Batch 3 - Pear cider

Batch Number: 3
Batch Type: cider (pear)/melomel
Date into Primary: 10/18/11
Yeast Type: Red Star Cuvee
Ingredients:
1.5 lb honey
Syrup from 5 qt pears (picked, peeled and canned by Jimbo)
Water QS to 2 gallons
2 tsp yeast nutrient
2 tsp pectic enzyme
The pears from the 5 qt above, chopped in to 1" pieces and in a cheesecloth bag

Method:
Mixed pear syrup, honey, water, yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme with 2 campden tablets. Added cut pears to brew in a sanitized cheesecloth bag and stirred.

Date into Secondary: 10/25/11 with an extra 1 lb honey
Date Racked: 1/31/12
Date Racked:
Date Filled: 1/31/12

Comments:

This batch is inspired by Wyder's pear cider (tasty, highly carbonated, 4%ABV) and Jim's old pears that needed to be used up. This batch qualifies as local, though not "fresh". It will be interesting to see how this turns out. There was no way we would be up for fresh pressed local pear cider to brew this year, so this will do. The intent is to eventually carbonate this and compare it to Wyder's.

10/20/11 Update: Yeast added evening of October 19th. Moderate bubbling was noted by the next morning (October 20th) and heavy bubbling by evening.

10/25/11 Update: Removed cheesecloth and racked to secondary. Not much pear flavor or sediment. This batch is kind of watered down and low alcohol. To address both, additional honey on-hand was added, approximately 1 lb. Considering other additions to improve flavor, but might not bother for this experimental small batch. Carbonation may improve the drinking experience and is planned. I learned that pear cider is historically known as perry.

10/28/11 Update: Removed the carboy off the stir-plate (to make room for batch 4) and allowed it to start settling.

10/29/2011 Update: Settling has definitely started to occur and there is still active fermentation as noted by a distinctive bubble ring about an inch away from the side of the carboy. I'm surprised that the bubbling is not uniformly distributed on the surface. The bubbling is very slow but present.

1/31/12 Update:  Celebrated the Year of the Hoders during filling.  Filled and lightly carbonated with dry ice.  An experiment, of course.  Overcarbonation was experienced with dry ice chunks larger than a pea in a 12 oz bottle.  The pea size was approximately right to prevent explosion and maximize carbonation, though capped bottles were placed in a rubbermaid container with lid as a precaution. The process is very inexact as sublimation is rapid once the dry ice is in the liquid, so carbonation will vary with both chunk size and time to cap.  Still need to taste to see if approx. carbonation level is good or not.

5/15/12 Update: This is a light brew with almost no finished carbonation.  Dry ice carbonation is a bust.  The batch, however, is quite drinkable, though a bit sour and dry.  The tartness of the residual acids is not balanced with sweetness.  Not sure what the alcohol content is, but it is light.  I thought it would not be as good as it is!  Happy to not be dumping this one.

5/29/12 update:  Tested and found the following:


Bottled Results:Specific gravity (via hydrometer): 1.002
Brix (via refractometer): 18 (dry!)
% mass (sacc) (via refractometer): 4.25
% Alcohol (via vinometer): 4.2%
pH (via pH meter): 3.3