Batch 216: Born With a Tail

Since we had to dump batch 210, we've been wanting to start another cyser, and we finally found some juice without preservatives at Sapsucker Farms in Mora, Minnesota. They make cider, and it's pretty darn good; but they also sell their juice, frozen to prevent it from spontaneously fermenting. We came home with four gallons of frozen juice, let it melt in the fridge overnight, and then brewed with it. A sapsucker is of course a kind of bird, but the name reminds me of a country-punk band that was on the radio when I was in high school, so I named the batch after one of their songs. Besides, it's our 216th batch, and everyone knows that 216 is 6 × 6 × 6.

Ingredients in this batch

• Approx. 4 gal. Sapsucker Farms apple juice.
• 4 lb., 8 oz. wildflower honey from Troyer's Family Market, Asheville, North Carolina.
• 2 tsp. BSG pectic enzyme.
• 1 pack Fermentis Safcider yeast, rehydrated in ½ c. tap water at 100℉.
• Addition of 14 April 2021:
  • 3 lb. purple blossom wildflower honey, purchased at an Atlanta farmer's market.
• Addition of 13 June 2021:
  • 1 lb., 9 oz. Northwestern Raspberry honey from Moon Shine Trading Co.
• Addition of 8 August 2021:
  • 2 lb., 1  oz. star thistle honey from Sleeping Bear Farms.
• Addition of 24 July 2022:
  • Added 11 medium-toast Hungarian oak cubes (1.2 oz. wet weight) that had been soaking in Bulleit bourbon since 13 June 2021.

Brew date: 5 April 2021.
Original gravity: estimated as-if gravity after additions of 1.162.
Bottling date: 21 August 2022
Final gravity: 1.031.
Estimated ABV: 21%!

Yield:

• 3 x 650mL beer bottles
• 20 x 22 oz. bottles

Total yield: Approx. 506 fl. oz., or just under four gallons.