Breton cider

drsmurto · Post by **drsmurto** » Wednesday Nov 22, 2006 12:41 pm

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 · Post by **Chris** » Thursday Nov 23, 2006 9:43 am

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

drsmurto · Post by **drsmurto** » Thursday Nov 23, 2006 10:14 am

ccing?

rwh · Post by **rwh** » Thursday Nov 23, 2006 10:31 am

Cold Conditioning. Like lagering, but for ales.

drsmurto · Post by **drsmurto** » Thursday Nov 23, 2006 10:34 am

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 · Post by **mikey** » Friday Jan 19, 2007 6:18 pm

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 · Post by **Chris** » Monday Jan 22, 2007 1:51 pm

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

drsmurto · Post by **drsmurto** » Monday Jan 22, 2007 1:58 pm

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.