Harvest Sweet-Strong Cider

Today is my second attempt at a hard apple cider this year, more accurately, this is the second Tuesday in a row I've tried to make this.  Last Tuesday I used three gallons of awesome apple cider from a local farm called Kimmel Orchards.  I like their cider especially since it's not heat pasteurized, it's UV pasteurized.  This means it retains more of it's "apple-ly" flavors.  Last year I made cyser (cider and honey) with this cider.  Well this year I didn't get so lucky.  I added honey and sugar to get the gravity up to 1.110 and pitched some dry Windsor yeast, and nothing...

So I added two tsp. of yeast nutrient... nothing.  Frustrated I thought maybe my yeast didn't activate or the gravity was too high so I activated some wine yeast and pitched that... nothing.  More yeast nutrient...nothing.  I was about to tear out my hair.  I finally added two gallons of apple juice thinking the gravity was too high... nothing.  So I looked on the juice jugs and it said it contained 1/10th of a percent of Potassium Sorbate.

I went to my LHBS (Local HomeBrew Shop) and talked with Kirk.  He said that since it contained PS or Sodium Benzonate that yeast couldn't multiply and therefore couldn't ferment the cider.  So I broke down and went to Super Saver and bought some Pasteurized cider that didn't contain PS or SB.  This is some unfiltered stuff I found on sale for $3.95 a gallon:

I heated up about a gallon of it on the stove and added 1lb 6oz. of honey.  I also added about 6 lbs. of sugar so I could get the gravity up to 1.110 just like before.  This should make the cider strong and sweet just like a Muscato or a desert wine.

I also wanted it to have some fall flavors like a nice sweet mulled cider.  I added three cinnamon sticks, three tbs. of whole cloves, 2 tbs. of whole all spice, and four pieces of crystallized ginger.

I pitched some champagne yeast and put the lid on.  Cross your fingers, let's hope the airlock starts to bubble...

Wednesday morning update, the air lock is bubbling, and we have fermentation...

I went to switch over the cider for secondary fermentation and I go to pick up the bucket, it's empty...  I freak out and my mind reels to figure out what happened.  I used the bottling bucket to ferment in and it leaked out through the spigot and into the crawl space under my house.  In the mean time, the cider that wasn't supposed to ferment, started bubbling.  So I go from my five gallon batch in the basement to a three gallon batch in the keg.  I just wish I got to taste both batches.