Strawberry Cider

I have a friend who really likes ciders. I have always liked ciders, but over the last couple of months he has really turned me on to them more. This is the third cider I have made since I started brewing, and the second cider that he has helped me with (and funded). Having made two very simple and straightforward ciders, we decided to experiment a little by adding some fruit flavoring.

Ingredients

• 5 gallons no sugar added apple juice
• 2 pounds light brown sugar
• 2 pounds pure honey
• 1 packet Champagne yeast
• 1-2 pounds of fresh strawberries

Instructions

• Combine sugar and honey with one gallon of apple juice on the stove top. Heat until completely mixed.
• Pour mixture into the fermenter with the rest of the apple juice.
• Pitch yeast and secure lid and airlock on fermenter.
• Ferment in primary about 7-10 days.
• Puree fresh strawberries using sugar and water. Boil puree on stove for 5-10 minutes. Let cool.
• *Make puree as sweet and thick as you desire. You could also add a little syrup or juice if you want the puree thicker or sweeter. More sugar will add to the gravity and can raise the alcohol content. This also holds true for the amount of strawberries you use. Use enough to give it the taste, but if you don't want it super sweet, you may not want to add too much puree. I am planning on using 2 pounds of fresh sliced strawberries for my puree.*
• Add puree to the secondary fermenter. Rack cider on top of puree.
• Ferment for an additional 2-3 weeks
• I will keg this batch using CO2. 

OG: 1.072

I will try to update once I secondary. Since adding fresh fruit is a new experience for me, I'm learning as I go. If this turns out well, I might like to do it again and bottle it flat (with no carbonation). We'll see.

Until Next Time,

RHSC