I get my apples from a jar.
October 25, 2007 10:56 AM Subscribe
I've got five gallons of Hard Cider that doesn't taste so hot. Applejack, or Mulled Cider?
Last year, I brewed 5 gallons of hard cider. It wasn't any good. So, it's been sitting in bottles under my stairs for a good 11 months or so. I'd really like to heat-distill it, but that's not really feasible or smart. So I'm thinking about freeze-distilling some of it, and seeing what kind of Applejack I can get. Has anyone out there actually made a good batch of Applejack/Apple Brandy/whatever by freeze-distillation? How dangerous are the fusel alcohols that build up? I'd appreciate any personal experiences with making Applejack, as well as the thoughts of any chemistry-types who'd like to disabuse me of the notion that this is a good idea (or confirm that it's not *too* dangerous).
The other alternative is to just make a big pot of hot, spiced cider. A few oranges, some cinnamon, some cloves, and I think it'll be pretty tasty. I'd really rather distill, though.
Also, I understand that this activity is not exactly legal. I've come to terms with that.
Last year, I brewed 5 gallons of hard cider. It wasn't any good. So, it's been sitting in bottles under my stairs for a good 11 months or so. I'd really like to heat-distill it, but that's not really feasible or smart. So I'm thinking about freeze-distilling some of it, and seeing what kind of Applejack I can get. Has anyone out there actually made a good batch of Applejack/Apple Brandy/whatever by freeze-distillation? How dangerous are the fusel alcohols that build up? I'd appreciate any personal experiences with making Applejack, as well as the thoughts of any chemistry-types who'd like to disabuse me of the notion that this is a good idea (or confirm that it's not *too* dangerous).
The other alternative is to just make a big pot of hot, spiced cider. A few oranges, some cinnamon, some cloves, and I think it'll be pretty tasty. I'd really rather distill, though.
Also, I understand that this activity is not exactly legal. I've come to terms with that.
I'm pretty sure making applejack via fractal distillation is illegal. However, I have a friend who made this in a freezer using one-gallon plastic water jugs. Piece of cake and, to my knowledge, everyone who drank it still has their eyesight.
On the other hand, mulled hard cider is mighty tasty as a party drink and completely legal.
Just out of curiosity, what's wrong with it? Too dry? Too boozy?
posted by cog_nate at 11:09 AM on October 25, 2007
On the other hand, mulled hard cider is mighty tasty as a party drink and completely legal.
Just out of curiosity, what's wrong with it? Too dry? Too boozy?
posted by cog_nate at 11:09 AM on October 25, 2007
Wanted to throw in that YOU CANNOT GO BLIND FROM HOMEMADE ALCOHOL FERMENTED FROM NATURAL SUGAR. You can get pretty hurt with methanol, though. Also---this rumor started because during prohibition the government added nasty chemicals to ALL alcohols, ethanol included, to prevent people from trying to make their own. Many people would "cut" their homemade product w/ industrial alcohols, and this is why they'd go blind.
So, in summary...if you made the alcohol from yeast and sugar, it cannot cause you to go blind.
As for distilling, yea, freeze distill it or make a still. Illegal shmillegal.
posted by TomMelee at 11:22 AM on October 25, 2007
So, in summary...if you made the alcohol from yeast and sugar, it cannot cause you to go blind.
As for distilling, yea, freeze distill it or make a still. Illegal shmillegal.
posted by TomMelee at 11:22 AM on October 25, 2007
Consider diluting with non-hard cider. I do this whenever I get a bad hard cider and it makes it quite drinkable.
posted by wackybrit at 11:33 AM on October 25, 2007
posted by wackybrit at 11:33 AM on October 25, 2007
Response by poster: Cooking? Pork in cider is pretty good.
Ooooh, that's a good idea. My wife's a vegetarian, though, so I'll have to cook for friends.
Just out of curiosity, what's wrong with it? Too dry? Too boozy?
I'm not sure - I might have let it sit in primary fermentation too long, though I thought I was pretty careful about that. I've forgotten what it tastes like at this point, but I put a bottle in the fridge, and as soon as I get the guts, I'm going to taste it again, to see whether age has softened it, or made it vinegar. I remember it tasting distinctly off - it wasn't horrible, by any stretch, but the reaction of one of my friends was dead on - "This isn't gross." None of the 4-5 people that tried it (including myself) wanted to finish a small glass of it.
YOU CANNOT GO BLIND FROM HOMEMADE ALCOHOL FERMENTED FROM NATURAL SUGAR
Yeah, I kinda figured this was the case. The consensus seems to be that the worst I'm looking at is a particularly nasty hangover if I drink too much. It makes sense - I'd just be concentrating what's already in the cider. This is definitely alcohol made from sugar and yeast, so no worries.
posted by god hates math at 12:46 PM on October 25, 2007
Ooooh, that's a good idea. My wife's a vegetarian, though, so I'll have to cook for friends.
Just out of curiosity, what's wrong with it? Too dry? Too boozy?
I'm not sure - I might have let it sit in primary fermentation too long, though I thought I was pretty careful about that. I've forgotten what it tastes like at this point, but I put a bottle in the fridge, and as soon as I get the guts, I'm going to taste it again, to see whether age has softened it, or made it vinegar. I remember it tasting distinctly off - it wasn't horrible, by any stretch, but the reaction of one of my friends was dead on - "This isn't gross." None of the 4-5 people that tried it (including myself) wanted to finish a small glass of it.
YOU CANNOT GO BLIND FROM HOMEMADE ALCOHOL FERMENTED FROM NATURAL SUGAR
Yeah, I kinda figured this was the case. The consensus seems to be that the worst I'm looking at is a particularly nasty hangover if I drink too much. It makes sense - I'd just be concentrating what's already in the cider. This is definitely alcohol made from sugar and yeast, so no worries.
posted by god hates math at 12:46 PM on October 25, 2007
Wait, you mean you can't crack ethyl alcohol in a still and make it something bad? How does that work? Why doesn't everyone have a still in their basement?
posted by OldReliable at 1:12 PM on October 25, 2007
posted by OldReliable at 1:12 PM on October 25, 2007
Why doesn't everyone have a still in their basement?
Because Messrs Daniel and Beam do it so much better.
posted by electroboy at 1:20 PM on October 25, 2007
Because Messrs Daniel and Beam do it so much better.
posted by electroboy at 1:20 PM on October 25, 2007
No, you can't hurt yourself distilling beer or further distilling any storebought liquor. Why doesn't everyone have one? Because they're illegal, and making good stuff takes TIME.
Apples are hard to make into anything good. I think it's because they have a LOT of natural yeast on the outside of the apple. Applies, like kumquats, can be fermented by dumping sugar on them and leaving them in an airtight jar. Same with peaches and most of the soft-skinned fruits. I've brewed up hundreds of gallons of beer, mead, melomel, and all the other variants, and the only one that ever turned out stank was a wine I made from apples I juiced and pressed myself, straight from the orchard. Narfy. I'll be happy to discuss it further in email, if anyone wants.
posted by TomMelee at 1:26 PM on October 25, 2007
Apples are hard to make into anything good. I think it's because they have a LOT of natural yeast on the outside of the apple. Applies, like kumquats, can be fermented by dumping sugar on them and leaving them in an airtight jar. Same with peaches and most of the soft-skinned fruits. I've brewed up hundreds of gallons of beer, mead, melomel, and all the other variants, and the only one that ever turned out stank was a wine I made from apples I juiced and pressed myself, straight from the orchard. Narfy. I'll be happy to discuss it further in email, if anyone wants.
posted by TomMelee at 1:26 PM on October 25, 2007
Also, it being the fruitcake-y time of year, have you thought about using some of it in baking? There are MANY recipes out there for various cakes you dump booze onto, let evaporate, dump more booze on, evaporate (la la la etc -- my favorite one in this genre is a chocolate-Guinness cake).
If the problem with the cider is that it's too vinegary or otherwise a little "off," I wonder if this method would make the problem worse or better. Try baking a very dry vanilla-y cake with a lot of dried apples in it. That's what I'd try.
(When you leave it to evaporate, wrap it very loosely in foil, preferably in a cupboard with decent air circulation or on a high bookshelf)
posted by bitter-girl.com at 2:16 PM on October 25, 2007
If the problem with the cider is that it's too vinegary or otherwise a little "off," I wonder if this method would make the problem worse or better. Try baking a very dry vanilla-y cake with a lot of dried apples in it. That's what I'd try.
(When you leave it to evaporate, wrap it very loosely in foil, preferably in a cupboard with decent air circulation or on a high bookshelf)
posted by bitter-girl.com at 2:16 PM on October 25, 2007
I don't know that freeze-distilling it will remove whatever makes it taste bad, really all you're doing when you freeze distill it is concentrate the non-water portion of the cider.
You could try running a bottle through an activated charcoal/brita filter a few times, and using that blank canvas to flavour as you see fit... use some lemonade concentrate and you've got hard lemonade of sorts... anything you like, really.
posted by glip at 3:47 PM on October 25, 2007
You could try running a bottle through an activated charcoal/brita filter a few times, and using that blank canvas to flavour as you see fit... use some lemonade concentrate and you've got hard lemonade of sorts... anything you like, really.
posted by glip at 3:47 PM on October 25, 2007
Hell here in Kackalack it ain't even illegal to distill your own spirits as long as it's less than a gallon a day and it's for personal use. If you're not into heat distillation, I say go for the Apple Jack. I've tried it before, and it worked all right. We just used big pyrex dishes.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 5:27 PM on October 25, 2007
posted by solipsophistocracy at 5:27 PM on October 25, 2007
Response by poster: I've brewed up hundreds of gallons of beer, mead, melomel, and all the other variants, and the only one that ever turned out stank was a wine I made from apples I juiced and pressed myself, straight from the orchard.
You know, part of the reason I was so disappointed with this batch was that I expected it to better - mostly because I didn't go the crazy raw apple route. I used 5g of Trader Joe's organic apple juice. I thought it would be super-easy. But, no dice.
I don't know that freeze-distilling it will remove whatever makes it taste bad, really all you're doing when you freeze distill it is concentrate the non-water portion of the cider.
Yeah, I thought of that as well - Though truthfully, I'm less concerned about a hard liquor tasting good than I am a cider. Filtering it through a brita crossed my mind. I'll see what I've got once I freeze a bit.
posted by god hates math at 8:03 PM on October 25, 2007
You know, part of the reason I was so disappointed with this batch was that I expected it to better - mostly because I didn't go the crazy raw apple route. I used 5g of Trader Joe's organic apple juice. I thought it would be super-easy. But, no dice.
I don't know that freeze-distilling it will remove whatever makes it taste bad, really all you're doing when you freeze distill it is concentrate the non-water portion of the cider.
Yeah, I thought of that as well - Though truthfully, I'm less concerned about a hard liquor tasting good than I am a cider. Filtering it through a brita crossed my mind. I'll see what I've got once I freeze a bit.
posted by god hates math at 8:03 PM on October 25, 2007
Just adding a "me too." I've been brewing beer and wine for over two decades. Last year I picked up a few gallons of fresh cider at an orchard and tried my hand at turning it into cider, and the results were resoundingly meh--not much flavor, and terribly gushy. I then made a few batches of Vinoka ciders, and they were much tastier. I'm back to wine only, though.
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:37 AM on October 26, 2007
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:37 AM on October 26, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Leon at 11:08 AM on October 25, 2007