Using Apple cider in a wheat beer?

[crashlann]

I have found my go to store bought summer beer for this year, Shocktop Apple Crisp Honey Wheat. I can believe how good it is, I never thought I would say that about an AB beer. At any rate, I was thinking about trying to clone this beer, making a Wit beer and adding apple cider because the beer has a strong apple cider/spice taste. What do you think? I was thinking of adding maybe 30% the volume of Apple Cider. The beer has a little tartness to it, I would love to bring more of that out so it was a bit less sweet.

[Ozwald]

A thought. A rather drunken, can't sleep so I cracked another one thought. Why not replace some of the brewing water with juice/cider? It'll definitely take some of the sweetness out. My first thought, without going to software to dial it in, is increase the water:grist ratio so most of the fermentables come from there & slightly oversparge with the juice. Second thought is to cut the efficiency, get 2/3's of pre-boil kettle volume with a traditional mash & top off with juice/cider. I'd say you've got numerous options to play with. Try it & report back to the army with your findings. Just take plenty of notes & measurements. We'd appreciate it.

[spiderwrangler]

Boiling cider will set your pectins, and may contribute some additional haze to the finished beer, but in a wheat this would likely be unnoticeable.

[BrewChoPs]

Agree with the Spider. Don't boil that juice. You could always start with the goal of finishing the boil with a high gravity and add the juice prior to pitching yeast. Then your OG could be adjusted with juice. If you get good gravity from juice 1.060 like I do, you may be able to complete at 1.060 wort and just plan out the final volume.


I think I would make an excellent beer and and excellent cider, separately, and then blend to taste. That way if you don't like the blend, you aren't stuck with a mixed volume of something you don't like.

[Ozwald]

Pansies. If it wasn't a wheat beer, I'd say no boil, but since it is go for it. You could even use finings to pull out the yeast flavors & still have a hazy wheat beer. Honestly, it's not even a new idea, I've heard of several brewers using apple juice as brewing liquor & getting a great beer out of it. It won't be a clone though.

[spiderwrangler]

Brewchops misrepresented me... I only said it WILL set your pectins, and may not be that big a deal in a wheat.

[BrewChoPs]

Indeed I have befouled Spider's response. I do agree with it, though.

Along with haze, I am coming from the point that boiling apple juice will kill most of the aromatics and flavor that the apples bring. Why do that?

[spiderwrangler]

I've never boiled juice in any of my cider from the same concerns... persistent haze and lose of aromatics... the haze may not matter for this beer, but if you are losing the apple character, there are other easier sources of fermentable sugars.