Its Just Not Beer
Sometimes you get all bases loaded, kegs full, fermenters full. If you are like me you might experiment with fermenting something totally different, generally on a smaller scale.
This picture shows a "3 day cider". Purists will probably say that is an oxymoron but hey, only costs a couple of bucks to try it yourself (or foist it on unsuspecting guests). It sure isn't clear, but that doesn't worry me. No boiling, no mashing - too easy.
I tried this also with dark grape juice, after 48 hours it tasted like Lambrusco. My SWMBO loved them both (that is before it fermented right out).
Of course if you're not so tight arsed you might try OzTops which were the inspiration for SozTops.
Ingredients
Fruit juice (without preservatives). I bought this stuff from the unrefrigerated isle in the supermarket. It all seems to be reconstituted. This discussion applies to a 2 litre batch.
- Yeast. I happened to have champagne yeast and used this. I will try an ale yeast next time because the champagne yeast is still reasonably active even after I refrigerate. I used around a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. Also champagne yeast apparently attenuates very well so it will scavenge any residual sweetness.
- I used a pinch of yeast nutrient. Not sure of the impact of using this.
- I added a 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid crystals.
Method
- I just stuck a grommet in the top of the juice bottle to take an airlock.
- Remove a cup or so of juice for headspace.
- Throw in the rest of the ingredients (I didn't bother even to rehydrate the yeast).
- Shake like buggery.
The trick is then to balance the sweetness, carbonation and alcohol content. This sounds tricky but it's not. When you hit your target taste profile, bottle in PET bottle, wait for it to pump up then crash cool. For my two experiments the yeast was quite active at this stage so exploding bottles are a serious risk. If you have to go out of town, loosen the cap.
With my first batch (dark grape juice) I split the batch in two. The first one I bottled after 36 hours then cooled. This was yummy according to the SWMBO. The remainder I let ferment and bottled after 4 days. This tasted like crap.
Some Other Thoughts
- Add some non fermentable sugars.
- Let it ferment out then add fresh juice containing preservatives to inhibit further fermentation.
- Progressively add more fermentables to boost the alcohol and use it as a base for punch.