Bottled Mead & Hard Apple Cider lastnight!!
 

Can't upload pics but...........

I had two 6 1/2 gallon Carboys full of Ginger Mead and Apple Cider that have been aging for a year. I decided to bottle them both. That Mead was very strong, more like hard alcohol. Whew! I harvested the honey myself, about 15 lbs from Bees in a woman's house. I picked the apples from my Buddy's house, so I didn't know how it would come out. It ended up very Dry, and I' happy with it.Got about 29 22 oz bottles of Apple Cider and 25 22 oz bottles of Ginger Mead. Decided to carbonate both after tasting them, I think I'll let them age in bottles for another year. I will give a few away at Xmas though, but mostly stacking for barter and a SHTF world. Drinking a little hooch may be the only pleasures left for man ;-). Think I'll make an all grain Russian imperial Stout, Barley Wine, and a Belgian Ale before the year is out. Got all those free Carboys now, gotta do something with them.

Re: Bottled Mead & Hard Apple Cider lastnight!!
 

I haven't had APPLE JACKS in years! My Old Order Amish cousins (mother's side) in Reading, PA used to make that out of cider all the time. Ah yes, rebellous youth. Love it!

Re: Bottled Mead & Hard Apple Cider lastnight!!
 

Got a recipe SS ?

I just bought an apple crusher and cider press the other day, and plan to make cider this year. Our trees are loaded with apples this year.

Re: Bottled Mead & Hard Apple Cider lastnight!!
 

Now that sounds like a nice batch..keep everthing nice and clean when bottling.. treat it gentility and enjoy in a few months.
Home brewing is a great skill.

Re: Bottled Mead & Hard Apple Cider lastnight!!
 

If it's too alcoholic you can backsweeten it some, just be sure to stop the fermentation before you do. Sorbate and campden tabs will do the trick.

I've got some peach and blackberry meads brewing currently, and I've already bottled "Joe's Ancient Orange mead" and some "hangover cyser".

Re: Bottled Mead & Hard Apple Cider lastnight!!
 

That's the beauty of Apple cider, in it's purest form you don't need a recipe. I use the basic colonial recipe during the times of Johny Apple seed, when the founders of this nation literally drunk it like water.

I like to use a juicer, a Breville juicer does a find job. Juice enough apples for 5 gallons of juice in a 6 1/2 gallon Carboy. add camden tabs, yeast, and watch her go. The more adventurous,let wild yeast start the fermentation process, as long as you cover the opening with cheese cloth, you should be OK. Although I don't recommend wild yeast, unless there are no other options, i culture my own yeast, but you can buy it at a home brew store. tell em you need a yeast for apple cider, they'll be able to recommend something that will get her going. I use raw apple juice, no pasturization, it's healthier to me. You'll have to decide for yourself. Some people don't like the idea of fermenting raw juice.If you cook the apple juice, pectins form.It will be dry if you don't add supplementary sugars. If you add a lot more supplementary sugars you'll need a stronger yeast, especially if you use honey, which will give you a cyser. Tell me what you decide and I'll give you the most appropriate recipe. If you have bees, you're in luck. If not, get some, good for candles,honey, mead, and etc. Try catching a wild swarm, very simple and they're docile as hell during swarm. I've never paid for bees. Ever! People have actually paid me to remove them, I get the honey and the bees. Do wear a suit ;-) Bee Keeping for dummies is a good book.Try to use different type of apples to get a nice flavor profile. I'll check my recipe book and double check, but this is how I do her. It's the easiest of all forms of alcohol to produce, that and mead.