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help with a cider

Hey guys/girls,

Wanted to pick your collective brains about doing a cider. I know it's quite simple. I'm going to attempt to clone something on the sweeter side like original sin. Here's one recipe I found on beertools:


1 lbs	Light Brown Sugar info
5 gal.	unpasteurized apple cider with no preservatives (not included in calculations)
.25 tsp.	potassium metabisulphite (not included in calculations)
8 oz.	raisins (not included in calculations)
Yeast :	White Labs WLP001 California Ale info

Hard Cider Put 8 oz of Jamaican overproof (126) rum together with 3 cinnamon sticks and 6 cloves in a beer bottle for 3 weeks. Strain and add when bottling.

Added 1/4 tsp of potassium metabisulphite to 5 gallons of cider and left for 24 hours.

Pitched solid 3 quart starter. Aerate must well. Ferment at 65-70F

Add raisins and brown sugar after primary is going strong. Mix both in 1 quart of water, slowly bring the temperature up to 160F and hold for fifteen minutes, then add this mixture directly to your must.

After 3 weeks, rack to a secondary and let it ferment for another 2 months.

Optional: pectin enzyme 1/4 tsp
1 tsp yeast nutrients

Prime with 3/4 cup of corn sugar and some new yeast.

OG:
FG: 1.000

Thoughts? What is the purpose of the potassium metabisulphite?

Any suggestions?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Paul Romanowsky on September 10, 2011 at 11:09pm

Hi Tom,

Your recipe calls for unpasteurized cider that has no preservatives, (it's actually very hard to find that nowadays unless you press your own apples). Because it is unpasterized, the cider can contain Wild Yeast (natural yeast) and bacteria. The Metabisulfite is used to kill off this Wild Yeast and Bacteria that may be present. What you would do is to put the apple cider in a sanitized container such as a fermenting bucket. Then take the 1/4 tsp of metabisulfite (this is amount for 5 gallons) and disolve it in a 1/4 cup of water. Then take that solution and stir it into the cider. Cover the container loosely with a lid or plastic sheet. Let stand for 24 hours and then pitch your yeast. During the 24 hours the metabisulfite will kill off the Wild Yeast and Bacteria. Since the metabisulfite turns into a gas once you stir it into the liquid cider, most of this metabisulfite gas will dissapate out of the cider. Since commercial beer or wine yeast is much more tolerant of metabisulfite than their wild cousins, the commercial yeast you pitch will not have any problems with the small amount of metabisulfite that will be remaining in your cider.

Hope that helps.

Also, your recipe sounds really good. I may try it myself.

Paul

Wine Barley & Hops Homebrew Supply