Fermentation Log #4: Sweet Apple Cider

Started (Oct 4th 2024) by cutting up Honeycrisp (240g), Granny Smith (200g), Pink Lady (190g), and Fuji (225g) apple into ~1cm^3 cubes. Combined with 210mL of water. Brought to boil on stove. Then combined with:

• 3.78L of SunRype Apple Juice
• 1.4g of oak tannin powder
• 200mL of 3:1 sugar:water mix by weight
• 1g yeast nutrient
• 1tsp Fleischmann's Tradition Active Dry Yeast

SG of apple juice + water + apple chunks was 1.044; was expected to be 1.042. After adding sugar, the sg was 1.058; was expected to be 1.056. Pretty close.

The must is expected to ferment dry to 1.000 and form 7.3% ABV. The plan is to backsweeten with 220mL of 3:1 sugar:water by wt. mix to get ABV down to 6.94% and sugars up to 41g/L and gravity back up to 1.016.

The expected specifications are as follows:

• pH: 3.99
• Total Acid: 5.3g/L
• Citric Acid: 0.1g/L
• Tartaric Acid: 0.3g/L
• Malic Acid: 4.1g/L
• Lactic Acid: 0.0g/L
• Alcohol: 6.94%
• Residual Sugar: 41g/L
• Final Volume: <5.17L< /li>
• $/L: 3.04

Fermenting in mesh-covered 5gal bucket until Oct 7th.

Oct 7th 2023: Racked must into 1gal fermentation vessel. SG measured at 1.000. Took a sample to taste. Added 220mL of 3:1 Xylitol to Water by weight mix. Took another sample to taste. Measured sg at 1.019. Expected to be 1.016. Possibly due to innacuracy in measurement of 220mL.

Ratings pre sweetening:

• Appearance: 0/3 - Objectionable. Cloudy. Goldenrod #DAA520
• Aroma: 2/6 - Acceptable. Pungent. Yeasty. Slight hint of apple peel. No smell of alcohol. Mint. Woody; like oak.
• Taste: 2/6 - Acceptable. Acidic. Tart. Yeasty. Warm. Thin. Watery. Sour. Parching.
• Aftertaste: 2/3 - Good. Tart. Puckering. Drying.
• Acceptable: 6/20

Ratings post sweetening:

• Appearance: 0/3 - Objectionable. Cloudy. Goldenrod #DAA520
• Aroma: 2/6 - Acceptable. Not as pungent pre sweetening. Yeasty. Slight hint of apple peel. No smell of alcohol. Mint. Woody; like oak.
• Taste: 3/6 - Pleasant. Sweet. Syrupy. Acidic. Tart. Yeasty. Warm. Sour. Lift.
• Aftertaste: 3/3 - Excellent. Sweet. Tart. Mouthcoat.
• Acceptable: 8/20

The sweetening added an unmistakable addition of drinkability. The taste is now better than the smell, which still has vibes of #3. The tartness from the tannins also added a lot to complete the flavor profile.

Oct 26th 2024: almost no bubbles in the liquid now; maybe one small bubble every minuite. Cloudy appearance, but clearing up. Clearing up faster than #3.

Nov 4th 2024: racked into 1 gal glass jug. Medium smell of sulfur, hydrogen sulfide. Smells like "farts". Color has cleared up significantly.

• Appearance: 1/3 - Slight haze. Yellow like lemonade.
• Aroma: 2/6 - Acceptable. Sulfur. Alcohol. A bit of wood. Smells much more like a cider but with an off-taste. Fruity. Apple.
• Taste: 2.5/6 - Sulfur taste. Bready. Not as biting, a bit smooth. Funky. Bread yeast. Less sour than #3.
• Aftertaste: 1.5/3 - Ok. Neutral aftertaste. Mouthcoat. Well-balanced sweetness.
• Overall: 1: Good. Needs some more oxygen. Sulfury smell.
• Acceptable: 8/20

Measured sg at 1.015. Gravity seems to have gone down by 0.004. Racked with airlock. Introduced more oxygen via back-and-forth racking about 4 times.

Nov 11th 2024: tasted a glass. Smell is now gone!! Now smells like a proper cider. Not pungent. Taste is good. Color is a bit hazy.

• Appearance: 1/3 - Slight haze. Yellow like lemonade.
• Aroma: 5/6 - Excellent. Light. Apple. Cotton candy. Mint. Lemon. Yeast.
• Taste: 4/6 - Good. Characteristic cider flavor. Flat. Smooth. Apple. Malic acid. Acid is very well balanced againgst sweetness. A little bit of lemon?
• Aftertaste 2/3: Good. Pleasant. Malic. Sweet. Not complete mouthcoat, but halfway there. Lingers for a bit, but not too long.
• Overall: 1: Good. Sweet. Easy drinking.
• Good: 13/20

Nov 14th 2024: Bottled #4 into two 750mL bottles; and drank the rest! Labled and corked. Cork was not soaked before insertion. Tastes nice! Very easy drinking. A little sweeter than desired. Label was applied