Homemade Hard Cider

I don't post a lot of how-to's in my blog, mostly because I'm usually the one Googling those same how-to's on other peoples' blogs. But this time it's my turn to tell you about my modified process for making hard apple cider. This comes with the predictable disclaimer: 1) I have a far superior immune system to most people - having lived in a virology laboratory, kicked H1N1 in the butt, swam in dairy farm runoff, swam in virtual sewage flow named the "Red Cedar", and commonly beat the cold up over some Advil and a glass of beer, 2) This method of making cider worked for me but try it at your own risk; I am by no means a brewmaster.

Before I started my first cider, I read up a lot of sites on how to make hard cider. Of course, there's lots of high-maintenance recommendations such as this one (yes, it does link you to "Mother Earth News"), but while I would love to put the time and money into this kind of cider-making, even to peel and press the apples myself, I'm a graduate student who had an interest in making my own alcohol (safely) and had neither the time nor money to dedicate to this exercise. I kept looking and as much as I hate on Cornell at least weekly, I have to commend them for their simple and accurate outline of how to make hard apple cider.

I modified this method slightly. My cider experience begins with delivery of thawed, deep-frozen cider from last year (thanks to Liz and Chris!). The cider was unpasteurized and unpreserved (except for the freezing), thus it was still well-populated with the wild yeast accumulated during the cider-making process. It sat in the fridge for a week or so before I finally had the time to make it down to the Winemaker's Shop and pick up my supplies. I decided to make the cider in the original gallon jug and to keep the wild yeast. This meant I needed only a #6 stopper with a gas release valve (~$2) in order to get started.

Unfortunately, this coincided with our Pelotonia ride. I got up early in the morning and before we left, I opened the cider and attached a funnel through which I poured about 1 pound of sugar. Motivated by fear that the gallon would explode while we were gone, I was in a hurry to get out the door and the sugar activated the yeast in a frenzy of bubbles which shot out of the jug like a Mentos-infested Diet Coke. Needless to say there was some clean-up involved, and I had trouble finding a place in the fridge to shove such a tall contraption (hadn't considered how tall the gas release would make the jug). However, I was afraid to leave it out after the previous explosion, so it went into the fridge. That was the 3rd week of August.

The cider started smelling really good about the 2nd week of September. I started calling knowledgeable beermakers about how I might know if the cider was safe to drink, etc. Everyone assured me to just try it. However, there was a week where the cider got really smelly and I was sure it was gonna go bad. I let it continue to sit in the fridge and just figured that the process needed shook up more often and that the gas valve, which was slightly contaminated during the explosion, could use a little cleaning. It wasn't until my birthday party this past Sunday that I finally found someone brave enough to try the potion with me.

Of course, I should've known Ryan would be game for anything, we've nearly killed each other doing stuff at this point that it's only funny. We each took a shotglass and sipped away. I had to be careful pouring out the cider because it was still in the original jug - I didn't siphon it off like the instructions said I should. This just meant I needed to keep an eye on all the debris that was floating at low levels in the jug. I think I said something along the lines of, "I'm a ... genius." Pretty proud of the taste, we convinced our significant others to partake as well. This was followed by my brother and the originators of this fine Michigan cider.

I have no idea the alcohol content in it, but on the test subjects, a few of us got color in our faces after about 3-4 oz, and one or two reported some lightheadedness similar to a light buzz. It has a lot of bubbles to it, similar to champagne. That will be the biggest challenge because it limits what I can bottle it in. The last thing I want is more exploding glass in the house like back on New Year's. Plans to limit bubbles in my next batch are already in the works, but I'm not really sure how to do that yet. I'm going to try wine yeast for starters to change things up. Also, the temperature might limit how much escapes in the process versus how things act once it's poured. Anyhow, that's the short and very sweet on how I made hard apple cider in the fridge.

Saison

I credit the following to my faithful friends at Yahoo! Babel. I don't know French very well, so correct me for any outstanding errors. Now, mind you, that doesn't mean I can't understand some French, but without having ever taken any French, I think it's best I use the translator for this. The translator is great by the way; it's gotten me through a lot of language barriers in the day. You just need to know enough about the language to avoid any serious errors.

Je parle français pauvre, mais je me sens obligé à saisir français pour faire cette justice d'écriture. Pour ceux de vous qui n'a pas su, nous avons assisté à un mariage la semaine dernière au Michigan. Amanda a aidé à commander la cérémonie, alors que j'étais l'un des membres du groupe de mariée. C'était un beau mariage et une beaux mariée et marié.

J'avais prévu pendant longtemps le mariage, en raison de mon amitié avec les deux et aussi parce que j'étais excited pour toute les bière brassée à la maison de marié. Quand nous sommes arrivés à la réception, je n'ai perdu aucune heure en trouvant la bière pour célébrer le mariage et le maître de bière. J'ai une histoire de longue date avec des bières flamandes, et une des bières que la nuit a été brassée pour refléter une histoire de la région française de la Belgique.

Saison: un genre de bière qui a été faite pour des ouvriers à la moisson (et la mort de moi). C'est une bière d'or avec 6% a.b.v. La belle bière a fait un imbécile de danse merveilleux de moi. Qui est étonné? Avec reconnaissance, Amanda était là pour prendre soin de moi. J'ai inclus une image pour votre divertissement. Si seulement le mal de tête le lendemain matin étaient aussi drôle que cette image.

Merci à mon épouse merveilleuse de prendre soin de moi, et les félicitations aux ménages mariés. Bonne chance à tous les deux vous!

Steakhouses, Part II

It was 3 years before my next adventure into a Japanese steakhouse. Long cast from those high stress situations which used to literally ruin my days, and into a healthy relationship with the woman who became my wife, it might've been the concussion or the newfound social comfort that led me to be comfortable to once again set foot into a place that always swallows your cash no matter how much you bring. This became increasingly true after I turned 21 and could enjoy adult beverages as well.

Accompanying Michelle on her team formal was one of the most casual and easy-going stand-ins I ever did. Since she was single without a date, she was looking for a friend to go with that would get along easily with her and not be awkwardified by lack of previous interactions with anyone else at dinner. I can't remember what I did the night before, but I do remember her visiting that day to finalize details and freaking out because I was wearing marker all over. "Nothing a scratchpad couldn't remove", I assured her. Since I also hadn't recently shaved and she wanted it reduced to stubble, we can confidently say that between scraping off marking and clipping off 2 weeks of facial growth, I was sufficiently raw in the face by the end of it.

We carpooled to Ukai Japanese Steakhouse on the West side of Lansing and met up with a huge group. Alcohol always eases people into large groups and this was no exception. After a bottle of red wine, the food was on its way through the tradition of onion volcanoes and egg tricks that leave you convinced the chicken ate so much calcium it must've had kidney stones. And this is where I learned my second lesson. Red wine is not a Japanese steakhouse friendly drink. It's not that it makes you sick, but rather it masks some of the wonderful tastes present at the table. They serve their own cultural wines for a reason; take them up on it rather than imposing your own drink upon a foreign food.

All told, Ukai was a great, busy, happy and loud place where I had the opportunity to watch other people struggle through their utensils and food while enjoying every second of the evening. The noise and atmosphere really made the trip feel like a party and since we alone brought about 30 people there, that was exactly the atmosphere we wanted. Nothing I would consider date material, but it really set the tone for the night. What a great time.

Praise from a Michigan Fan

Here is probably the greatest tribute to OSU football that I could have ever found. Props to Amanda for digging this up, and YOU MUST READ IT! It's really fantastic, and I am very proud of the Michigan fan who posted this. Way to realize what's going on down here in Columbus this year. Go Bucks, beat those Canes to within an inch of absolute humility and shame and send them packing to that "big city" down South.

On another note, Gail also shared this 'craigslist' ad with me and I thought I'd pass it on. You know how most listings are just scams these days anyhow, at least this one's worth reading. :)

Pictures

As promised, attached are pictures, first of one of the kittens. There are four total but coincidentally enough they've turned up missing and we're pretty sure our neighbors are to blame again. Anytime we get decent cats around, our neighbors steal them or they turn up "missing". I just don't get it.



Secondly, inserted is one picture of me and Chris at the end of Pelotonia10 Day 1, and then click here to see a picture of me at the finish on Day 2.

If anyone is looking for MSU tickets for this fall, please look forward to a link on my facebook. I'm trying to get rid of the whole season minus the MSU vs. Notre Dame night game and all I'm trying to do is cover cost, so they're a great buy.



Finally, I just wanted to throw in a picture from Amanda and I's little pure Michigan trip last year to Lake Michigan in Grand Haven. I miss being in Michigan in the summer. Either that, or I miss the job flexibility that I had last year which enabled me to go places like that. Done get me wrong, I'm far happier being here in Ohio with family and my wife, but I miss my friends and the state of Michigan a lot. I miss it even more now that everyone is moving back to East Lansing for the fall semester. I just got a text last night from Drew asking if I was going to be in town and I think that's when it hit me more than ever how many people I've left behind in one place that will be dear to me for a very long time. Thankfully I have good friends here, both new and old, to fill the gap and spend time with.

Big Game Hunting

Well, among stories I've heard, I've never heard a better big game story than that of Lauren's uncle(?) with half of a lion's head mounted on his wall. However, this one is pretty crazy, and I'm glad the kids will be hopefully punished for trespassing and attacking another person's property.