First off I dissolved 3oz by weight of honey in a bit of water on the stove and then added it to my bucket for carbonation. I then racked the cider from the carboy into the bucket, leaving most of the lees behind. Once siphoned I very lightly stirred the cider without aerating to mix the priming honey in and pool any lees left into the center.
With that done I then siphoned the cider from the bucket into sterilized bottles with a bottling wand.
From my 8 liter (2gal) batch I ended up with eight 750ml bottles & six 375ml bottles. Pretty good haul really.
The champagne bottles were sealed with a plastic cork and a wire hood. The hire hoods really didn't fit the bottles which caused a bit of aggravation. Any time I have opened a champagne bottle the hood always fit just under the rim and was not tight. These ones I had to bend into place to fit. Once I get to making a batch of wine I will get a good champagne floor corker so in the future I can seal these with proper corks & hoods.
The bottles have been hanging out in the broom closet in a lidded tote, encase of explosions! Thankfully no explosions yet. They have now been carbonating for about 5 days and all bottles have formed a bit of sediment in the bottom. This is a good indication that the carbonation is under way. I will let them go for two weeks and then store them in the cool basement.One bottle is not quite full so it will be consumed right after carbonation. The rest I will let age for a while and I have been thinking of letting a couple age for about a year. There also has been some thought of labeling them. A draft label was sent to a local print place and I am just waiting on a price before deciding if it is worth it.
Dextrose is probably best for cider bubbles, followed by fructose. Sucrose follows up at a close third. If you used a fine champagne yeast, I would expect a top notch and refined cider.
ReplyDeleteI already have some ec-1118 yeast in the fridge for the next batch. I may get to it sooner then later, 3 one gallon jugs take up alot of space in the freezer! What sugar is honey classed as?
ReplyDeleteWe have made a variety of wines but haven't tried hard cider yet (either to make or drink). Sounds good. I will have to add it to our "to do" list. I have been a little hesitant to do much with carbonation. I guess it is time to give it a try.
ReplyDeletethat looks a fantastic idea. Tell us more about the results!
ReplyDeleteHoney is primarily fructose.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it is going to be delicious!
Now...you have to film yourself when you try it. It looks like you've done it!
ReplyDeleteNice. I'll be interested to see how the honey worked in carbonation. I have always wanted to try it, but a lot of brewers talked me out of it because it is hard to gauge if you have enough sugars to ensure good carbonization. I use a cup of corn sugar for five gallons, which gives off a smooth carbonation. Actual cane sugars give a stronger carbonation.
ReplyDelete