thelema5
Well-Known Member
I've been working on crafting a good hearty honey-ginger cider for a while now, and after tweaking several moderately successful attempts I've finally bottled a batch which turned out exactly as I wanted.
When I first started thinking about making a ginger cyser I wasn't able to find any really good, authoritative recipes online. So I'm sharing my "more perfect" recipe here in the hopes that it may be just what you're looking for, too.
The cyser itself ages crystal clear, with a sturdy mouth-feel and a warm but gentle ginger-forward flavor which is perfectly balanced by the rich honey overtones gracing the tart apple canvas.
I didn't carb this batch- with bold flavors like this I prefer to drink it still - This sample weighs in at a heftly 8.5% ABV.
The recipe below is for one gallon, but it scales easily to any size batch.
Honey Ginger Cider
Blend and pasteurize
Add to primary carboy with
A few notes:
This took me about 4 weeks to ferment dry at 64 degrees; honey is stubborn to ferment! The flavors were very harsh at racking, and I let it age another 2 months in secondary.
The ginger flavor was still a bit aggressive when I bottled at 3 months, and I was worried that it would prove to be too much. Happily it mellowed perfectly after another month of bottle conditioning.
I know a lot of people insist that honey doesn't need to be pasteurized, but I'm the kind of guy who wants to control every single microbe in my brew without adding unnecessary chemicals.
While many people regard honey as "antibacterial", this property is greatly diminished when hydrated, and I am following the recommendations of the National Honey Board by pasteurizing the product before using it. As they note in their official "Honey and Homebrewing" report,
To achieve the desired strength, the fresh ginger must be peeled and finely grated. In other attempts with experimental batches I chopped or diced it- but you really want as much of the ginger to come in contact with the cider as possible.
It looks like a lot of material once it's all together, but this is really the best way to go for clean flavors. Here you can see the ginger looking rather wild after a few days in primary (in the front). Don't worry, it will mellow with age.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do- I'll be making a full 6 gallon batch of it soon, and many more in the future for sure.
When I first started thinking about making a ginger cyser I wasn't able to find any really good, authoritative recipes online. So I'm sharing my "more perfect" recipe here in the hopes that it may be just what you're looking for, too.
The cyser itself ages crystal clear, with a sturdy mouth-feel and a warm but gentle ginger-forward flavor which is perfectly balanced by the rich honey overtones gracing the tart apple canvas.
I didn't carb this batch- with bold flavors like this I prefer to drink it still - This sample weighs in at a heftly 8.5% ABV.
The recipe below is for one gallon, but it scales easily to any size batch.
Honey Ginger Cider
Blend and pasteurize
- 4 cups generic pasteurized apple juice
- 16 ounces honey
- 2 ounces fresh ginger, GRATED
Add to primary carboy with
- 1 bag black tea, brewed
- 1/2 teaspoon malic acid
- 1/4 packet cider yeast - I used Mangrove Jack's M02 because it was cheap and available.
- +/- 96 ounces generic pasteurized apple juice
A few notes:
This took me about 4 weeks to ferment dry at 64 degrees; honey is stubborn to ferment! The flavors were very harsh at racking, and I let it age another 2 months in secondary.
The ginger flavor was still a bit aggressive when I bottled at 3 months, and I was worried that it would prove to be too much. Happily it mellowed perfectly after another month of bottle conditioning.
I know a lot of people insist that honey doesn't need to be pasteurized, but I'm the kind of guy who wants to control every single microbe in my brew without adding unnecessary chemicals.
While many people regard honey as "antibacterial", this property is greatly diminished when hydrated, and I am following the recommendations of the National Honey Board by pasteurizing the product before using it. As they note in their official "Honey and Homebrewing" report,
“In honey, wild yeasts and bacteria are ubiquitous, yet they are kept in stasis due to low water content… As soon as the honey is diluted in water or wort… these microbes are free to grow and proliferate. Many homebrewers have reported a high incidence of bacterial and wild yeast contamination when introducing honey” (http://www.bjcp.org/mead/home_brew.pdf)
To achieve the desired strength, the fresh ginger must be peeled and finely grated. In other attempts with experimental batches I chopped or diced it- but you really want as much of the ginger to come in contact with the cider as possible.
It looks like a lot of material once it's all together, but this is really the best way to go for clean flavors. Here you can see the ginger looking rather wild after a few days in primary (in the front). Don't worry, it will mellow with age.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do- I'll be making a full 6 gallon batch of it soon, and many more in the future for sure.