Cider...

[Hosehead]

I drink what I brew. I just kegged 2 days ago a Caramel Apple Ale - it should be fantastic. It's a 60% heavy malt caramel colored moderately hopped ale, 40% cider, fermented together. Added some cinnamon for fun. As of kegging it tasted very much like cider and not very much like beer (amazing how 40% cider can overpower the beer side of it) so when I make it again I'll have to try an 80/20 split. Tonight I tap the keg and give it a try.

WOW, am I thirsty all of a sudden!

[Iolaus]

I drink what I brew. I just kegged 2 days ago a Caramel Apple Ale - it should be fantastic. It's a 60% heavy malt caramel colored moderately hopped ale, 40% cider, fermented together. Added some cinnamon for fun. As of kegging it tasted very much like cider and not very much like beer (amazing how 40% cider can overpower the beer side of it) so when I make it again I'll have to try an 80/20 split. Tonight I tap the keg and give it a try.

Party at LordDamax's tonight!!!

[Andrew Breecher]

I drink what I brew. I just kegged 2 days ago a Caramel Apple Ale - it should be fantastic. It's a 60% heavy malt caramel colored moderately hopped ale, 40% cider, fermented together. Added some cinnamon for fun. As of kegging it tasted very much like cider and not very much like beer (amazing how 40% cider can overpower the beer side of it) so when I make it again I'll have to try an 80/20 split. Tonight I tap the keg and give it a try.

Nice. Tomorrow I'm going to brew five gallons of cider along with 2 lbs. of buckwheat honey. Did you hop your beer/cider at all, or let the malt stay sweet?

Andrew.

[LordDamax]

Well, I tried the "Caramel" Apple Ale, and I'm both disapointed and overjoyed at the same time.

You can barely taste the beer/caramel flavors I was going for. I wanted a sweet, with hints of caramel and apple.

HOWEVER: I put in too much apple (as I learned when I kegged it) and too much cinnamon.

The result?

I have re-dubbed the beer "Apple Pie Ale" because it tastes like you're drinking an alcoholic apple pie.

I'll for sure try and re-brew the caramel apple ale, but this Apple Pie Ale is definately on my list of "must make again's"

Andrew: I did hop the beer, but the Apple totally overwhelmed it. I think the ONLY indication that there is beer in this at all and its not all cider is the fact it's very sweet for an unsweetened cider, and it's entirely too dark for be just a cider as well. It had .5 oz of Northern Brewer for a full boil (22 IBU - it was a 3 gallon batch) and a handful of my homegrown hops (I've no idea what they are, I bought 2 kinds 3 years ago, and forgot what I bought! Then the 2 plats intermingled, so it's my homemade mystery hop) thrown in with 15 mins left for aroma/flavor.

[Big Paul]

Goin' to the old cider mill tomorrow!

[Riverkilt]

Yikes! Cider was my downfall in college. We'd buy the unpasturized stuff from the food tech dept and let it ferment. Tasted like stomach tossings so we'd strain it through cloth then load it up with sugar.

We'd drink it and it seemed to have little effect for the first 15 or 20 minutes...when it kicked in it was like someone hit me behind the head with a two by four board.

Once passed out on cider on a Friday night, woke up Sunday afternoon at 4pm thinking it was Saturday...lost a day.

Of course I didn't sip the stuff like a gentleman, I chugged it like a fraternity rat on binge.

My cider days ended after a batch of it gave me e-coli and I wound up with a bad case of you know what for about six weeks.

Been sober 15 years now but still love the smell of the stuff.

More power to those of you who can enjoy like a gentleman. Have a wee dram for me.

Ron

[LordDamax]

I ferment pasturized stuff with beer or wine yeast. I use santitizer. It's safer that way

[Kiltedfirepiper]

I like cider once in a while ....I love my poorman black velvets though ( Guinness/Cider made like a black &tan ) or a bruised pear (pear cider instead of apple) ....damn ....now Im getting thirsty!

[Raphael]

I like cider once in a while ....I love my poorman black velvets though ( Guinness/Cider made like a black &tan ) or a bruised pear (pear cider instead of apple) ....damn ....now Im getting thirsty!

When mixing the Black Velvet, do you use the Guinness Extra Stout or Draught in bottle/can?

[jfellrath]

When mixing the Black Velvet, do you use the Guinness Extra Stout or Draught in bottle/can?

Not my question, but I've had better luck with Draught than the Extra Stout. The draft separates better, IMHO.