Cider...

[Andrew Breecher]

I drink what I brew. I just kegged 2 days ago a Caramel Apple Ale - it should be fantastic. It's a 60% heavy malt caramel colored moderately hopped ale, 40% cider, fermented together. Added some cinnamon for fun. As of kegging it tasted very much like cider and not very much like beer (amazing how 40% cider can overpower the beer side of it) so when I make it again I'll have to try an 80/20 split. Tonight I tap the keg and give it a try.

Nice. Tomorrow I'm going to brew five gallons of cider along with 2 lbs. of buckwheat honey. Did you hop your beer/cider at all, or let the malt stay sweet?

Andrew.

[LordDamax]

Well, I tried the "Caramel" Apple Ale, and I'm both disapointed and overjoyed at the same time.

You can barely taste the beer/caramel flavors I was going for. I wanted a sweet, with hints of caramel and apple.

HOWEVER: I put in too much apple (as I learned when I kegged it) and too much cinnamon.

The result?

I have re-dubbed the beer "Apple Pie Ale" because it tastes like you're drinking an alcoholic apple pie.

I'll for sure try and re-brew the caramel apple ale, but this Apple Pie Ale is definately on my list of "must make again's"

Andrew: I did hop the beer, but the Apple totally overwhelmed it. I think the ONLY indication that there is beer in this at all and its not all cider is the fact it's very sweet for an unsweetened cider, and it's entirely too dark for be just a cider as well. It had .5 oz of Northern Brewer for a full boil (22 IBU - it was a 3 gallon batch) and a handful of my homegrown hops (I've no idea what they are, I bought 2 kinds 3 years ago, and forgot what I bought! Then the 2 plats intermingled, so it's my homemade mystery hop) thrown in with 15 mins left for aroma/flavor.

[Big Paul]

Goin' to the old cider mill tomorrow!