How We Made Concentrated Apple Wine - Spiced Without Spices

How we made concentrated Apple Wine, spiced without spices. No added sugar either. Just apple juice. Wine can be made so many ways, and there's certainly plenty of opinions floating around the internet, but... one of our viewers suggested this method and we put this concentrated apple wine to the test. Along with that, we gave it some kick of spices, but use NO SPICES! You read that right. Spiced apple wine without added sugar or spices. Check it out!
Ingredients:
2 gallons (7.57 liters) Apple Juice
1 piece of Amburanna Oak : barrelcharwood...
2 grams Fermaid O: amzn.to/3eH69kP
1/2 packet Cote des Blancs Yeast: amzn.to/3eIKUz6
How does this Wine taste after aged for a year? • Concentrated Apple Win...
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[@billbucktube]

A note: I have been trying to replicate some apple jack my uncle Luther and aunt Bessy made. I think you suggested what made their flavor profile so unique in this video. After pressing the apples they cooked down the the juice and apple mush, to, “Make sure the bugs were dead.” At 5 years old it seemed to make sense… They might have been talking about wild yeast, hopefully! When you said the apple juice had caramelized and changed the flavor, it clicked for me. BTW, they didn’t cook the stems or seeds and they would wring out the mush before fermentation. When they didn’t hear me running amok I was often in their basement using a wine thief to sample the fizzy apple pie flavored drink

[@LordMogatron]

Brian, confident: I am going to do this complicated thing! Derica: Why not do this simpler thing? Brian, still confident: I am doing this simpler thing!

[@briandraeger4030]

Why not use frozen juice consentrat to raise the gravity?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We wanted to use whole juice…

[@patrickwilliams3108]

Amburrana (amongst the many spellings for this wood) is NOT endangered, but it is on the 'threatened' list because of loss of habitat. The more of it we use, then the more reasons people have to grow more.

[@MysticDonBlair]

I like that answer a lot! 😊

[@olinseats4003]

It is a little more complex than that, one species of Amburana is truly endangered. A. cearensis.. There are two other species in the family, one is listed as "vulnerable" (A. acreana) and the third doesn't have a listing in the database. So it's helpful to know exactly what you're getting if you're buying it.

[@jesseayers7933]

@@olinseats4003 where would one go about obtaining a small piece of this wood

[@AwakeAtTheWheel]

That’s my logic for why we should eat lions and cheetahs. Lol jk! Great logic though, I agree🍻

[@ranchoraccolto]

Is all about the source

[@MysticDonBlair]

I wish you guys could do a whole video on different ways to make juice from whole fresh fruits. Pressing, boiling, purée, pectic enzyme, and anything else you can think of. But I understand you don’t have a lot of space for too much equipment. It would be really cool though. I moved to Cappadocia, Turkey, and it is very difficult to find real juice at the store. So I always have to make the juice myself 😅

[@erikhartwig6366]

see if you can find your self a copy of the "Beginners book of Winemaking" by William Konnerth, Douglas Moorhead, Marlene B Moorhead and Robert Green. its more of a pamphlet than a proper book, but it covers everything your looking for.

[@MysticDonBlair]

@@erikhartwig6366 thank you very much for your helpful reply. 😊 I’ve been wine making for a few years now (and distilling), but I would just love to watch them make the juice in different ways. I really trust that they can talk me through new ideas; and guide me in ways I may have missed. (ie non-fermentable sugars via heated juice extraction, increase in fruit ripening times, first press vs third press, different fruit juice extraction processes, fermentation/juice extraction of pre-pressed fruit, waste fruit juice for distillation, etc…) However, I read everything that I can find in English; if I can find the book you mentioned available in Turkey 🇹🇷 then I will happily buy it. It is very difficult/expensive to get books in English here. I’m actually writing a book on “Artisanal Fermentation and Distillation” Sincerely I will search to see if I can find it.

[@michaelkithcart8481]

First of all, I love you guys. My spiced Metheglin hits 1 year in bottle next month. Just wanted to let you know I referenced this video in a paper I had to write for my Marketing 301 class. It was a great example of a company using influencers to market their product to their target audience. I thought it was super cool that I got to use you guys.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That’s awesome! Thank you!

[@georgecolby7488]

Cheers! I tried this because I heard you guys mention boil concentration, and it came out pretty good. I was so persistent in mentioning it because I knew you guys with your experience would knock it out of the park. You didn't disappoint! I'm definitely oaking my next batch. Mine is still cloudy too, bottled in February 2022. Big love from the other side of the country in Maine!❤

[@alexlarsen6413]

I've bottled crystal clear apple wine just yesterday but I'm definitely gonna try this! Like immediately. Today. Always up for 🍎🍏 brews! The color of it in the carboy reminds me of my plum wine. It turned out really good and the plum season has been plentiful so another 30L is fermenting already. And another 30L of grape wine (made out of 100kg of grapes)

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Question: is the name on the packet of yeast “Cotés de blanc” (with an accent on the “e”) or is it “Cotes de blanc”? If it’s “Cotés” you’re pronouncing it perfectly. If it does not have an accent, the pronunciation is closer to that of the word “coat”. As for the second word: if it’s “des”: congratulations on near perfect pronunciation. If it’s “de”, saying “duh” would be closer to French. Not that it really matters. Just a little bit of language trivia. Thanks for giving me yet another idea for something to make. I’ve got several bottles of organic apple juice concentrate sitting in my pantry. I might use it, save myself the boiling time. It says on the bottle that it’s been “boiled down according to traditional methods”. Whatever that may be. Edit: I started an 8-liter (a little over 2 gallons) of strawberry wine three days ago. While I was pitching the yeast my Teen Queen walked by. TQ: “Mom…?” Me: “Yes sweetie?” TQ: “Don’t forget to thwack your packet.” (walks away, grinning) … Yup. I don’t use earphones while watching your videos. 🤣

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It has an accent.

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

@@CitySteadingBrews - As said: just a bit of language trivia. That yeast isn’t available where I love and I was wondering. Curiosity satisfied. Thank you! And thank you for adding yet another brew to my to-make list! My TQ will soon simply just conclude that any new brew you publish a video on is going to appear in my fermenters one day or another. 🤣

[@bonsang1073]

when they say traditionnal methods it means that it was not centrifugated. non-centrifugated concentrates whether its sugar or juices are of better quality. if it was centrifugated they usually add sulfites, sorbates or other crap coz its not sterile unlike the boiled-down stuff.

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

@@bonsang1073 - I checked and apparently the concentrate I have is boiled down. Yay!

[@dominic_a]

Since you brought up pronunciation... In regards to a previous video, Willamette is pronounced "will-AM-it" not "willa-mett." But we're as used to that as we are "Or-E-gone" instead of "Or-eg-in"

[@sparkytheory7321]

Going to try this tomorrow with cider. I thought I would have to sub the wood for a french oak. However, I went into my local brew supply shop to get said oak, and they had spirals of the Amburana on the shelf. I was so surprised and elated they had it. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

[@terrycuyler5659]

Think I’ll give this a try with whiskey barrel chips.

[@Silverholic]

Bryan! Pumpkin wine is AMAZING! Can't wait for halloween to be over so we can buy a bunch of pumpkins at super low price and make a huge batch of it! We did it last year for the first time and everyone loves it! One of our most delicious wine we have made!

[@bearclaw5141]

What were your ingredients and method please?

[@SamwiseOutdoors]

That's what I've been contemplating: can boiled cider add enough sugars to make a suitably high OG must to make a hearty zoider. I'm really looking forward to your results.

[@TheEvolvingAudioNut]

Just a quick note for those who might care... I have purchased various test equipment from Hanna Instruments over the last few years. They are quality products and a good value. I have no affiliation with the company. I'm simply a satisfied customer.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks for sharing!

[@alexcan669]

I have to say this is not the approach I thought you guys were going to take and I loved it haha. I thought for sure you guys were going to use the apple concentrate they sell already made. As always great video guys made me think about different things I could do to up my sparkling cider/sparkling apple wine game

[@briancaicco7871]

Apple wine is my favourite, and I had the idea to make exactly this recently. I didn't actually see your video before and I couldn't find much information on people boiling apple juice, until I found this video just now. I just figured that there's no reason why it wouldn't work haha. Mine is still pretty fresh, it's a few days into primary - very similar SG reading - I hit 1.121. The one thing I will say is that this can get very labour intensive in large batches. I used approximately 16 gallons of apple juice (60L to be precise, I am Canadian so this apple juice was sold in litres) boiled down into approximately 7 gallons and... After all was said and done, I boiled apple juice for about 24 hours. Some of that was on simmer when I needed to take a break from watching it. I added 1 litre at a time. My pot is about 2 gallons as well, so I'd start with 2 gallons, boil it down for room for another litre, and continue that for about 24L, then I repeated the process again, basically condensing 6 gallons into 2 gallon pot, twice. That was ~3 times concentration which was dumped into my fermenter, then with the remaining 12L I just put it in as apple juice. I've decided to use a cider yeast with a high tolerance - M05, so we'll see how that goes. I decided to add powdered wine tannins instead of using oak as I am a huge fan of tannic drinks - we'll see how that goes as well but I anticipate it helping with the aging potential. I also used pectic enzyme and some nutrients as well. Either way, I'm really glad I found your video on this (even though I'm quite a longtime subscriber!), because this gives me some relief. I hadn't been able to find any information on the boiling apple juice technique, and I really wanted an apple wine that could stand on its own without relying on outside sugar sources (generally my go to was honey), but since I wasn't able to find any information it really was a leap of faith with a large amount of apple juice ($$$), haha. Great video!

[@DONK0]

I thought you were talking about apple jack at first lol

[@rockm6772]

Have you guys ever used an oak spiral? Was thinking of soaking one in my secondary to add a little barrel/bourbon flavor to my cider. Also have you guys tried making a sakè? I like to keep it simple and sake seems pretty simple for a wine/beer type of brew. Likely doing a mess next though.

[@robbiehenderson6436]

Have to say ive really learned alot from yall on the flavor aspect of brewing your own wine or Ale, and not fermenting for alcohol content,and adding different flavors at the right time for a better brew..Thanks and we will drink know wine before it is time..👍👍

[@coryclark7706]

Its not often we get to see Brian get excited about a brew. This was awesome to see. Going to have to add this to the ever growing list of brews i will eventually do.

[@J.T323]

Great idea!! Sorry if this sounds silly but something doesn't make sense to me or I'm just misunderstanding it completely...you said your final reading was 14.4 brix / 1.024 SG and I know you said that you use a different converter because there is alcohol present,but according to my calculations your SG should be around +/- 1.056 (depending on temp)...can the alcohol effect the SG by 32 points?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes. That’s why extra calculation is needed.

[@angelopagan207]

Hey guys. Love the channel. Can't wait to try this recipe, just have one question... is there anything you do to the oaking stick before adding it to the brew?

[@GogiRegion]

I always assumed this would damage the flavor too much so I never tried it, but in the back of my mind I've been hoping it actually ends up being stronger. It sounds like it ends up transforming it in a way that I never would have expected.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

As we mentioned in this video the boiling method gave the fruit a baked flavor similar to pie. It was lovely and not burnt in flavor at all. That was why I suggested using this method for fruit that you enjoy in pie or cobbler form as those baked notes should come through in the brew. :)

[@victoriacleary3122]

I am starting a Perry based on your recipe, and I'm very excited! I have access to a pear tree, so I've been juicing them myself - could you do the same concentration method with fresh juice? Would you do anything to clarify a freshly squeezed juice before boiling? Or just strain any sediment out with a spoon during the boil?

[@jakemiller6736]

Oh my God I never even thought about concentrating juice. I'm so doing this. Thanks for another great video

[@ronmiller7248]

A remarkably obvious idea I'll be using a lot.

[@jakemiller6736]

Lol right? So simple yet not something you would even think about at first. I'm gunna do it with concord grape in a pyment also

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thank you! I hope you all enjoy this technique!

[@kahlilbt]

Not sure if you guys ever learned, but I happened to have a homebrewer for a high school science teacher. The siphon works because water is cohesive (it sticks to itself). As the water pulls through the siphon, it creates a long chain of water molecules that are all kind of "magnetized" to each other. Cohesion is slightly stronger than gravity, so all the water can pull itself in a long chain if the upwards distance of the tube is shorter than the downward distance

[@redbirdsrising]

You'd probably not have to worry about MLF in this case because you pasteurized the must, so all that bacteria, if it even existed, would be dead. I'd also assume the apple juice itself is also pasteurized. I do keep a bag of Malolactic bacteria in my fridge if I ever want to induce it in my red wines. Works great. Just know it can take up to 3 months for it to finish. For red wines this isn't a big deal because you have to age them out anyways.

[@phillawrence5148]

Love you guys

[@gulag_inmate69]

Ya the fruit flys kill me jaja. up here in TN we got em good they always try to get in my air locks

[@apbrit2009]

I recently started a cider with similarly concentrated apple juice (although also added sugar and raisins), this definitely makes me more excited for the end product.

[@Silverholic]

Making this! Thanks!!! How do you write/spell Emerano wood? Need to find that. Do you bake it or something before you drop it in the boiling apple juice?

[@jimmelton7299]

If you used l French oak in replacement of amburana, which oak would you suggest? French oak in dark, medium, or light? It's just a suggestion you understand .

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have not tried all the different roasts of the French Oak, but it was the medium that we fell in love with.

[@jimmelton7299]

[@sandrawermuth2357]

I am making this today! I can't wait to see how it turns out! Thank you for all y'all do!

[@papamarksplace5196]

You guys ever visit upstate ny? Love to meet ya's. We got best fall colors in the country, lots of mountains and lakes and all the snow your heart can desire in winter. Live in the mohawk Valley 45 mins or so before you enter the magnificent Adirondack Mountains. Come see why WEEEEEEEE LOVVVVEEE NEWWW YOORRRKKKK! Wild blackberries and raspberries grow ALL over here too! 😊

[@mattrenaud7573]

About 25 minutes in Brian comments that it doesn't taste as sweet as he thinks 1.024 should. However earlier he commented that he high residual gravity way be due to some unfermentable cooked sugars left over from the reduction. It is my experience with cooking that cooked and reduced sugars never taste as sweet to the tongue as uncooked basic sugars. It seems to have something to do with the conversion during heating from complex sugars like Sucrose (C12-H22-O11) to something simpler like Glucose (C6-H12-O6) or Dextrose (C6-H-14-O7) both of which are not nearly as sweet as Sucrose. Is there a Chemist here that can confirm or debunk the theory?

[@rdross80]

I just started the process of making this and without a refractometer, I had to guess at the time to stop boiling by measuring the level. After everything cooled down, it looked like I had boiled a little too much, but after taking a gravity reading I was right on at 1.1 and filled the carboy up to almost the perfect level (just a tad higher than normal). Fingers crossed this turns out well.

[@darinarcher5150]

Gonna try this!! Thanks.

[@stanleygrover2162]

Thanks never saw seen S.P.G.Raise in apple juice-this way .for home wine. Thanks for team good humor,!,,

[@papamarksplace5196]

B, I love you but numbers are not my forte! I hear you but you might as well be speaking anotha language. Eeeeek!!!! Lol Gotha! Watch THIS one over and over till it sinks in. Thanks for the much needed help, Homie!

[@samsteele4650]

I have always used frozen apple juice concentrate from the store. works every time and get good results. I just bottled a cyser that came out to 10.5 % abv. any reason you guys don't use the frozen concentrate? maybe this is something you have talked about before.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can absolutely use frozen juice concentrate in a brew. As we mentioned in this video the boiling method gave the fruit a baked flavor similar to pie. It was lovely and not burnt in flavor at all. That was why I suggested using this method for fruit that you enjoy in pie or cobbler form as those baked notes should come through in the brew. Using frozen juice concentrate would simply give you the concentrated juice without those baked notes.

[@chairforce0928]

I would love to have a sampling with you both! The way you react to each of your brews gets me excited. Thank you both for your education!

[@jimmelton7299]

Thank for your quick response. I will keep your response in mind if I can't get amburana wood.

[@wtfpwnz0red]

the auto siphon acts through vacuum AND gravity! basically you have a vacuum within a closed system, so the closed system acts like a single mass of fluid which flows downhill. as long as there are no air pockets breaking the vacuum, it will flow with gravity

[@olinseats4003]

There are three species of amburana. A. acreana is listed as "Vunerable"" A. cearensis is "Endangered" and I can't find the conservation status of the third, A. erythosperma

[@beachdiggerdetecting5569]

And now my house smells like an apple orchard. Thank you for this video, can’t wait to sample this next month.

[@pauldaverman9235]

I’d always assumed boiling the juice down would produce unfavorable burnt tastes. I’ve been concentrating by freezing/thawing (removing water ice), usually to 1.080 sg. Boiling down seems less time consuming of a process, so looking forward to giving it a try.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

As we mentioned in this video the boiling method gave the fruit a baked flavor similar to pie. It was lovely and not burnt in flavor at all. That was why I suggested using this method for fruit that you enjoy in pie or cobbler form as those baked notes should come through in the brew. If you don't want the baked notes, then the freezing method you were using would be fine.

[@pkelly754]

In your opinion. What is the flavor / feel difference between French Oak & American Oak?

[@Ghazkul666]

When you do your math thingy, please pleases put up text of the math you are talking about. Like 4 gallon / 3.14 bla bla

[@papamarksplace5196]

Pps: my peach teach wine, beautiful color and OMG taste. Made few cooking wines I want to tell you about too.

[@Magnificent_Dreamer]

"Odin's brewery, Mead in Valhalla" , that's cool.

[@daigledj]

I'm sure it's going to be a good video as always but do have to say I was more excited by the title and was let down when the video wasnt on frozen concentrate. IMO in addition to the reasons you mentioned the reson people wanted a wine from just concentrate was it makes things simpler/easier vs boiling which takes more time and effort as well as adding another variable that could make reproducing less likely. Edit: as expected not the video I wanted but still a great video and brew

[@CitySteadingBrews]

To be honest, we can't seem to find apple concentrate lately. I'll do a video on that too, but... it's more like just using juice really. This one concentrates the flavors and adds a caramel like essence as well. It makes a very distinctly different product.

[@nccountryboy76]

Boil it down? I just go to the store and buy frozen apple juice concentrate and use that to increase the gravity or to back sweeten.

[@doughoward3393]

If you were going to make this again and couldn't use the wood, would you use something else and if so what?

[@PIGGYBASHER]

Any chance of a video recipe for a 12 - 15%abv dryish apple and rhubarb wine?

[@noaharthurbradley8726]

You can see your wife wearing her skeptical’s.

[@calebpennington4558]

Hey there! Had a question relating to an older video but wanted to post it on the most recent. My friends and I have been going through and making different batches of mead. We started with four 1 gallons of the classic honey, orange slices, raisins, and black tea. Those so far have all turned out great. Our problems began with starting the Vikings Blood meads. Our first two were cherries and cinnamon in a brew bag. They would overflow once the day after starting the brew but would normally be fine after that. However we were noticing issues of a very low yield just due to the amount of water we could fit in. Our third batch was a bit unique. We tried to reduce solid volume by boiling sweet cherries into a liquidly syrup. This one ended up over flowing 8 times with decent headspace and trying to remove a little bit more each time it over flowed. We ended up resulting to just removing the bubbles on top trying to limit it from degassing. Our guess as to why this happened was because of the more syrupy consistency allowing the bubbles to form easier and stay longer. Is there a better way to prevent this while still reducing solid volume to increase output or is the best bet just to get a larger container and do a smaller batch within it? Thank you! (My apologies for the lengthy comment)

[@johnshaw6702]

Sounds like really happy yeast to me. Some brews I do in 2 gallon bucket, because otherwise they blow the airlock. Just a thought.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

This is one of the reasons why we brew our fruit brews in the Little Big Mouth Bubbler from Northern Brewer. It is a 1.4 gallon vessel allowing for extra space for those solids. If you find that your brews are consistently overflowing your vessel then it is a good idea to leave more headspace in primary fermentation. This can either be done by brewing smaller amounts or getting larger vessels. Also, brew consistency can alter how the gas forms as you noticed as well. We have found that in some brews where we use the fine mesh brew bags, if the substance is fine yet dense it can easily clog the holes causing gas build up to inflate the bag like a balloon. Not really the most idea situation. I hope this helps!

[@chrystelwhite6951]

We are gonna juice about 200 lbs of apples and try your hard cider 🍺 🎉

[@adblevins2]

They need to make a amaretto licenced harvested wood growing source

[@randomlife718]

I used a of frozen apple juice concentrate to the fermenter and topped off the with a touch of tea and apple juice. Used D47

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We concentrated the juice to give a different flavor. While you can certainly use concentrate, it's not the same at all. Heating the juice creates some caramelization and smoky, sweet notes that concentrate just does not have.

[@randomlife718]

@@CitySteadingBrews sounds good, i'll give it a try.

[@sixstrings24]

I put pumpkin pie spice in my apple sauce that I bring to work every night

[@michaelcarney5624]

What is the name of the wood you used in your concentrated apple wine. Where can I find some

[@shannoncraig509]

I have an odd question. Why not just use frozen concentrated apple juice? Is the unfrozen juice better?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

When you cook it down it creates unique flavors.

[@dc5131]

I can’t believe you didn’t include the bottling !??

[@papamarksplace5196]

Love to show ya pic of my strawberry wine someday. Not sure how here.

[@XxdjforrestxX]

Does that unit have specific gravity readout? Or only brix?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Just brix, that is why we used the converter and linked what we used in the description.

[@Cutright628]

Made this(forgot the wood but it’s all good) and did a side by side brew of concentrated apple wine and apple wine from juice concentrate. I used Kirkland apple juice to concentrate and it fermented out and turned out great. The wine from apple juice concentrate (Hyvee brand, ingredients: Concentrated Apple Juice, Water, Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C). I diluted the concentrate to SG of 1.113,used 71b yeast, 4g Fermaid O, 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme, 1/4 tbs wine tannin, ~4-4.5 PH using test strips(same recipe for both). Shook the bejesus out of it and then did another two minutes. The fermentation has had sulfur smells (and other non pleasant smells) and it had stalled or is fermenting really slowly. After 13 days it went to 1.030 with 71b in a ~72F environment and added yeast hulls(the condensed apple wine was done at 1.010 and had 2nd reading of the same at 8 days later). After 8 days the “from concentrate wine” was 1.026. This is when I saw one of your videos mention that the Ascorbic Acid might potentially cause issues, this had me wondering. It looks like it also is used to stop oxidation, which has me wondering if it counteracted my shaking in the beginning and is causing the off smells from lack of oxidation. I have since added EC-1118 and then an additional 2 cups of water to try and get it started up again and finished. It looks like it’s started again however I have not done a reading since 1.026. I know it’s likely possible there are non fermentable sugars from the concentrate but 0.026 seems like a lot(not sure how it’s concentrated at the manufacturer). So far the concentrated has the from concentrate beat on all levels.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Possible. I hadn't considered that.

[@jimmelton7299]

Have ya'll tried useing peaches 🍑

[@jeffsherk7056]

I saw this video, and had to try making the wine. I started with 9 quarts of apple juice, cooked it until it reduced by half, and fermented it with one envelope of Premier Classique, and added 3/4 teaspoons of apple pie spice. The initial specific gravity for the concentrated juice (cooled) was 1.090. I started the fermentation on December 7, 2023, and today, February 28, 2024, I racked the wine, and decided to bottle it as I thought the fermentation would be long over. The product is clear, and the apple pie spice ended up on the sides of my big mouth fermenter, not in the wine. The final specific gravity was 1.000, for an ABV of 11.81. Right now, my wine tastes like Granny Smith apples more than it does anything else. It is very tart. I wasn't expecting tart, without any 'carmelization' flavor. Do you think I should have sweetened this at all? How do you think it will taste with age?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It will improve with age most likely, but spices tend to need sweetness to me.

[@Robertmilne42]

as a Baker 105 is the militaries target temp JSYK

[@mandolinman2006]

I won't get to watch this until tomorrow but recommend checking out The Republic of Tea. They have some apple flavored caffeine free teas you probably would enjoy and even apple cider. I'm anxious to try the caramel apple tea.

[@feldegast]

digital refractomiters SHOULD have settings to display specific gravity.... just like digital scales can show metric or imperial measurements....

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I agree :)

[@tron949]

Have you guys thought of doing a nutmeg mead?

[@catpettersen]

I don’t have Cote des Blanc yeast and I am wondering if I will get a similar result using another yeast. I currently have Lalvin 71B and Red Star Premiere Classique.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Technically nearly any wine yeast will work. There may be slight flavor differences.

[@TheStraycat74]

RESISTANCE IS USELESS! Love you guys, I'll add this to my list to try! I need to bottle my Lapsang Suschong mead so I have room for this first... and rack my 5-gallon cacao nibs mead. And dump out the 'skyrim' Meads that I just don't care for (between the ginger and juniper).

[@MichaelAnderson-df2hj]

I know you two are going to get tired of my questions but..... On your concentrated apple juice wine you mentioned ways to clear it up. Would that include unflavored gelatin?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sure. We used that a time or two and it worked well.

[@pyrostar69yt]

You said, anything that you'd make into a pie or cobbler... and I know Brian does like peaches... but what about a peach concentration?!? Like a peach cobbler mead. I have really wanted to do peach mead, it's my favorite fruit. Brian has me a bit scared.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I think that sounds lovely! Don't let our misfortune cause you hesitation. Try it!

[@StellrMn]

Finally made this after 2 mos of being in awe of the video and having watched it so many times i've lost count. I did decise to make a smaller batch though, turned 64 oz into 32, but goofed and left the yeast nutrients and yeast the same... Actually i added all the yeast out of concern i killed the first pitch because i hadnt let the temp come down to room or blood temp (115F to be exact). Fingers crossed it doesnt explode or anything! Would it be too late to boil down some more cider and double the recipe? 😅😅😅

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can, but I would just let this ride and make another batch :)

[@papamarksplace5196]

And I used to hate Tea AND wine! Lol

[@DisasterGM_Evi]

Just watched the "1 yr" tasting of this, and realized I haven't seen you using the refractometer in any other videos. Did you not get to keep it, or is that because Hydrometers are more accessible to much of your audience?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We gave it away during Steadfest. We found hydrometers to be more accurate in more situations.

[@volcessa]

I love you folks. May I ask, would frozen concentrated juice, thawed, no water added, have worked for this?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We cooked it not only to concentrate it but to add flavor.

[@1boortzfan]

I'm wondering if instead of reducing the volume by boiling, how about if you add frozen concentrated apple juice?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can absolutely brew with frozen concentrated juice but as we stated in this video, the method of concentrating the juice by boiling it gave the juice a "baked" flavor that added to the overall flavor of the finished brew.

[@jimmelton7299]

I really like your kiss method

[@robbiehenderson6436]

Gonna have to try this one.. Was getting thursty watching and seeing the nice color of the cider/wine..was wondering though?? Can you store fermented wine that is dry for let's say 6 months and then back sweeten once you want to drink..??

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes you can!

[@camypooface]

I made this today but encountered an interesting difference. After reducing the 2gallons by half, I was left with only 1.090 gravity. This was after it cooled down to 100 degrees.The juice started at 1.054 so I know it concentrated a little bit. This made me a little sad cuz I was hoping to not have to add sugar. I used 71B so I got my gravity to 1.102 ish in hopes of having some non fermentable sugars left over to keep it from going dry. Now it’s sitting on toasted French oak and fermenting right along so I have no complaints. That’s just brewing baby!

[@hanspetervollhorst1]

You have all these beautiful fermenting containers. I assumed you drilled the holes yourself. May I ask what technique you use to get a hole that after plugging the airlock is completely airtight?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Actually we didn't drill them. They came that way.

[@FailTrainS]

You can also buy apple juice concentrate from Langers! Then you don't have to boil anything!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Concentrate wouldn’t add the extra flavors that we got by cooking the juice.

[@prplprince8730]

Have you ever made vinegar? Always talk about the risk of it happening but have you made it on purpose? I’m interesting in trying

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes, we have made vinegar. It was lovely!

[@bizzarojerry]

The word you two keep losing is "Translucent." Opaque is cloudy, transparent is clear, translucent is anywhere in between where you can still somewhat see through it. Love the videos, keep 'em coming!

[@papasmurf9146]

When you were in high school, did you ever think you'd have a practical use for Algebra (let alone be using it as much as you are)?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I have always been a math type.

[@marcellacruser951]

Baked apple flavor, perhaps?

[@papamarksplace5196]

Ps: try the Earl Grey tea wine yet? On forth gallon here. Now with hydrometer. :-), Please, give it a try. Very different from regular Black tea wine. Promise you will love it! :-)

[@jamesmarch6821]

Would frozen apple juice work? Use 3 or more in a gallon? And skip the boil?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We concentrated not only the sugars, but the cooking added extra flavors. Can you just use concentrate? Sure, but it won't taste like what we made.

[@johnleyshon2581]

If you boiled the 2 gallons down to around 1 gallon, why didn't you use a 1 gallon fermenter so you didn't have so much head space

[@CitySteadingBrews]

In primary there’s no reason to worry.

[@kenkeneff3707]

I love it " Thwak that packet"

[@wfqsfg]

I raise the sugar level by adding frozen apple juice concentrate to apple juice. It does make a difference and its easy.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Cooking it adds more flavor, that was the point.

[@papamarksplace5196]

Sorry. One more please. To get hickory flavor, using hickory chips you use in smoker / grill not safe to use, is it? Or are they same thing?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not really the same thing and without knowing how they are treated we can't say for certain if they are safe or not.

[@isabelseeley1634]

Can I said I looooove you guys ..,, this is amazing. The best on KZbin. 😃

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Wow, thank you!

[@PhyleXTension82]

Every time Brian says "Bam!" I can't help but think "Another shot from the Spice Weasel, eh?" Lol

[@papamarksplace5196]

Ya sanitized hand made me laugh. Made me think back to time when I was a baker in a grocery store and a fellow team mate was counting how many times during the coarse of the day that I washed my hands. Lol she gave up after 32! Ha ha. Do it at home too! Yes! Obsessive compulsive I know but made me great one for making food for people. Still do it. Lol Love u guys!

[@davidwright-ot5ff]

Love the syringes!