Breton cider

[drsmurto]

G'day All

Have done a search on this site, google etc and am having trouble finding a recipe for home brewed Breton cider. I lived in Bretagne (north-west France) for a year and fell in love with their specialty of crepes and cider. The cider was like nothing i have ever tasted before. So much smoother, like the difference between proper champagne and sparkling white. Almost like an alcoholic cloudy apple juice.

I have a juice extractor so was hoping to replicate a breton cider. The locals dont give out their recipes which are family heir-looms so i havent figured out how they make it. I dont want to press apples so i thought using a juice extractor and adding some of the separated skin/pith and trying to make sure i have an initial SG above 1050 would be a start. No added sugar but maybe citric/tartaric acid to adjust pH. Champagne yeast crucial.

Any thoughts/comments both + and -

Cheers
DrSmurto

p.s. did read that 10-12C is optimum ferment temp so will be done in a fridge cycling on and off and highest setting.

[Chris]

Try ccing the cider when fermentation has finished. Then consider re-pitching a yeast specially for carbonation.

[drsmurto]

ccing?

[rwh]

Cold Conditioning. Like lagering, but for ales.

[drsmurto]

very good idea. I believe the bretons ferment in casks and leave it in cellars for months. They also naturally ferment something i wont be doing.....

Re-pitching the yeast - so your suggestion is ferment, rack, cc, then re-pitch yeast, prime, bottle?

[mikey]

A little searching (about one hour) and presto.

Hope this is of help.

http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/index.htm

And then I read your other post where you had the link

[Chris]

Haven't seen this post in a while...

[drsmurto]

Going to do an experiment on this. Nerdy scientist coming thru but i figure its the only way i will be able to find out how this works.

Take some apples, put them thru the juicer, add some of the 'waste' to the juice and let sit in a bucket for a few days. Could also try doing it a bit more hygienically and add fresh juice to fermenter and pitch an ale yeast...... small scale trial to see what results.