How to Flavor Your Hard Cider 4 Ways

How to Flavor Your Hard Cider 4 ways. Now, there's nothing wrong with apple cider as is. In fact, I like it plain too. But, let's say you wanted something a little different. Well, we got you covered. Here's four ways to flavor a hard cider. Super easy, not a lot of ingredients, and if you flavor your cider in small batches you can experiment and try out different flavors to see what you like best.
Hard Cider for Beginners: • How to Make Hard Cider...
Cider 4 Ways - Hard Cider Finishing Methods: • Cider 4 Ways - Hard Ci...
Additions:
25 grams Dried Elderberries: amzn.to/3qDipWE
Toasted Amburana: barrelcharwood.com/
1 Cinnamon Stick : amzn.to/36rUnXQ
1 Cardamom Pod: amzn.to/3uuE6ZV
5 Allspice Berries: amzn.to/3uCYCIa
1 Clove : amzn.to/36A406B
4 grams Cascade Hop Pellets: amzn.to/37TCqBC
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1 Quart Wide Mouthed Mason Jars: amzn.to/3IHwrMY
Plastic Wide Mouth Mason Jar Lids with Airlocks: amzn.to/3wFL6py
Small Glass Bowls: amzn.to/3IJ9s4n
Our Favorite Pitcher: amzn.to/3tGhc2y
Star San: amzn.to/3NnYG6Y
Nut Milk Bag: amzn.to/3tIdGoq
Belgian Tasting Glasses: amzn.to/3wFto5v
Glencairn Glasses: amzn.to/3uxVJbu
Mead O.G. t-shirt: city-steading.com/product/mea...
Sherlock Holmes Quote t-shirt: amzn.to/3tJfFZu
Feelin' Lucky t-shirt: amzn.to/3IJ8lSf
Dr. Who Abbey Road t-shirt: amzn.to/3NrPeiQ
Odin's Brewery Red Ink t-shirt: city-steading.com/product/odi...
Some items used in the making of this video (We are Amazon Affiliates and as such do receive a small commission if you purchase anything after using one of our links. There is no cost to you for this, but it does help the channel and enables us to keep bringing you content. Thank you!)
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[@wesp3779]

Hoped Brian was going to nonchalantly tell Derica her father smelt of elderberries 😂 I could taste the yogurt when Derica said apple spiced yogurt!! Thanks for the great vids!

[@kewheeler4573]

And now, strangely, I'm thinking of hamsters...🤔

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Awesome! Thos is the type of thing so many of us ask ourselves when a brew has cleared and we take a little taste prior to bottling: “What if I…?” The only “problem” with small-scale experiments like this is when an experiment turns out REALLY good and you regret not having more than that little sample. Dang it… you need to start a full-size batch and be patient for several weeks. LOL Great video! Thank you!

[@tobin_nathan]

I appreciate that you both a) explain best practice to us and why (avoiding splashing oxygen) but also B) remind us that there are times when just making it happen is more important than technical perfection (pour it in the jar)! Without your candor I never would have dived into brewing because I didn’t have all the proper tools to try it out

[@GogiRegion]

Yeah. I was always intimidated to get into it partially because people who did it would be super regimented, sterilizing everything and avoiding oxygen like a laboratory while using fancy equipment. Videos like these made it feel feasible to just try things out, using things like natural carbonation and pasteurization instead of CO2 tanks and sulfates/sulfites while showing proper procedure without being overly pedantic.

[@kinbolluck476]

EDDIT BRAVO

[@Silverholic]

One thing that is great about the 3-piece airlocks is that it is shorter than the S-type airlock... this means your carboy/airlock take less space and you could have shelves closer together. I have not used them yet but I did purchase some. Problem is I have about 30 S-type ones ;)

[@lloydnsarahsheffer3802]

The 3-piece allow us to leave gallon fermenters on our kitchen counter and fit under the cupboards. The S-type don't fit.

[@DasDhaza]

They are also more silent than the S-type

[@MrArkangel11]

Literally just bottled my first cider yesterday. Really glad for this vid because I wanted to make a spiced one next

[@coreyeubanks7866]

I added 1oz of strawberry flavoring to my last cider and was very surprised by the outcome. It didn't add so much of a strawberry flavor as much as it really made the apple flavor pop! Bottle carbonated, it made a wonderful cider!

[@TheWonderwy]

What a fun and interesting video! Thanks for doing this one. Looked like a lot of work that paid off well.

[@shauncarr1957]

Learning so much from you almost ready to rack my first two meads

[@Tsukeh]

I recently made a dry-hopped traditional mead with cascade hops. 14g for 48h in a fine mesh nylon bag, in a 1gallon batch. Ended up at 9%, and when chilled it's super refreshing and crisp. Especially recommended for IPA fans. I both hate and love how you guys constantly come out with new videos because it makes me want to start more batches. 😅

[@wtfpwnz0red]

Trying to figure out how to flavor a really dry one i made recently. Thanks for the ideas!

[@alexlarsen6413]

I didn't exactly make a cider but more like an apple wine since the initial gravity was 1.110 and it fermented down to 0.990 within 12 days. Degassed it and spiced it. Within the next 5 days it went from hazy yellow to wonderful, clear, amber red color. Yesterday, 19 days after mixing it up from store bought apple juice I back sweetened it with blueberry honey. It's still a bit too boozy but it'll be amazing real soon!

[@johnshaw6702]

Curious, what yeast did you use. I would expect it to start eating that honey (fermenting), so unless you did something to stop it, you may be surprised.

[@alexlarsen6413]

@@johnshaw6702 Just generic, universal wine yeast...Vason, an Italian brand and I expect it has reached its tolerance because I've never made anything stronger than 16% with it. This is now at around 16%. At worst I can get some minimal, not even medium carbonation. Also, I stabilized it just to be safe

[@dawnteskey3259]

I have Cascade hops in the freezer, dried Elderberries and gallons of apple juice. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@honeylady108]

I just ordered the amburana wood sticks and will add one to conditioning of an acerglyn that I'm going to start soon. Toying with also starting a spiced cyser and add amburana to conditioning. Great video!

[@theimmaturehobbyist9930]

Awesome videos series, I learned a lot about making basic ciders, and the different ways of preparing and flavoring them. Loved the commentary during the show and hope you continue on with more info about cider making. Was thinking the elderberry cider version. (Which elderberry and the drinks 6-7% ABV would help make it a cider great during a cold for coughs). Anyway fun food for thought = ) Cheers! too many happy future ciders.

[@moverling5]

You guys are wonderful. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. ❤

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching.

[@waryrpryncs]

Derica is so right about the spiced apple yogurt....was so good

[@umollerstrom]

Love this! I'm going for a semi-sweet carbonated galaxy and cascade (not mixed!) - really love the aromas of the galaxy in cider.

[@coreyeubanks7866]

I'd really recommend giving dry hopping another chance with lemon drop hops. They add a wonderful flavor

[@thedeakon2370]

I actually just sent a message through your website about this exact topic yesterday. This was very helpful. Thank you both so much

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Glad it was helpful! Also remember that commenting questions here on the channel is the best way to reach us! :D

[@bearclaw5141]

My gf hates hops. I gave her some of my basic Mead hopped, and she said "I thought I didn't like hops. This is the only way I enjoy hops." 😉

[@aqhan]

I have to share this with you because your videos inspired me to experiment. I am in the process of making some fruit wines and the idea was to make a strong, sweet wine. I used Lalvin 1118 for the purpose. My orange, mandarin & apple wine just proven the point you make sometimes, that yeast can't read. 1118 should go to 18%. This wine went from OG 1.15 to FG 0.98. If I count correctly is just over 22% ABV! Tasting it, it's VERY potent and absolutely bone dry, so this will need back sweetening, but tastes amazing already. Thank you for inspiring me to try new things.

[@erossi490]

Great information

[@Metoobie]

Just watched 3 videos in a row... she has the coolest t-shirts! :D Thanks for your vids! To speed up oaking, I use chips and put them in a weighted tea bag... I found that helped speed up the process.

[@brandonw2471]

Strainer bags/nut milk bags are really amazing brewing tools.

[@sykotik257]

I recently did something like this when I had some apple juice to pour off of a couple gallons from Costco to make spiced cider, and had some strawberries that were on sale that I wasn't quite sure what to do with. Turns out I really like apple-strawberry cider and plan on making a larger batch at some point!

[@kewheeler4573]

I loved Apple spiced yogurt! I miss it too. It was my favorite flavored yogurt as well! I, however, don't like either beer or licorice...lol so I'll go with the apple spiced yogurt flavouring instead! 😁

[@JonathonPickett]

I agree with Brian 100% on hops.

[@JohnAppleseed-cy1rd]

Gotta love that Canadian 😸

[@rdtradecraft]

I totally love spiced apple yogurt. Brian doesn't now what he's missing.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks! #teamspicedappleyogurt

[@ADKwarriors]

I use the 2 piece airlock on mason jars as they are low profile and I don't ferment in mason jars. I use them for experimental brew finishing similar to this video.

[@tjmacsindustries]

BANANNAS!!! I’ve done it in my pre-boil must prep. (I slow cook my apples before fermentation to make my own ‘juice’ )

[@tjmacsindustries]

Sorry - to be clear- i add in a couple of bananas into 5 lbs of apples into a slow cooker, then loosely strain to make my must. Makes it nice and creamy!

[@kingquesoIV]

i like to use small mesh bags for my hops. This makes removal much easier.

[@feldegast]

spiced apple cider would be my favorite, i love those flavours 😍

[@CitySteadingBrews]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqe6mnd7jdZrnNksi=9smS-a7KBDgj8rRe

[@feldegast]

@@CitySteadingBrews this is great but it needs to be a playlist to include the 2nd and 3rd etc videos, I have seen enough of your content now that I could search and find them but a playlist makes it easier to watch them in the right order 😍👍

[@alimohamed-xn1nz]

thanks alot

[@marcellacruser951]

I regularly mix Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy with a dry cider, so I may try your hops version. It'll be interesting to see if it's similar.

[@Sunny-jz3dy]

Funny you mention dried blueberries. I just finished drying 2lbs of blueberries! lol. And I just finished picking a ton of apples that I am turning into hard cider! lol. I think I will try adding the blueberries & see how it turns out. Ty!

[@carlvondrunker7855]

As a fairly new brewer, I like the S lock, if the liquid medium in the S lock evens out, I can fairly reliably tell the brew isnt pushing gas. If it is, its minimal and I can wait two days . then rack.

[@pinstripebanditt]

this was so cool to watch thanks for making it in a prevues video I watched of yours you used sugar to sweeten and carbonate and then you pastries it if I was to follow that video and this video and added the cinnamon and cardamon and oaked would would ther be any conflicting issues thanks again for making these I really enjoy learning from you both

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We do not recommend sweetening and carbonating with sugar. There are risks involved. That said, if you feel confident enough, it is one way to achieve a sweet sparkling brew.

[@scottmclean2558]

Could you guys please make a 5 or 6 gallon video just 1 maybe 1 mead and 1 wine video. Watched all your stuff love the channel.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can scale up any recipe. Just multiply everything by the gallons you are making and use a whole packet of yeast.

[@davidmathieson8661]

A thought occurred to me as I watched this. I wonder what would happen if the water used to sanitise the wood prior to oaking, were to be used as an ingredient in initial fermentation possibly in place of black tea (in brews where tea is used). Since some tannins and possibly other flavourants like vanillin etc could be carried over. I don't see many uses but it would be interesting none the less

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That could certainly be done, but I don't know how much of the flavor would come through.

[@m4a44]

"Elderberry and the Spices" sounds like a band name lol

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

Love the Amborana I can’t spell it. Reminds me of like snickerdoodle cookies

[@Dumbledork1337]

I've got these pickling mason jar lids which have a silicone waterless airlock in them, I just use those n forget about it.

[@nicholaskarako5701]

Hopped cider can be really good if that's your thing and if there's a hibiscus note to it. I am for it, but I agree with the IPA reference. If the hopped cider taste like that I probably would not like it either.

[@oh_lordy_its_gordy7520]

Just added the hops to a gallon of basic cider, and they pretty much immediately dissolved and turned the cider green. So much for me clarifying it 😂 another few weeks and I’ll carbonate it and tell y’all how it went

[@goncalosousa7137]

few month ago i did a carbonated hoppy mead and he took time to get better, last time i try it was very different. They really need time to mellow.

[@amandao6686]

Have you guys heard of the all in one wine pump and filter system, since it uses vacuum it will degas without introducing oxygen, and filter to speed up clearing. I'm not entirely sure of it, but could be a cool product review video for you guys.

[@shannoncraig509]

I will use McCormick apple pie spice mix, and/or Hungarian oak medium toast. I am interested in trying mahlab, but I am worried about using too much since it is made of cherry pits.

[@josephhowell4250]

I made cyser and flavored one with chocolate, one hibiscus, one with clove, cinnamon and anise.

[@billysummers7683]

Been thinking about a blackberry cider or cyser

[@Joenerfhearder]

Years ago I had a Mead that tasted like Ricola herb style cough drops. I don't know how it was made, but I now use Ricola almost exclusively... lol

[@GeneralChangFromDanang]

I like the idea of a beery tasting cider and have been looking for a simple way to do this. Are there particular hops that you would recommend?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sorry no, not a hops guy myself.

[@GeneralChangFromDanang]

@@CitySteadingBrews No problem. Thanks for the reply.

[@fabiolindquist1555]

Amburana is my favorite wood. But it's strong.

[@alancornelison19]

Hey love all your videos, we are getting into cider and have made a couple of batches. We’d like to get some good wide mouth jars like these in this video. What would you recommend and where to get them? I’ve read some bad reviews of cheap ones and do not want to end up with those.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We bought these: amzn.to/3rjqY9j

[@alancornelison19]

Awesome thanks, what about gallon wide mouths with airlock lids?

[@joshuapurdy2732]

could i still sweeten and carbonate them so theyre less dry or would that have to be done before the infusion stage

[@craigshinkfield2445]

I know you get a lot of "can I use this or can I use that' and sorry to ask but, would there be any issues in using whisky oak chips in a brew bag to add the flavor (chips used for smoking) Cheers You inspire me to brew...!!!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Honestly... I'm not 100% certain that's safe to do.

[@kimberlyadams4152]

Where can I get the mason jars with airlock lids-Thanks!

[@Bunkers-Boys]

I just purchased vanilla beans, and was wondering the best way to add it to a brew. like when to add it and should it be cut, ground, etc.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Vanilla Beans are antibacterial so adding them in conditioning when fermentation is done is your best bet. As far as to what state to add them, whole, split, crushed and so forth, there are varying opinions on what is the best method.

[@lloydfranks1357]

I think I might put in a table spoon of Real Honey with wood stick and a small chunk of sugar cane in with the Hops or with the last quart you flavored.

[@MrTatoPaz]

Amburana? Very common here in Brazil. I always use it on my 6month old bourbon(ish) spirit (diluted cereal alcohol)

[@davegas700]

Hi! I started a pear cider 2 weeks ago. And today when i wanted to rack it, the cider was all slimy like egg whites. Should i dump it? Or is it still salvageable? It doesn't smell bad or anything. Thanks for your help!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I'm thinking that's infected. However, pectins could be forming that texture too depending on the juice or apples used. YOur call. Cider is cheap to make.

[@paulallerston3771]

Micro-brew experimentation ftw

[@mathewwaters7833]

Gday! Great vidoes. Im planning on starting my cider making journey from watching your basic cider videos. My question is : After flavouring while dry, can i still carbonate and/or back sweeten it after its all flavoured? Cheers!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes! It’s best to flavor first then back sweeten if needed then carbonate and finally pasteurize if needed.

[@mathewwaters7833]

Awesome! Thanks!! My current plan is to brew the cider dry then sweeten it with erithritol and then put in my priming sugar to carbonate in the bottle. 🍻

[@arghapirate2427]

I got a stupid idea based on your fortified piment. I know tea wine is a thing. I can buy mate de coca, the grounded leaves of the coca plant. What would happen if I made a tea wine from the coca leaves? Maybe having the coa tea ferment with grape juice to recreate Vin Mariani. Would it taste good and/or have stimulative properties?

[@nnlegacy2024]

Hey Brian and Derica, I have a question that I am hoping you can give some insight to. I started home brewing a month ago so very greenhorn here. The situation is this. I mixed up a must and got an OG of 1.150 which I know from most of your videos is really high, but I figured with my yeast alcohol tolerance of 13% it would eat away and hopefully leave a FG of around 1.040- 1.050 (wishful thinking I know). After 2 weeks it looked like the fermentation was slowing down or stopping, so I took a gravity reading and it was at 1.100 I thought that it couldn't be done so I figured that the yeast was just moving slow due to the large amount of sugar present. 5 days later I took another reading and it was yet again 1.100. What do you think might be happening and what would be your recommendation? Should I just rack the must and try fermentation again or should I just sit on it for another week or so and take another reading...I have no idea, Any ideas would be helpful, Thank you much!

[@ArticRay]

You could either add some yeast nutrient like Fermaid O or just yeast hulls, in order to hopefully restart the fermentation, or, because the OG was extremely high to begin with, you could add more water to the must that you have now, to dilute the gravity and give the yeast another chance. Problem with that is, is that you will dilute the alcohol that is in there and your final ABV will be more of a guess

[@CitySteadingBrews]

What Artic Ray said plus. One of the reasons starting with such a high gravity reading isn't so much if the math works out for the yeast you are using, but that the higher the initial gravity (within reason of course) the more chance you have for a stalled fermentation. It often stresses the yeast having that much "food" at the very start. I envision the yeasts gorging themselves and then getting very sleepy, lol. Anyway, you can certainly try adding Fermaid O or yeast hulls and perhaps even a new batch of yeast to see if they get to work on your remaining sugars. You might also want to try degassing (if you haven't already) as that might be hindering further fermentation as well.

[@dbllivegonzo]

My cider has been fermenting for seven day's and it looks like it's stopped bubbling . Does that mean it's finished? I dont have an hydrometer and wont be able to get one for a while. Thank You Randy

[@RobertJohnson-ud3bn]

I'm contemplating something, what do you think about this, I have a cider that I believe is done in the primary I'm going to rack over from primary to a secondary, but I was thinking that I would just mix up some sugar and water and put back on top of the yeast cake (not that I'm distilling) I just like fermented sugar, do you think that it would work out okay to use that old yeast? I can pitch about another half a pack left over, it's just a gallon

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can always try?

[@anniepecoraro420]

if you want to both carbonate AND flavor, do you do one first then the other, or can you do both at the same time?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I would flavor first.

[@DanielJAudette]

I did my first batch of cider then once it was ready for bottling I did the next batch right on top of the yeast cake. I am using an old 1 gallon pickle jar which worked out to 3 liters of cider x2 looking forward to trying some after the carbonation is complete. For 3 liter or 3 pints how much sugar would you use to carbonate. I used 3 3/4 tsp of table sugar

[@CitySteadingBrews]

As in all our carbonation videos… one ounce or 28 grams of priming sugar per gallon.

[@not-on-pizza]

That rule that Brian uses works out to be 7.5 grams per litre. You can probably finish the conversion from that.

[@GeorgeSmyth]

This couldn't have been more timely. I did a cider tasting yesterday and the one that jumped out and grabbed me was called Botanist and the Botanicals. It was spiced with herbs, but when I asked which herbs, the guy didn't really know. Supposedly it was supposed to taste like Hendricks gin (?), but I've no clue what that was supposed to mean (I don't actually drink gin). If you've got any idea as to what might have been in there then I'd love some direction, though my question is probably too obtuse for an informed response.

[@ArticRay]

They recently made a Hendriks gin style mead actually! It included alot of juniper berries I believe. You can check out their video for the exact amounts and stuff

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes! We did do a Hendrick's Gin style Kilju recently. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2WpmGOXramdoM0 Other than Juniper, Hendricks has Rose and Cucumber flavors.

[@Quinny1394]

Hi, so I'm thinking of making a batch of cider for my stepdad, he's grown an EKG hop plant for me at this house so I want to show my appreciation, I was considering using said hops and put that in the cider but after watching this video I now want to do what you did with the cinnamon, cardamom, clove etc, if you think it will taste like an apple pie I think he'd like that better. my question is how much of the spices would you use in a gallon batch? I can do the calculations from there. I'm going to be using an 11lt pail I picked up from my local hardware store Pail cost me $4.98, has a handle and comes with the lid, $3 airlock from my local brewing store. Possibly the cheapest fermenter ever? lol

[@CitySteadingBrews]

All our recipes can be scaled. As for the pail, if it isn't food grade then I wouldn't ferment in it.

[@johnshaw6702]

Caught me off guard with those airlock's. I may have one somewhere, although I doubt it. For some unreasonable reason, I don't like them. Although I did finally break one of mine when popping off the cap. As always, thanks for the sharing.

[@johnshaw6702]

Blast I forgot what she said. My brother published his first fantasy book recently and I'd like to give him that word. It started with a "P", but I lost it before the end.

[@ericfold6803]

How do you scale for bigger batches when using the spices? Do you use 1 cinnamon stick in a gallon or 4 in a gallon? What about the other spices scale or keep the same amounts? I am brewing a 4 gallon batch

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Simply scale it all but the yeast.

[@johnp.2267]

Cascade has this grapefruit-like flavor it imparts in beers. As soon as I saw the package I facepalmed, because as we all know, Brian doesn't like grapefruit. You two might want to check out Mosaic (stone and tropical fruit flavors), Citra (citrus-like flavors), or Sorachi Ace (lemony flavors).

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks for the head's up. We hadn't heard of that before.

[@johnp.2267]

@@CitySteadingBrews No worries. I used to get magazines featuring home brewing materials, and that was primary in the description of the hops. Also, it's the main hops used in Fat Tire beer, which does have a light grapefruit flavor.

[@masta_fu7280]

I'm JUST starting my first batch. I'd like to add cherry if possible. When is the best time to add it and what kind of cherries should i buy?

[@masta_fu7280]

Pasteurized is what i'm hearing, and frozen berries follow that guideline.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can add the cherries whenever you like. Might be easier to judge the flavor if you add them in Secondary (Conditioning). Frozen fruit works well as it's cell walls are broken allowing them to release their flavor more readily.

[@sellelpoc]

I added 0.25ounces of Citra Hop Pellets to a gallon of Fresh Press Apple Juice fermented with US-05 Ale Yeast. Would adding Brewers Best Apple and/or Pineapple Natural Favoring into it be a bad idea with the presence of the Hops?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Hops is one flavor, extracts are another. I don’t see why they would interfere with each other.

[@ericlochli2804]

Hi! Great video, thank you! Question, i bought Mangrove Jack's brewery punch cider and followed the instructions. it tok 2 weeks for the fermentation to be complete, and i was told to have it sitt in the fridge for another week. So, now i wanna try carbonation. Nothing fancy, aiming for a bobling dry cider. Does my cider need to reach rom temp before i add suger? or could i start the process streight from the fridge? My bottle are 1 Liter, how long should I wait after carbonation before i can drink? Hope you get a chance to answer. Shout out from Norway! -Eric

[@CitySteadingBrews]

If you want to carbonate it then I think brining it back up to room temp is the best route. Chilling a beverage slows and often stops a fermentation. This video might help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqfZpomAg9NloK8

[@mrl3810]

@@CitySteadingBrews thanks for the answer! Yeah, seen that clip a couple of times🤣. Follow up question. Can I carbonate anytime i want, or is there a "best" time? Cuz what iw done is moved the cider from the fermentation bucket (after 2 weeks), over to a plastic keg (that goes inn to the cooler for 1 week), then moved the cider over to the bottles for carbonations.

[@billyraymond9416]

ginger is great with apple cider.

[@Rubberduck-tx2bh]

For the hopped cider: maybe carb it via SodaStream (or other means)???

[@slowwound2656]

Have y'all tried pineapple cider yet. Its delicious. Its a pain to make but well worth it. brew bags are highly recommended for it.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have not. Might have to add it to the never ending list. :)

[@slowwound2656]

@@CitySteadingBrews I have a list of different ones we want to try here too, a list of pickled foods as well. Right now I'm giving your banana wine recipe a try. Got it going 2 days ago.

[@johnaldrich3668]

Do you, you any chance, have a source for grommets? I along my own 1.5 gallon fermenter and need to create a hole for an airlock

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I got them from Amazon a few years ago. Those in the video came that way.

[@johnaldrich3668]

@@CitySteadingBrews thank you. I appreciate your assistance

[@mytubeforock]

Loved your video.... Can you make apple cider beer( somersby apple cider) with raw apple 2kg, all ingredients in detail.... Waiting for your positive response... LOVE FROM NEPAL🇳🇵

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I checked… it’s just apple cider.

[@mytubeforock]

@@CitySteadingBrews will you help me with recipe.. with raw apple.. with Little quantity... Thanx a lot for your reply.... 🥰🥰🥰

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sorry, we don’t do custom recipes… each recipe takes time and experimentation.

[@mytubeforock]

@@CitySteadingBrews it's ok... For now maybe someday if it's possible.... Thank you have a great day...💓💓💓

[@Newbrewer]

Hi Brian & Derica. i have 100g of dried elderberrys. I was hoping to add them straight to my mead secondary but iv been told they can be toxic. Am i ok to do so or do they need boiled. Thanks

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Most depends on the berries. Unripe ones have toxicity.

[@Newbrewer]

@@CitySteadingBrews I bought dried ones from amazon im hoping they would be ok

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@Newbrewer they should be. That said, I am no expert and don't want to steer you wrong.

[@Newbrewer]

Thanks guys

[@VincentHarrydragonphire]

I understand that the end result is the same, but is there an order of operations? like if I wanted to add flavors AND back sweeten AND add an extract, is there an order that you should do it? Example being adding apple pie spices to a cider but also back sweetening it as well as adding some vanilla extract. The back sweetening and the extract are basically add it and you are done where as the flavors (like spices or dried fruits) you will need to remove them eventually, so would you want to remove those first before adding the non-removables? I'm sure the answer is "it depends" but maybe there is a general rule of thumb?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not really. I would spice and let it sit before adding sweetness due to the need to pasteurize after sweetening but beyond that, doesn't matter so much.

[@wildheart5086]

Can apple branches( minus bark), or maple from yard be used to flavor wines?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Good question. I suppose it depends on the variety. Apples from the Family: Rosaceae should be fine, but there are other "apple" named plants that are not from that family that have toxic sap. Basically when using raw materials you want to make certain that no part of that material is toxic. Further research might be a good idea.

[@wildheart5086]

@@CitySteadingBrews my cockatoo loves our apple branches and has not dropped dead from eating them when they are perches in her cage!🤣🤣🤣

[@Peg-ee5ei]

Does this apply to additions to wines, also?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sure!

[@alpinmike]

Possibly a stupid question but I am admittedly a noob, my friends and I were discussing what flavors would be interesting in a cider or beer. One option that was discussed for cider was a "red hot" candy flavor. Could red hots be used for back sweetening and flavoring a basic cider? Not sure how it would work scientifically because they are a natural sugar.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Many homebrewers have added candies to their brews. Not really something we are interested in doing at this time, but it is certainly doable. We encourage our viewers to experiment and have fun with this hobby!

[@alpinmike]

@@CitySteadingBrews thank you ill try it out and see what happens. Thanks for the great content it's really helping make the process more approachable I read some books on the subject and it seemed like I was way out of my league.

[@dakingdavid97]

just imagine if you added a few drops of simple syrup to add just a touch of sweetness to the ones you said needed a little sweetness to them

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sure. But, fort this we wanted a level playing field.

[@lescobrandon2202]

Is it better to naturally carbonate before or after the flavouring?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You really can’t add anything after carbonation.

[@lescobrandon2202]

@@CitySteadingBrews Ok, thanks for the answer.

[@wildheart5086]

When six month bottled wine has sediment, can one strain it to clean bottle? Or, is it at risk to referment? It is a fine sediment swirling in bottom I am seeing.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We often end up with a bit of sediment in the bottom of our bottles as we admittedly rush bottling. If we weren't trying to produce material for KZbin we would let them settle longer which would ultimately leave us with a "cleaner" brew. That said, other than being visually annoying, we haven't had an issue with the small amount of sediment. You may notice many commercial wines, ciders and juices also have sediment at the bottom of their bottles.

[@wildheart5086]

@@CitySteadingBrews So, do not rebottle? Let it condition more months prior to bottling. Well learning more everyday. 🤔

[@lup7271]

>wood will pick up flavors makes me think that someone should try using the wood for apple cider for a certain amount of times and then use the wood in the high proof alcohol it would normally go with to see the results. if only i wasn't lazy and already had too many projects going. thanks for the video

[@dockofthebaycountrywines69]

In my Homer Simpson voice, “AMBURANA!” 🤤

[@adblevins2]

Dry sweetened cranberries

[@oh_lordy_its_gordy7520]

So if you pasteurized your cider prior to adding flavorings, you really shouldn’t have to worry about the airlocks on the mason jars? I’m interested in trying this out, but I want to stick with my current equipment for a bit before buying more 😅

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes, in theory a properly pasteurized brew should not activate further fermentation. You would also want to make sure it wasn't still off gassing, as it is the pressure from gas that is the main concern here.

[@johnoconnell5202]

I dislike those airlocks as well, they evaporate at a greater rate, perhaps it's the surface area

[@BigChristopher]

2nd!

[@williamcarswell1071]

awesome,, fun to experiment to lean more,,,, u need white lab coats ,,, so u look like a scientist..... ha ha love this and very interesting,,, can be applied to classic meads too !! Bill

[@marks6489]

At what point were these flavoring agents added?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I don't understand... we showed it in the video. The cider was done fermenting, and not bottled, was that what you meant?

[@marks6489]

@@CitySteadingBrews Yes. I think so. So things were added to each individual jar. Thank You. Love the videos by the way. You guys are naturals for this. Informative and entertaining at the same time.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@marks6489 thank you!

[@michaelramirez1804]

MAKE SOME TEPACHE!!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

STOP YEL:LING AT ME, lol...

[@austin_brown]

Did you cook the elderberries to detoxify them.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

They were dried so already cooked.

[@austin_brown]

@@CitySteadingBrews thank you for the reply! The dried ones I got from Amazon said to cook them .

[@austin_brown]

As in boiling for 15 minutes.