A Suprise batch for my wife. As she gets older she can’t handle the sweet reds anymore because they give her terrible headaches. So I am looking at trying to come up with some ideas to make a cider or mead flavored up with some dark or sweet berries for her. So I was thinking up a blackberry cider, or a strawberry cider with some wine yeast, or possibly beer yeast. But I don’t know the first thing about what to buy to make some cider. But I am hoping to come up with a recipe that is as strong as wine. so anything from 11-15%. Any possibilities or recipe ideas? She does not like dry whites she likes the sweet medium body wines, even cheap catawabas [I love her for looking like a high $ woman but with low upkeep… lol] or dark bitter reds (headaches again). Plus as an additional question, I thought that the store bought apple cider (non-Alcoholic) have ingredients that hinder or stop the fermentation process going on within the product on the shelf.
Another thought is what would happen if I used the juicer to make up some apple juice, and use the junk side as a boil component in a BDSA or Sweet Stout… Would probably add to the body but if it added any fermentable sugar would only dry out the alcohol finish right? Maybe? Too far probably…
Sounds like you want to make mead at that strength. Berry meads are great: blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, mixed berry etc. If you go to the higher end of your abv range you can easily make sweet meads with no sulfites, which I imagine is what is giving her headaches. If you go to the main AHA page you can get instructions for making mead.
As to your other question, adding the juicing material would indeed dry it out and thin the body.
Good point. I thought that it would take a better nutrient/energizer schedule, but my guess is that I generally know nothing. I just know I don’t want a batch to go past our anniversary. SOOO I am probably going to plan better for next years set of gifts.