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Wondering if anyone remembers the strongbow blacks, quite a potent cider I used to drink back 6yrs or so ago. Girls were pissed off one, guys off two.

Anyone got a recipe?

I have never had a Strongbow Black but the last cider I made was rocket fuel. By accident, but that's not the point. Here's how I made it:

Black Rock Cider 1.65kg
4L Apple Juice
5 Granny Smith Apples
Final Volume 20L

O.G: 1055 F.G: 0999 Alcohol: 8%

Adding apple juice and granny smith apples is becoming the standard recipe for BR Cider.
It was pretty damn dry. But it tasted great after about 6 weeks. Shame I could only have a couple at a time

Beau wrote:Black Rock Cider 1.65kg
4L Apple Juice
5 Granny Smith Apples
Final Volume 20L

Hi Beau

Any chance of you explaining how you went about making the brew? I may be interested in putting this one down.
Also what sort of apple juice did you use?
Normal kit yeast?

Cheers

Surely.
4L Juice Stop brand value pack (contains 440g of sugar), kit yeast (cider yeast)

Method:
1. Added the cider concentrate and dextrose to 3L of boiling water in a bucket.
2. Poured the contents of the bucket into 10L of water in the fermenter.
3. Added the 4L of juice to the fermenter and topped up to 20L
4. Boiled a leg of stockings in a pot for about 5 minutes to sterilise.
5. Peeled and quartered 5 Granny Smith apples and piled into stockings then mashed (in a bucket so no juice was wasted)
6. Pitched cider yeast

Fermented for 2 weeks at 23°C then bottled. It was quite clear so I didn't rack. The cider yeast settles pretty firmly, got just about every last drop out of the fermenter.
I was lucky enough to stumble across a guy in town who drinks shit loads of strongbow dry and scored 3 slabs of empty stubbies off him a few months back

Beau wrote: O.G: 1055 F.G: 0999 Alcohol: 8%

indeed

Don't know if you people in the mainland can get Mercury Black Label, geez, I remember years ago, I used to buy a 6 pack of this stuff when it was 8-9%, and wake up with a awful mother of all hangovers.... I was only 15 or 16 years old

I got my old man to get me the grog from the bottlo as long I buy him few tallies

Beau wrote: 1. Added the cider concentrate and dextrose to 3L of boiling water in a bucket.
2. Poured the contents of the bucket into 10L of water in the fermenter.
3. Added the 4L of juice to the fermenter and topped up to 20L
4. Boiled a leg of stockings in a pot for about 5 minutes to sterilise.
5. Peeled and quartered 5 Granny Smith apples and piled into stockings then mashed (in a bucket so no juice was wasted)
6. Pitched cider yeast

Does it matter that you used the stockings? I thought you could just add the mashed up fruit to the fermenter and just let it settle on the bottom? But I am a newbie at this so excuse the ignorance.....


A bit O/T, but does anyone know how to emulate the UK Strongbow taste?

Cheers,

Tim

Nah you don't NEED the stockings but it prevents the mush from clogging up the tap.

I used the stocking for my cider, it floats on top for the entire fermenation. I was expecting the apples to be brown and mushy but when it came to bottling I took them out and they were as white as the day I put them in and still very firm. I was tempted to chop them up and throw them in a fruit salad.

They were probably still white because the reducing atmosphere (CO2) in the fermenter would have prevented oxidation of the apples (which is what makes them go brown).

Hey, chemistry classes were useful!