It's fall again, and pumpkins are in season. As many other breweries have pumpkin beers, I too will experiment with pumpkin. It wasn't easy finding a recipe for pumpkin cider, but I
found one to modify.
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| It isn't fall without pumpkin |
Pumpkin Apple Cider
4.5 gallons Apple Juice
4 cans Pumpkin (15 oz)
4 tablespoons cinnamon
4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tablespoon yeast nutrient
Safale S-04 yeast
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| Step 1: 1 gallon of apple juice in pot |
We started off by taking the pumpkin and other solid ingredients and adding them to 1 gallon of the juice on the stove. Unlike the other recipe, we added the pumpkin straight to the boil with no filter bag.
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| Step 2: Spice up the juice |
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| Then add in pumpkin which is incredibly hard to scoop |
The mixture was boiled for 30 minutes. I could already tell that this was going to be a successful batch just on the aroma in my house.
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| Vigorous stirring required |
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| Boil it up |
Once the "gruel" was sufficiently cooled, we added it into the fermenter containing juice already.
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| Still tastes strong even after diluting |
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| Takes its spot on in the brew closet |
The original gravity was
1.062. I'm guessing this will ferment to give an ABV of about
6.5%. It won't be ready in time for Halloween, but it should be a good treat for Thanksgiving. Cheers.
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| Happiness is full utilization of fermentation space |
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| This one also isn't meth |
Update 10/30: I did a gravity reading and it was down to
1.001 (ABV
7.75%). After 5 days this cider is already in secondary. However, all the pumpkin settled out of solution and I was only able to siphon off 3.75 gallons of liquid. Still, not bad considering only 4 gallons of juice was used. It needs a little time to clarify before bottling.
Update 11/20: I bottled this back on November 8 and let it carbonate for a week. Despite the brew being very murky (I messed up with gelatin), it is very delicious. I'd describe the flavor as "warming". I think clarity will improve with time, but it'll be hard to pour it with the amount of sediment at the bottom of each bottle.
Edit: As the brew ages, the sediment increases, but the clarity greatly improves.
Speaking as someone who has tried this delectable Pumpkin Apple Hard Cider, Indeed: this beverage is something which captures the essence of autumn--in its rich aroma and deep flavors. I did not experience any untoward sedimentation. I would like to congratulate the creator on a job well done.
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