Funky Apple

Back in August, I bought four ripe peaches from my local farmer's market. I sliced them up unwashed and dropped into a 1.040 Wheat DME starter to see what I could get going. After a few weeks, I added the dregs of a bottle of Russian River Beatification and Temptation. I also added the dregs of a wild ale I spontaneously fermented in West Philly. This starter was sitting around for two months and developed a strong sour peach flavor.

With the fall in full swing, I decided to use the starter for a hard cider.

Yield: 3 gallons

-2 gallons of local unpasturized cider

-2.75 lb. Fuji apple juice

-1.5 lb. Granny Smith apple juice

-1/2 gallon Peach Yeast slurry

-D47 wine yeast (to balance the funk and dry it out quick)

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Update 1/1/11

Appearance: A pale yellow haze. Not surprising to see this yeast doesn't flocculate too well.

Aroma: Apples, peaches and PEZ

Taste: Tart at first with a big peach flavor. It's hard to differentiate whether I'm tasting apple or peach. As it warms, the cider seems to sweeten up a bit.

Mouthfeel: Semi-dry

Overall: A bit dry for my taste, but overall worth a try. We'll see what happens with this over time. I wonder if the Brett will come out and play ever.