Here is a good recipe I have used over the last 13 or so years. I have stayed with the basic recipe, but have tried different yeasts. It was fun to try yeasts that left the cider with lower alcohol but was sweeter, whereas a more attenuative yeast left it high in alcohol but low in the sweetness.
This has tons of fermentables. It has a good kick to it, although I never tried to calculate an approximate alcohol level. The Champagne yeast can handle 12% or so...
I used have always used fresh cider from High Hill Ranch here in the El Dorado County apple country.
Ingredients:
5 gallons fresh unpastuerized sweet apple cider/juice
3 lbs brown suger(I liked using dark
3 lbs honey
2 pkg champagne yeast
Heat about 0.5gal of sweet cider on stove, just hot enough to dissolve honey and brown sugar. Add honey and brown sugar to hot cider, and dissolve thoroughly.
Pour 2-3 gallons sweet cider in sanitized carboy. Add the sugar cider mixture. Add yeast. Top off carboy with remaining sweet cider. Make sure to leave a little room at top for fermentation; I have filled too full and had airlocks full of cider.
Place airlock on carboy, and let ferment.
I bottled the cider, using a little less than 0.5 cups corn sugar. I did not want a lot of carbonation, so I basically cut the common 3/4 cup used in beer by half.
Jay White gave me the basic recipe years back when the "Homebrew Digest" was just starting. I modified and adjusted over the years.
Depends on the yeast. I have had it come out very sweet with a less attenuative yeast. I like that style best. The more attenuative yeast comes out with less sweetness and less apple flavor.
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