The Cider Experiment

Happy at how the first batch of cider turned out, we decided to lay down not one but two bottles of cider. One was the same "Simply Apple" Apple Juice and the other was Mott's Fruitsations Apple Juice (I checked, it was clam blood free). For the "Simply Apple" we used Morgan's Lager Yeast. We'd read that lager yeast provided a more cider-y flavour and said "Hey, why not." For the Fruitsations, we decided to try an experiment and added honey and cinnamon to it, while using the champagne yeast from last time. For that one, we decided to do the balloon trick for an airlock – a white balloon with a pinhole in it. The fact that it's white will have some later significance. We had added more water than we were supposed to the yeast last time, so this time we added just enough. It turned the yeast into a solid (a colloid?) and made it very difficult to scope the yeast into the cider. That done, we put them downstairs in the closet.



Soon after I had the following conversation with my roommate.
Roommate (excitedly): I have a great new idea. Can I use some of your friend's honey to make fermented honey?!
Me: You mean mead?
Roommate: Mead?
Me: Yeah, that's what that's called.
Roommate: Nerds. I thought I had invented that.

As you saw above, there was a lot of fermentation in the experimental bottle and a bunch of the cinnamon had been kicked up into the balloon itself. However, when the balloon had deflated enough we decided to try it. It was gross. Like really gross. It tasted watery and sharp and bitter and a grim parody of cinnamoness. An idea struck me and I added some of my roommate's mead to it. It still wasn't great, but it really complemented it well. The mead filled out the watery taste and took away the bitterness. Seeing inspiration, we dumped in the rest of the mead and capped the bottle.

We decided to taste the other bottle and it was actually pretty good. It tasted more like cider than the first batch did, with a nice crisp apple taste and a gentle fizz.

Heartened by the good cider, we decided to check on the experimental cider. When we opened the lid, it vesuviused all over the place. I starred at it in horror for a couple of seconds as it foamed all over my floor. I suppose we should've predicted it. After the foam out, we tasted it and it was even grosser. So we threw it out.

We have since drank all our cider, but we have part 3 fermenting downstairs as I write this. We used lager yeast and a bit of honey, so we'll see how it turns out.