So my next chapter of the speed cider has begun. But not before I let the speed cider go for a little longer then I expected…though I am glad I did. The cider kept perking away, so I let it. The T-58 cleared up from the cloudy cider to almost the same color! Amazing! Now it was time to split the two batches in half, and have a little fun with it!
To make this as easy as possible, I busted out four Mr. Beer kegs. Yes, I have that many (and maybe a few more) lying around. I did some basic sanitation to get them ready. For the split testing, I decided to give one batch from each yeast the same hops, Citra. Then, the other batch from each of the yeasts would get some fun treatment as well.
I did not use a siphon, as I decided that the sediment at the bottom of the carboys would probably be handled carefully while pouring them into the little brown kegs. I was shocked at the different sediment from the S-04 versus the T-58 yeast. There was quite a bit of sediment from the S-04, and it seemed quite spread out, while the T-58 was very compact.
S-04 sediment
T-58 sediment
To be ready for this split test, I also soaked some cinnamon whiskey from Cooperstown NY, called Spitball. It has a nice taste on it’s own, so I put in some oak chips a few weeks back. The small mason jar just sat patiently before getting fired toward the keg.
The Spitball was added to the S-04 yeast and dry hopped with Sorachi Ace hops. I am not quite sure what made me choose this combo, but it seemed intriguing, so I went for it. The singular T-58 yeast batch was given some Palisade hops. They are described as “very pronounced and pleasant fruity, non-citrusy, aroma with earthy undertones”. I kind of felt a non-citrusy choice was going to be good. The earthy undertones seemed to go with the Belgian funkiness that may come out.
For the “control” batches, I dry hopped them with some Citra. This is one of those favored hops, so I figured why not?!
I think that I will let them dry hop for about a week, then bottle. I will probably individually prime each bottle with sugar, as I see the bottling process getting too crazy with batch priming 4 times. A funnel, and a quick measuring should make quick work. This should definitely be true for batches 2-4 as they should all be the same size, and I should know the amount of bottles needed.
Some thoughts:
- I can’t wait to line up all 4 ciders to try them when they are complete!
- I used 1 full ounce of hops with each 1.5 gallon batch. This may be on the heavy end….we will see.
- I am looking forward to seeing how the oaked cinnamon whiskey taste comes through!
- There will be lots of cleanup for this one! Lots of fermenting vessels!
