Cider flavouring advice please :D

[MrTicTacs]

So this is only my second brew, but my first regular cider went fine and i've decided that for my second brew i'll make things a bit more interesting and make a flavoured cider...

I went for strawberry and used 4 litres of boiled Ribena strawberry to 19 litres of regular apple concentrate. It had been in the primary 2 weeks and all has gone well, from 1.046 i'm now down to 1.000, racked it into secondary today but before i did, i had a little taste and although it definitely tasted different to apple cider (sweeter and slightly more fruity) i wasn't really getting the strawberry... and i know it can take a while for the flavours to really come through but i was just wondering what other ways i can add flavour after fermentation? (i'm a student and don't like to wait months and months for my cider to be ready, hence the large quantity brewing)

I've looked at syrups like Monin and Lowicz but they're quite expensive online (about £10 p/l + £6 p&p) and no local supermarkets seem to do the strawberry one... typical. So any other tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

 

[oldbloke]

The fermentation process destroys (or drives off - they're quite volatile) many flavours. Like you can tell strawberry wine is made of strawbs /after/ you've been told what it is...
So to get a specific flavour, you really need to add it at or at least near the end of the ferment.
One of the syrups is your best bet, Ribena maybe next best (esp if you aren't carbonating naturally - you wouldn't have to boil off the preservatives and it'd be a sweetener too)
What's in the stuff sold for pouring over icecream, I wonder?

 

[MrTicTacs]

Adding more strawberry Ribena wouldn't start up the fermentation again would it? And i use Coopers carbonating tabs when i bottle.. I like the idea of it being a sweetener too as i was thinking about back sweetening but didn't want to do too much at once and ruin 5 gallons of cider. :lol:

If i do go ahead and decide to just bite the bullet and fork out for some syrups, what's usually the way to use them? i understand they're usually used for coffee right? so i'm guessing they will just dissolve straight into my cider and not sit at the bottom or whatever?

 

[oldbloke]

The sorbate in the Ribena would stop the yeast fermenting the sugar - but also that means no carbonation.

 

[IceColdRum]

If i do go ahead and decide to just bite the bullet and fork out for some syrups, what's usually the way to use them? i understand they're usually used for coffee right? so i'm guessing they will just dissolve straight into my cider and not sit at the bottom or whatever?

My understanding is you would have to flavour each bottle as and when you wanted to drink it if you used syrups, as they too contain ferment-able sugars which would just ruin the flavour you were trying to achieve in a carbonated cider you could batch flavour if you intend not to have a fizzy cider...

 

[MrTicTacs]

Ahh okay, I'll just skip the carbonation tablets this time then and may just dump some more strawberry Ribena in there if i still think the flavour is lacking when it comes to drinking it.

Cheers for the help guys

 

[LeithR]

Ditto Oldblokes comment - I add Lowicz syrups (when last bought them they were £1.29 in Tesco's) towards the end of the brew and let it ferment on for a short while until the sugar is eaten up then apply the 3 day rule re SG, bulk prime and bottle.

Works well for me

 

[MrTicTacs]

Yeah ive seen Lowicz in Tesco and Asda but no strawberry unfortunately, only raspberry... but i've bought some today and i'm planning to do as you suggested, ill throw some of that in and although it wont be strawberry, it should give a nice fruity twist to the cider which is what i'm looking for, then i'll just let it ferment off.

While i was there i got an extra bottle and decided that ill use my 5L demi to make some alcoholic raspberryade while i'm at it, These syrups look like they could be fun

 

[buzzharvey22]

Iv had a similair one myself recently. Used 8l of strawberry ribena and 12l AJ. I tookba reading when it was 1.012 and it tasted lovely. Could really taste the ribena. I let it go dowb to 0.993 and now it just tastes like my regular turbo cider. Certainly enjoyable but not quite what I was looking for this time.

I used youngs standard wine yeast. Maybe theres a yeast out there that will only ferment it down to 1.010 or so?

 

[buzzharvey22]

Iv had a similair one myself recently. Used 8l of strawberry ribena and 12l AJ. I tookba reading when it was 1.012 and it tasted lovely. Could really taste the ribena. I let it go dowb to 0.993 and now it just tastes like my regular turbo cider. Certainly enjoyable but not quite what I was looking for this time.

I used youngs standard wine yeast. Maybe theres a yeast out there that will only ferment it down to 1.010 or so?

any thoughts on this? anyone know of a yeast that will only ferment down to about 1.010?

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

Iv had a similair one myself recently. Used 8l of strawberry ribena and 12l AJ. I tookba reading when it was 1.012 and it tasted lovely. Could really taste the ribena. I let it go dowb to 0.993 and now it just tastes like my regular turbo cider. Certainly enjoyable but not quite what I was looking for this time.

I used youngs standard wine yeast. Maybe theres a yeast out there that will only ferment it down to 1.010 or so?

any thoughts on this? anyone know of a yeast that will only ferment down to about 1.010?

You've got two options: let it ferment dry then backsweeten to taste, or add a campden tablet and some potassium sorbate when it reaches 1010. Using the campden & pot. sorb. will limit you to a still cider.