile as Burton.
-98% of the time, time spent screwing with your water chemistry would be better spent working on your sanitation.

[Confucius]

I thank you both!
My grandfather, so I'm told, was a moonshiner in the Prohibition era, and he and his partner also made Applejack, a VERY hard cider. I've never seen cider in anything but the plastic milk jugs (had one go hard on me on the floor of my kitchen and it ruptured), and in glass bottles or gallon jugs. What would be better for storage, if the glass is a no-no? Cause I loves me some cider....

If stabilized with the Campden and potassium sorbate, so as to not ferment, sterilized glass would be the way to go, it'd be less prone to oxygen permeating through the bottle.

[Doctor_Zombie]

Hey, Greg -- I'm going to probably try to brew my first batch of beer and I need some recipe help.

I love love love Great Lakes Nosferatu (sorry ZS - local reference) and would like to try something similar. Since I can only get it for a limited time, and it's really expensive to lay in a supply for the rest of the year at $12 a 4-pack , I'd like to try to reproduce something similar.

The thing is... as I understand it, it's hard to classify Nosferatu. It's labelled by GLB as an American Strong Ale, but has characteristics of an Irish Red, Double IPA, and even a stout.

Should I try an Irish red recipe and blast it with hops, or what?

Any suggestions for producing something similar?

For reference - here's GLB's info sheet on it... (Clickety-Click!)

[BigBossMan]

Hey, Greg -- I'm going to probably try to brew my first batch of beer and
Any suggestions for producing something similar?

For reference - here's GLB's info sheet on it... (Clickety-Click!)

Looking at their info sheet, it looks like they have made a double red and hopped it with Simcoe like an IPA. They've given you the targets of ABV: 8.0% ABW: 6.4% IBU: 75

I'm at work so I don't have my Beersmith program in front of me, but using an online calculator I came up with this.

14lbs Harrington 2 Row
1.5lbs Crystal 80
.5lbs Special Roast

2oz Simcoe 60 minutes
1.5oz Simcoe 30 mins
1oz Cascade 15 mins
1oz Cascase 1 min

WLP001 California Ale Yeast
or
WLP004 Irish Red Yeast

That should put you close to the bitterness and alcohol levels.

[Big B]

*space reserved for batch of mead*

Hey Greg, did you ever do up this batch of mead?
The reason I ask is a co-worker and I have been talking about trying our hand at mead. Neither of us have ever done mead, but we have both done beer. Just curious what a pro does to make mead.

[Greg Focker]

*space reserved for batch of mead*

Hey Greg, did you ever do up this batch of mead?
The reason I ask is a co-worker and I have been talking about trying our hand at mead. Neither of us have ever done mead, but we have both done beer. Just curious what a pro does to make mead.

I did one but didn't take any pics. However, I've got a 60# bucket of honey just sitting around, so it shouldn't be too long

[BigBossMan]

*space reserved for batch of mead*

Hey Greg, did you ever do up this batch of mead?
The reason I ask is a co-worker and I have been talking about trying our hand at mead. Neither of us have ever done mead, but we have both done beer. Just curious what a pro does to make mead.

I did one but didn't take any pics. However, I've got a 60# bucket of honey just sitting around, so it shouldn't be too long

Hey Greg. Have a look here and join.

http://www.brews-bros.com/index.php/for ... cider-wmc/

[Greg Focker]

*space reserved for batch of mead*

Hey Greg, did you ever do up this batch of mead?
The reason I ask is a co-worker and I have been talking about trying our hand at mead. Neither of us have ever done mead, but we have both done beer. Just curious what a pro does to make mead.

I did one but didn't take any pics. However, I've got a 60# bucket of honey just sitting around, so it shouldn't be too long

Hey Greg. Have a look here and join.

http://www.brews-bros.com/index.php/for ... cider-wmc/

I'll take a look around, but I should have clarified in my previous post: I don't consider myself a "pro" at making mead. Yes, I've done it professionally, but honestly, my main area of competence is beer. I can turn out a nice mead, but that doesn't make me a professional at it if you know what I mean.

[BigBossMan]

I'll take a look around, but I should have clarified in my previous post: I don't consider myself a "pro" at making mead. Yes, I've done it professionally, but honestly, my main area of competence is beer. I can turn out a nice mead, but that doesn't make me a professional at it if you know what I mean.

Don't worry. They have a big beer section too. We have a pro brewer from Sierra Nevada.

[Civilian Scout]

I just wanted to say that this is a great thread. Lots of useful info. I got a beer making kit last month for my birthday and my first batch (a Scottish ale) is in the carboy as we speak. So far everything seems to going okay.

[Spaghetti Monster]

I tried making a mead last year, I used about 24 lbs of honey and some cherry pie filling. It seemed to turn out like the hard cider, not sure if using a different yeast would make a difference (I just used a Champagne yeast). I'm not big on the hard ciders so I probably wont make it again. I did make a Barley Wine In plan on leaving in the bucket till this winter. Hope that turns out.

[BigBossMan]

I tried making a mead last year, I used about 24 lbs of honey and some cherry pie filling. It seemed to turn out like the hard cider, not sure if using a different yeast would make a difference (I just used a Champagne yeast). I'm not big on the hard ciders so I probably wont make it again. I did make a Barley Wine In plan on leaving in the bucket till this winter. Hope that turns out.

That is a shitload of honey. Try 15lbs of honey dissolved in 4 gallons of water. Lavlin 71B yeast with a staggered yeast nutrient schedule will yield a good basic mead. If you want to add fruit to it to make it a melomel, add the fruit during the secondary fermentation. If you add the fruit during primary, the CO2 produced during the primary will scrub away a lot of your fruit's aroma.

Also, make sure you use raw honey from a local beekeeper. It will make a world of difference in the end product.


For the barelywine, don't leave it in the primary fermenter the entire time. After your initial fermentation, rack it to a secondary fermenter.

[Spaghetti Monster]

I tried making a mead last year, I used about 24 lbs of honey and some cherry pie filling. It seemed to turn out like the hard cider, not sure if using a different yeast would make a difference (I just used a Champagne yeast). I'm not big on the hard ciders so I probably wont make it again. I did make a Barley Wine In plan on leaving in the bucket till this winter. Hope that turns out.

That is a shitload of honey. Try 15lbs of honey dissolved in 4 gallons of water. Lavlin 71B yeast with a staggered yeast nutrient schedule will yield a good basic mead. If you want to add fruit to it to make it a melomel, add the fruit during the secondary fermentation. If you add the fruit during primary, the CO2 produced during the primary will scrub away a lot of your fruit's aroma.

Also, make sure you use raw honey from a local beekeeper. It will make a world of difference in the end product.


For the barelywine, don't leave it in the primary fermenter the entire time. After your initial fermentation, rack it to a secondary fermenter.

Cool,thanks for the tips. I'm pretty sure it was raw honey but I can double check. When I was in Orlando last week I stopped by the Orlando Brewing Company. They give free tours every night @ 6pm. They are Organic beer, the owner said only 1 of 9 certified as organic by the USDA. Pretty small set up (they have some 10k gal fementors they don't use they are still haven't maxed out the 3k ones they are currently using) and they owner was a bit exentric (he went on for about 5 minute on how tap water (with flouride, etc) is killing people, but hey he runs a brewery for a living so I'm probably just jealous. Any how, any in the central Fl area I would make trip and check it out. They have beers on tap you can 'sample' as well.

[Rugger]

I'm doing my research to start my first batch of mead. I had some of the pricey stuff at a flying saucer the other night and I'm hooked. From what I've read, it seems pretty simple, but reading is a lot easier than doing.

[Doctor_Zombie]

I'm doing my research to start my first batch of mead. I had some of the pricey stuff at a flying saucer the other night and I'm hooked. From what I've read, it seems pretty simple, but reading is a lot easier than doing.

I used this as my first batch of mead --> Clicky!

I made two batches and just altered the spices in both of them. I was really just kind of swinging in the dark. That said, my first batch was delicious. It was light, sweet, and crisp tasting with a wee bit of carbonation. I liked it better than my second - more serious - 5 gallon batch of Batwing Blood.

The only suggestion I'd make - if you're going the easier route - is go heavier on the honey. It wasn't as sweet as I expected and I used two pounds of honey.

The ONLY problem with something like this though is that it's like a gateway drug. You start with some spring water and Kroger brand honey, and end up investing in carboys, brewing supplies, different yeasts, wine supplies, mead supplies, beer supplies, and books with the chemistry behind brewing. It's an addiction!

[Rugger]

Meh. I can always use more addictions. They're fun.

[BigBossMan]

The only suggestion I'd make - if you're going the easier route - is go heavier on the honey. It wasn't as sweet as I expected and I used two pounds of honey.

If you're not allergic, you can use campden tablets to kill off the yeast and then add honey and sweeten to taste.

EDIT: this is backsweetening at the end of fermentation.

[Confucius]

Campden alone won't truly stop the fermentation unless the yeast is really weak. Campden + Potassium sorbate will do the job.

[BigBossMan]

Campden alone won't truly stop the fermentation unless the yeast is really weak. Campden + Potassium sorbate will do the job.

You are correct. I forgot about the sorbate addition. It has been a while since I've made a batch. When I do, I prefer to ferment it to dryness and then backsweeten to taste.

If it has been fermenting for 6-8 months and you've taken good gravity readings, you may not even have to stabilize. Guess it is better to be safe than sorry.

[Confucius]

Yeah, it is fully possible to overwhelm the yeast without any additional chemicals, but I'm a fan of backsweetening (when I want a sweet mead) too. It's been a while since I've had any going, I might start up a batch pretty soon.