Cider Chemistry Experiment 2006

Jennifer Forsyth, Sarah Tindall, Jennie Friehauf
Brian Forsyth, Mike Kutney, and Kurt Friehauf

Apple juice mix:

30% Suncrisp (cross between Golden Delicious x (Corstland x Cox's Orang Pippin)) (photo)
30% Ida Red (cross between Jonathan and Wagener) (photo)
10% Fuji (cross between Ralls-Genet and Red Delicious) (photo)
10% Mutsu a.k.a. Crispin (cross between Golden Delicious and Indo) (photo)
5% Jona Gold (cross between Golden Delicious and Jonathan) (photo)
5% Melrose (cross between Jonathan and Red Delicious) (photo)
5% Golden Blush (no photo)
5% Golden Delicious (photo)
raw specific gravity: 1.050
titratable acidity expressed as Tartaric: 7.5 gpl or 0.75 ta
pH: 3.5
Apple cider from Penn Vermon Fruit Farm (831 Rolling Hills Rd., Bedminster, PA)
bought from Keystone Homebrew.

Small batch variations (splits of batch #6)

February 03, 2007

very dry, but clean flavor -- very clear -- a nice, dry apple wine
gravity = 0.980 (estimated because scale doesn't go that low)
Siphoned into fresh carboy, avoiding transfer of bottom scum
Added 0.5 lbs corn sugar dissolved in 1 cup boiling water to batch
Added 1 can frozen apple juice concentrate to batch
Added 1 package of wine yeast
Cranberry variant

Siphoned half (1.5 gallons) into fresh carboy
Added 1 can frozen cranberry juice concentrate

Spiced variants

Siphoned remaining 1.5 gallons into three 0.5 gallon carboys
Nutmet + Cinnamon variant = added 4 split nutmeg nuts + 4 cinnamon sticks
Cinnamon variant = added 12 cinnamon sticks
Unspiced variant = added nothing

Airlocked each variant and returned to cool, dark cellar

Variations

	1- Malt	2 - Honey	3 - Corn sugar	4 - Table sugar	5 - Brown sugar	6 - Variations
liquid volume	5 gal.	3 gal.	5 gal.	4 gal.	3 gal.	3 gal.
dry malt extract*	6 lbs.
gallberry honey §		3 lbs.
corn sugar (dextrose)			6.6 lbs.			4 lbs.
table sugar				4 lbs.
brown sugar					21 oz.
yeast type ¤	cider #	wine ¥	cider #	wine ¥	wine ¥	wine ¥
original gravity (at 76°F)	1.092	1.074	1.084	1.08	1.06	1.078

* 3 lbs. extra light + 3 lbs. plain Munton's dry spray malt extract
§ Ziegler's Pure Gallberry Honey, made by Keeney & Ziegler Apiaries, Bethel, PA
¤ all batches received 1 oz. of dissolved yeast nutrient (4 tsp. dry yeast nutrient dissolved in 6 oz. water) = urea + (NH₄)₃(PO₄)
# White Labs Pitchable Liquid English Cider Yeast WLP #775 (best before February 2007) Temp. range 68-75°F, Alcohol Tolerance (% ABV = % Alcohol by Volume) 14%, medium flocculation
¥ Red Star - Côte des Blancs active dry wine yeast - Temp. range 64-86°F, Alcohol Tolerance (% ABV) 12-14%, low flocculation

yeast pitched 8:15 pm (20:15) Sunday November 12, 2006

Photos:

Date/time	1- Malt	2 - Honey	3 - Corn sugar	4 - Table sugar	5 - Brown sugar	6 - Variations
Nov. 12 - 21:30	distinctly darker	quiet, lighter color	quiet	quiet	quiet	quiet, lighter color
Nov. 13 - 07:45	very active, convecting, some floaters	active, splotchy floaters, lower brown foam layer	slightly active	quiet	quiet	quiet
Nov. 13 - 19:30 left - right	very active, convecting	active	active	quiet, ring of foam	active	quiet, ring of foam
Nov. 14 - 06:30 left - right	very active, convecting (94 bub/min) VIDEO	active (35 bub/min)	very active, convecting (57 bub/min) VIDEO	active (5 bub/min) (floater lock)	active (30 bub/min)	active (8 bub/min) (floater lock)
Nov. 14 - 20:45 left - right	very active, convecting	active	very active	active	active	active
Nov. 15 - 07:45 left - right	very active, convecting	active	very active	active	active	active
Nov. 15 - 20:15 left - right	active	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 16 - 07:25 left - right	active (30 bub/min)	active (90 bub/min)	active (70 bub/min) (T= 68ºF)	active (34 bub/min)	active (77 bub/min)	active (32 bub/min)
Nov. 16 - 19:10 left - right whole lineup	active	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 17 - 06:45 left - right	active	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 17 - 19:10 left - right	mildly active	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 18 - 06:45 left - right whole lineup	mildly active (8 bub/min)	active (84 bub/min)	active (69 bub/min)	active (15 bub/min)	active (31 bub/min)	active (26 bub/min)
Nov. 18 - 20:30 left - right	mildly active	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 19 - 07:20 left - right	mildly active	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 19 - 19:50 left - right	mildly active	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 20 - 07:40 left - right whole lineup	mildly active (4 bub/min)	active (56 bub/min)	active (50 bub/min) 68ºF	active (9 bub/min)	active (23 bub/min)	active (22 bub/min)
Nov. 20 - 19:25 left - right whole lineup	mildly active	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 21 - 06:55 left - right	mildly active racked to secondary	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 21 - 19:50 left - right	mildly active	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 22 - 08:20 left - right whole lineup	mildly active (4 bub/min)	active (25 bub/min)	active (40 bub/min)	active (7 bub/min)	active (20 bub/min)	active (15 bub/min)
Nov. 22 - 20:45 left - right whole lineup	mildly active	active	active	active	active	active
Nov. 23 - 08:35 left - right	very mildly active	mildly active	mildly active	mildly active	mildly active	mildly active
Nov. 23 - 20:25 left - right	very mildly active	very mildly active	mildly active	very mildly active	mildly active	mildly active
Nov. 24 - 08:25 left - right	very mildly active (3 bub/min)	very mildly active (8 bub/min)	mildly active (28 bub/min)	very mildly active (7 bub/min)	mildly active (14 bub/min)	mildly active (14 bub/min)
Nov. 24 - 20:05 left - right whole lineup	very mildly active	very mildly active	mildly active	very mildly active	mildly active	mildly active
Nov. 25 - 09:00 left - right	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active
Nov. 25 - 21:10 left - right	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active
Nov. 26 - 07:50 left - right	very mildly active (4 bub/min)	very mildly active (2 bub/min)	very mildly active (1 bub/min)	very mildly active (4 bub/min)	very mildly active (5 bub/min)	very mildly active (13 bub/min)
Nov. 26 - 19:20 left - right	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active
Due to very low activity, photos hereafter posted less frequently notification of changes will be emailed to Sarah, Jennifer, and Jennie

Dec. 04 - 06:45 left - right whole lineup	inactive	inactive	inactive	very mildly active	very mildly active	very mildly active

Notes:

Malt is distinctly darker and began fermenting within an hour of pitching.
Malt fermented far more vigorously than other batches for first two days.
Malt is very clearly the darkest. Honey looks lightest, but may be in part due to small 3 gallon carboy.
Malt slowed fermentation much earlier than other batches. Color differences becoming quite distinct by November 17.
November 21 morning

Racked malt batch into clean carboy. By evening, malt batch clarified with fresh sediment at bottom.

November 24, 2006 circa 17:00 (5 pm)

Jennifer and Kurt racked all batches into fresh carboys. Most batches had relatively thin sediment layers. Only the malt and corn batches were relatively clear - others still turbid. Most still pretty yeasty tasting (turbidity = yeast colonies).

Honey developed 2 cm clarified layer at top of liquid after transfer on November 24.
Honey's clarified layer appears stable after two days.
Honey's become almost comletely clarified by December 04.
December 12

Added 40 drops pectic enzyme to each batch

Brown sugar batch started to clarify on December 17.
December 19

Bottled malt batch December 19. Final gravity = 1.042
Honey gravity reached 0.994 - very tart tasting
Added 3 lbs clover honey to honey batch December 19 and returned to cellar

December 20

Bottled corn sugar batch December 20. Final gravity = (still sweet)
Brown sugar gravity reached 0.991 - very tart tasting
Added 2 lbs brown sugar disolved in 2 cups water to brown sugar batch.