Holiday Cider

This was a challenge in simplicity. I kinda jacked the fermentables way up and it was so "cidery" and alchoholic it could choke a mule. With the addition of apple flavoring and actually priming with apple juice concentrate and with time, it mellowed into a dangerous brew that is beguiling to the fact that it is at around 15% alchohol!

Brewer:	Funky Monk		Email:	michael@speakingintongues.org
URL:	http://www.speakingintongues.org
Beer:	Holiday Cider		Style:	Other
Type:	Extract		Size:	5 gallons
Color:	3 HCU (~3 SRM)		Bitterness:	0 IBU
OG:	1.123		FG:	1.000
Alcohol:	15.9% v/v (12.5% w/w)
Water:	No water, just pasteurized, non-preservites added sweet cider.
Boil:	15 minutes	SG 1.123	5 gallons
	1 lb. Brown sugar 1.5 lb. Honey 20 lb. Apple Cider
Hops:
Yeast:	Champagne yeast.
Log:	Started on 09/21/01 with an original gravity of 1.123. Racked cider into glass carbouy on 9/26/01 and the gravity reading at that time was 1.009. Added apple flavoring and bottled on 10/05/01 with a final gravity of .99
Carbonation:	I used 1 1/2 cans of frozen apple juice concentrate to prime. It really helped add a touch of residual sweetness that the cider really needed.
Tasting:	It hasn't fully matured in the bottles yet. That will come around Thanksgiving. But I have tasted a few samples that I have set aside at varying stages along the way. It has the body of champagne, same type and degree of effervecence, same sort of dryness and cleanliness on the palate. I used pumpkin pie spice during the boil as well as brown sugar and the non-fermentables in conjuction with the spices give an aftertaste of pumpkin pie. Now that it is mellowing out in the bottles, the separate flavors are blending together nicely. This is a great one if you want to see your mother-in-law get shellac'd at the next family holiday gathering!

Recipe posted 10/25/01.