Cyser

A couple of years ago, we got some apples pressed into cider, and I decided to try brewing hard cider.  We loved it!  Well, I pretty much always prefer a good beer, but this is much cheaper for us.  So last fall, I again made hard cider and we've been enjoying it all winter, with more still aging in the basement.  But I also decided to try another experiment-- cyser.  Cyser is also called "apple mead".  Mead is a fermented drink made with honey, and cyser is made with apple cider and honey.  It takes a  good long time to ferment, and then there's the fact that I am lazy and tend to procrastinate, so I just got around to bottling it today.

I made one batch with just apple juice and honey from our Amish neighbor just over the field.  To the other batch, I added some fox grape juice I had made with wild grapes I had the good fortune of finding (and beating the birds to!) near the compost pile.

We tasted a little before bottling.  Nathan likes it quite well, but I think it is lacking a bit in flavor.  It fermented quite dry, and is pretty strong.  It has a winey flavor, especially the grape version, and a slight taste of honey and apple.  But there's more of an alcohol kick than there is flavor, I think.  But it's still good and drinkable and I call it a successful first try!  (And lets face it, I'm just partial to dark beer and Italian wine...)  When I bottled it, I added some fresh ginger to one of the apple bottles, and a cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves to another.  Perhaps that will provide the flavor I'm looking for.    In one of the grape bottles, I also added a bit more honey to see if I can come up with a sparkling version.

I guess I have a bit of an addiction to fermentation.  The surprise of the results is always so fun (or not... one of my vinegar bottles developed some mold, and one from a couple years ago smells like vomit...) and usually delicious.  Hey speaking of that, I think I have some beer ingredients around... I should go start a batch.