An advanced cyser built on wildflower honey and apple juice, aged on bourbon-soaked oak cubes for a complex, barrel-aged character. Targets 10% ABV with a semi-sweet finish. 5-gallon batch.
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Batch size
5 gallons
Target ABV
10%
Fermentation
3–5 weeks
Conditioning
4–8 months
Responsible use: These recipes produce alcoholic beverages. Ferment and consume responsibly. Verify all quantities, equipment, and safety procedures before beginning. Consult local regulations regarding home fermentation.
Soak oak cubes in bourbon for 24 hours before adding. Add in secondary for 2–4 weeks.
Yeast
Lalvin Lalvin 71B — 1 packets
Partially metabolizes malic acid from apple juice.
| Timing | Nutrient | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0 (pitch) | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| 24 hours | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| 48 hours | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| 1/3 sugar break | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| Day 0 (pitch) | Fermaid-K | 5 g |
Soak heavy-toast American oak cubes in bourbon for 24 hours. Drain before adding to mead.
Prepare no-rinse sanitizer. Sanitize all vessels and tools.
Dissolve honey in 1 gallon of warm water. Cool. Add to fermenter with apple juice and remaining water to 5.5 gallons.
Record original gravity. Target approximately 1.075.
Pitch Lalvin 71B. Add Day 0 nutrients. Ferment at 60–65°F.
Follow TOSNA schedule. Degas before each addition.
Check gravity every few days. Fermentation typically completes in 3–5 weeks.
Rack. Add bourbon-soaked oak cubes. Taste weekly. Remove when desired oak and bourbon character is achieved (typically 2–4 weeks).
Remove oak cubes. Condition for 4–8 months.
Bottle or keg.
Ensure fermentation is fully complete before packaging.
Honey, apple juice, and water scale linearly. Oak addition does NOT scale linearly — adjust to taste. Nutrient additions do NOT scale linearly.
Enter your desired finished batch size to scale ingredient quantities. Press Enter or tap away to apply.
Target ABV
10%
Original gravity
1.075
Final gravity
1.004
Sweetness
semi sweet
Finished volume
5 gallons
Gross starting volume
5.5 gallons
Expected loss
0.5 gallons(9%)
| Ingredient | Quantity | Unit | Scaling notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildflower honey | 8 | lbs | |
| Fresh-pressed apple juice (no preservatives) | 3 | gallons | |
| Filtered water | 1.5 | gallons | |
| Heavy-toast American oak cubes, bourbon-soaked | 2 | oz | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-O | 10 | g | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-K | 5 | g | ⚠ review |
⚠ Ingredients requiring review
Initial record. Phase 4C Batch 10.
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