Spiced Cyser Recipe

Cyser is a type of mead where all (or some) of the water used to dilute the honey is replaced with apple cider. Over the years, I have made many batches of cyser and making it has become a Fall tradition for me. Here is a basic recipe for a 5-gallon batch of spiced cyser. Cheers.

Spiced Cyser

Starting Batch Size: 5.5 gallons
Yeast Variety: Lalvin 71B-1122
Yeast Quantity: 8g
Target SG: 1.100

Ingredients:

• 4 gallons of fresh apple cider
• 6 pounds of raw wildflower honey
• 2 pounds of brown sugar (light or dark, whatever your preference)
• 5 whole cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 nutmeg, cracked

Directions: Start rehydrating yeast per the instructions below. Pour the apple cider into a sanitized fermentation bucket. Add the honey and brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Add enough filtered or spring water to get to 5.5 gallons. Tie spices in cheesecloth and float in the must. Pitch the yeast. Cover with lid and affix airlock.

Add Fermaid O yeast nutrient according to the schedule below.

After 1-2 weeks, rack into a 5-gallon glass carboy, affix airlock, and let fermentation complete. Rack once more into another carboy and let the cyser clear. Bottle once SG readings are steady.

Yeast Rehydration: Dissolve 10.00 g of Go-Ferm Protect in 200 mL hot water (the hotter the better). When the water reaches 104 deg F (40 deg C), pour in 8 g yeast. Give the slurry a quick swirl. After 15 minutes, begin tempering yeast by adding 100 mL must to the yeast slurry every 5 minutes. When yeast slurry temperature is within 10 deg F of must temperature, pitch yeast into the fermenter.

Nutrient Addition Schedule:

• Add 5.88 g Fermaid O 24-hours after yeast pitch.
• Add 5.88 g Fermaid O 48-hours after yeast pitch.
• Add 5.88 g Fermaid O 72-hours after yeast pitch.
• The final nutrient addition of 5.90 g Fermaid O is on the 7th day after yeast pitch or when fermentation has reached 1/3 sugar break (SG = 1.067), whichever comes first.