brēowanthorpe

The Homestead of Beer

Cyser Mead

By thomas #Apple Juice, #Apples, #Cyser, #Cyser Mead, #Dry Mead, #Homebrew, #Honey, #Mead, #Water, #Westfort, #Yeast

Codename : Westfort Beginner Cyser

A cyser is a mead made with apples and/or apple juice. In this case, I used 4 apples, 2 gala and 2 granny smith, 1.89L of apple juice, and a little bit of water to top the carboy up to 4L. A little more about cysers,

There should be an appealing blend of the fruit and honey character but not necessarily an even balance.

https://www.bjcp.org/style/2015/M2/M2A/cyser/

Ingredients 

  • 1 Lb 10 oz Honey
  • 1.89L apple juice
  • 4 apples (use any you like, use more or less as you like)
  • .5 L of filtered, spring or distilled water (chlorine in home water is truly bad for mead)
  • 7 ml Mangrove Jack M05 mead yeast.
  • Yeast energiser (follow fermentation directions below)
  • 10 ml acid blend at secondary

Vital Stats

BJCP Style : Cyser
Anticipated ABV : 10.5 – 11 %
Original SG : 1.080
Target SG : 0.993 (this is the goal, to get almost 100+% fermentation)
Brewhouse (in)efficiency : 99%

Brew Day

  • Boil a small pot of water, scald the apples for approximately 10 seconds to remove the protective coating of wax.
  • Make a single cup of tea, one tea bag in a cup of  boiled water. This is an optional step, it adds some tannin.
  • Sanitise everything required for fermentation.
  • Rough cut the apples into chunks and add them to the fermenter.
  • Add the honey to the fermenter, along with about half of the apple juice.
  • Ensure you shake and/or stir the contents very well to incorporate the honey and juice.
  • Add the remainder of the juice.
  • Add the cup of tea.
  • Top up the fermenter with filtered water to bring it up to about 4L
  • Calibrate the sonic screwdriver.
  • Prepare the yeast mixture.
  • Pitch the yeast to the fermenter.
  • Stir and/or shake the fermenter to incorporate the yeast into the must.
  • Put the airlock on the fermenter.
  • Store in a cool dark place for primary fermentation for 14-28 days.

Fermenting

  • On day 2 of fermentation, add 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient (or energiser).
  • On day 4 of fermentation, add 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient (or energiser).
  • On day 6 of fermentation add 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient (or energiser)
  • Occasionally monitor the mead for meagre fermentation/bubbling late in the fermentation process, along with sediment build up on the bottom of the carboy.
  • Between days 21-28, transfer the mead to a clean/sterile carboy. The day count is a guideline, rack it once everything is settled and clear.
  • After an additional 28 days, you can bottle your mead.

Bottling Day

  • Detailed instructions.
  • Keeping it traditional, no additional sugars will be added for carbonation.
  • Bottle condition at least 4 weeks, longer is better!

Brew Notes

  • I used a sugar reduced apple juice, this defies standard convention, as more sugar is usually better. As it had no additives and preservatives I felt this was a good choice. The gravity of the juice itself was approximately 1.030.
  • I arbitrarily picked 4 apples, use more or less as you like. As it turned out,  the 4 cut apples weighed approximately 1.5 lbs. They will contribute some sugar, I just have no idea how much.
Scald the apples for approximately 10 seconds to remove the protective wax.

 

The rough cut apples with the honey in the fermenter.

 

Allow the cyser to ferment for 3-4 weeks.

Brew day : 4-Dec-2024