Anyone have experience with Wild Cyser? (Apple Juice Mead)

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Anyone have experience with Wild Cyser? (Apple Juice Mead)

Postby BlochBaron on Sun May 26, 2013 9:13 am

Anyone had any luck with one of these? They are generally made by boiling honey and natural apple juice, then cooling the mix and pitching champagne yeast. Has anyone made one of these by using the yeasts from unboiled raw honey just like a wild mead?
Thanks
Michael
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Re: Anyone have experience with Wild Cyser? (Apple Juice Mea

Postby FermentingYeti on Tue May 28, 2013 9:32 am

I haven't (yet), but from what I understand, making it should be as simple as heating (not boiling) honey water with some good organic cider and proceeding as with any other kind of wild fermentation. I'm sure regular apple juice would work too, but I would go with unfiltered organic cider, as that will provide the most health benefits, be the most flavorful, and have plenty of nutrients for getting your ferment going.
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Re: Anyone have experience with Wild Cyser? (Apple Juice Mea

Postby BlochBaron on Wed May 29, 2013 12:33 am

I was actually planning on boiling the cider, letting it cool and mixing it with cold honey. Will it mix better if I heat them up together? Also, any idea what proportion of Honey to Apple Juice? If a melomel should be 1:6, should I take this down even further because of all the sugars in the cider? I don't even know if those sugars are fermentable or not.
Thanks
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Re: Anyone have experience with Wild Cyser? (Apple Juice Mea

Postby FermentingYeti on Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:03 am

Sorry for the late reply. As I haven't yet made a cyser, I can't say from personal experience, but here's what I think based on the other meads I've made and what I know about cysers:

I always heat my honey/water mixes when making mead, being careful not to let it boil. This is mostly to ensure the two fluids mix well, and to aid in getting all the honey out of the jars. I suppose you could mix them cold, but be sure to stir vigorously to ensure a consistent mix.

If you're wild fermenting, I wouldn't boil the cider, as you'll kill all the wild yeasts that will aid in fermenting. As with any mead / melomel, the ratio will depend on whether you want a sweet, semi-sweet or dry flavor and mouthfeel. Since Katz refers to letting raw ciders ferment on their own (with no additions), I don't think you'll have a problem with fermenting provided you don't boil. I personally like semi-sweet meads best. A 1:6 ratio will likely turn out a bit dry. I'd go with 1:4 or 5. Again, I haven't yet made a cyser, so this is mostly based on research and personal experience with other meads.

Hopefully someone with experience making cysers will pipe in here...
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Re: Anyone have experience with Wild Cyser? (Apple Juice Mea

Postby FermentingYeti on Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:09 pm

I would like to add that I will be making my first cyser soon, as I have some honey, and will be helping a friend pick apples from his overabundant apple trees. I met someone recently who makes nearly all wild-fermented meads. I tried some of her cysers and they were excellent. She doesn't heat at all. Just mixes honey, water and juice and adds whatever other flavoring ingredients she wants, and then sets them into a muslin-covered wide-mouthed container to ferment.
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