Sometimes you want to press apples from your own tree. Other times… you grab a few bags from the supermarket. This sparkling session cyser is the latter — fresh apples, honey, a bit of fizz, and a clean, easy finish.
A cyser is where mead meets cider — honey and apples fermented together. Some are strong and still, some are light and sparkling. This one’s in the easy-drinking camp.
No orchard trip. No apple press. Just supermarket apples, a couple of litres of decent juice, and some good honey. The apples bring the sharpness, the rapeseed honey keeps it light, and a little buckwheat honey adds depth. It’s balanced with a bit of acid and tannin, then lightly sweetened with erythritol before bottling.
Started 22 June 2025 in a 20 L bucket with all Fermaid-O added at pitch. Apples came out after three days, then the cyser carried on fermenting until it reached 0.998 FG after 11 days. It was cold crashed for a few weeks, stabilised, back-sweetened with erythritol, and bottled with priming sugar for sparkle.
Drink fresh for the brighter apple notes. It will keep for 6–12 months, softening over time.