Ice, Ice Cider

I had my first encounter with ice cider in a seminar at the 2014 Homebrew Con and made my first batch that fall. At the time, there wasn’t much information about it in the homebrewing world and I could only find one commercial example locally. Today I am consistently judging excellent examples in competitions and local cideries are starting to produce more and more ice cider. With a little work and effort, as a homebrewer you can make excellent ice cider.

A relatively new cider style, ice cider or cidre de glace originated in Quebec in the early 1990s. It has quickly developed into the provincial specialty, earning in 2014 a designated geographic protection, which regulates commercial production of ice cider.¹

Made by freeze concentrating apple cider prior to fermentation, ice cider is the cider equivalent of ice wine — sweet and thick with complex layers of flavor. There are two different freezing methods utilized to produce the concentrated apple cider must needed for fermentation. It should not be confused with apple-jack, which is typically “jacked” by freeze distillation or the additional of alcohol after fermentation, lending a completely different flavor profile and mouthfeel.

Cryoconcentration vs. Cryoextraction

Cryoconcentration is the most common method of freeze concentrating the apple cider, accounting for 90–95% of all commercial production. It is also the method used for homebrewing due to its ease for anyone who does not have a cider orchard in their backyard. Through this method, apples are harvested at peak maturity and pressed just like they would be for traditional cider production. On the commercial scale, the juice is stored until winter temperatures drop below freezing, when at that time the juice is moved to outdoor tanks and allowed to freeze solid in the natural cold of winter. It can take a month or more to fully freeze, with the natural day/night temperature fluctuations creating freeze/thaw cycles that help separate the water crystals from
the sugar.

Once frozen, it is moved to a warmer area and slowly thawed as the initial runnings are collected. The freezing point for apple sugars are lower than water, so upon thawing the sugar-concentrated juice will thaw first and drain off, in effect separating the sugar from the water, which remains as ice. Quebec commercial producers typically will stop the thaw process when the specific gravity of the collected run off is between 30–35 °Brix (1.129–1.154 SG) (by Quebec ice cider definitions, the starting gravity must not be any lower than 30 °Brix/1.129 SG). The regulations also stipulate that all freezing must be done by natural cold and not artificial refrigeration, the residual sugar of the final product must be at least 140 gm/L, and producers cannot add any sugars to artificially boost
the gravity.¹

Additionally, Quebec commercial producers of ice cider must cultivate at least 50% of the apples in their own orchard, and all picking, pressing, and fermentation must occur on-site.²

The second freeze concentration method is cryoextraction, which involves pressing frozen apples. Cortland apples, commonly used for cryoextraction, if not picked, will hang on the tree into winter, slowly dehydrating due to the sun, wind, and cold. Once temperatures drop below 14 °F (-10 °C) for a couple of days in a row, the apples are picked, crushed, and pressed immediately. Other apples that do not stay on the tree are picked in the fall and frozen whole in large totes until it is cold enough outdoors to crush and press. Producers can control the starting gravity of their must by intentionally pressing the apples at warmer or cooler temperatures — even a change of just a few degrees will result in a different sugar-to-water ratio extracted from the apples. Colder apples will result in lower volumes with a higher sugar concentration of the must. 

Though more time-consuming and resulting in a lower extraction percentage compared to cryoconcentration, cryoextraction produces a distinctly more complex flavor profile, with some caramel, toffee, and cooked apple flavors that develop during the extended hang time on the trees. On the other hand, ice ciders produced by cryoconcentration tend to produce ice ciders with brighter, fresh apple flavors.

While most cider styles benefit from the use of cider-specific apples, it is preferred to use table or hand apples for ice cider. The high tannin and acid levels of traditional bitter sharp and bitter sweet cider apples become even more concentrated in an ice cider, giving you a finished cider that is severely unbalanced. Cortland, Macintosh, Sparten, and Empire are common varietals used in Quebec, along with some new varietals bred specifically to hang on the tree until harvest, being ideal for cryoextraction.³ I have had very good luck with the drinking blends produced by my local orchards — there is just enough acid and tannin to balance, but it doesn’t become overwhelming when freeze concentrated.

Making Ice Cider at Home

Start by sourcing your fresh juice. I recommend calling local orchards to inquire about bulk purchase or checking out your local farmers market in the fall. As in sourcing any fresh fruit juice, it is critical that the cider is unpasteurized — UV pasteurized cider is perfectly fine and will ferment with any commercial yeast pitch, but pasteurized juice with added potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate will not ferment. Commercially-produced shelf-stable apple juice or frozen concentrate will not give you the depth of flavor you are looking for in an ice cider — I have done trials with these in the past, but wasn’t happy with the results. This would be the time to add pectic enzyme if you want, although I have not found it necessary to produce brilliantly clear ice cider. Do not sulfite the fresh cider at this point — the freeze concentration will also concentrate the sulfites into the run off, which will produce a tasty apple drink that is quite unfermentable, in my experience.

Pour the juice into a sanitized bottling bucket, carboy, or other vessel, leaving a couple of inches (~5 cm) of head space to allow for expansion during freezing. I use my 10-gallon/38-L bottom outlet mash tun from Stout Tanks and it works perfectly for this, but a bottling bucket with a spigot would work too. I recommend propping up the back to allow for rapid draining of the must as it melts. The key is draining liquid as it melts — this will give you the best extraction volume. Do not use a regular bucket and plan on intermittently pouring out the melting must as it will be very difficult to hit your target gravity by collecting the juice in larger portions like this. 

After transferring the juice to your vessel, loosely cover with a lid or aluminum foil. You do not want to seal it, especially if using a glass carboy, as this may cause the vessel to break as the juice turns to ice and expands. Move it to somewhere that it will freeze and leave it until the juice is frozen solid. I find the 10 gallons (38 L) of cider in my kettle takes at least a week at 20 °F (-7 °C) in an upright freezer. The trick is to make sure the center is frozen solid — if it isn’t, you will quickly have run-off of unconcentrated juice. Sanitize your collection container and slowly begin the thaw process. If using a carboy, place upside down over a collection bucket, making sure there is clearance for it to drip down and collect without filling up over the mouth of the carboy. Additionally, I have found wrapping my tank in blankets helps insulate and slow the thaw. My best extractions have taken between 18–24 hours.

Under ideal conditions, at a maximum you will collect 20% of the thawed volume you began with. Start checking the gravity with a refractometer once you get close to this volume, making sure to stir well prior to your measurement to prevent stratification of the must causing false gravity readings. A refractometer is key here given the overall low volumes of the concentrated must making it difficult to use a hydrometer. Stop the collection based on the original gravity (OG) of your must (note that the actual volume will vary based on the gravity of your starting cider and efficiency of the cryoconcentration process). If you overshoot, no worries, just freeze and thaw a second time. What remains behind is nearly all ice with very little sugar. It is not worth the effort to melt and refreeze this, you will get an extremely small amount of additional concentrated must. 

Shoot for a starting gravity between 1.129–1.154. It is possible to go up to 1.180 and still be able to ferment with the right yeasts. Ice ciders with starting gravities above 1.154 can benefit from barrel aging as the wood-derived tannins will help balance the higher residual sweetness. Once the run off is complete, measure the pH and sulfite to 50 ppm. I would recommend waiting until you are done with the run off to sulfite as you don’t want to over-sulfite based on an expected volume that wasn’t achieved. Given the cold temperatures of the run off and high gravities, I have never had any issues with wild yeasts starting to ferment during the collection phase. 

Once collection of the concentrated juice is finished, oxygenate and add yeast nutrients. I prefer Fermaid O and generally shoot for a slightly lower amount than would be added to a mead of a similar gravity. Apples are naturally low in yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) so you need some yeast nutrient, but you don’t want to encourage too rapid or vigorous of a fermentation. 

White wine yeasts work well for ice cider and I have had good luck with 71b, D21, D47, and Wyeast 4184 (Sweet Mead) yeast. Many Quebec producers also use Champagne yeast, although on a home level Champagne yeast will be more challenging to use and get the fermentation to stop at the desired time. 

Warm the must to fermentation temperature and temper the rehydrated yeast with small amounts of the must before pitching. Ferment at the low end of the selected yeast’s temperature range. I ferment in my basement, which is around 60 °F (16 °C) in the winter. If you do not have a naturally cool location, then a temperature-controlled fridge/freezer will be required. The fermentation of ice cider is cool and slow. For commercial producers, a 6–8 month fermentation is typical, while on the homebrewing scale, I have found my fermentations are complete within a month or two.

There may be a lag period of several days before you start to see signs of active fermentation. A good rate of fermentation would be a drop of two gravity points a day. As ice cider should have a residual sugar of at least 140 g/L and ABV of 9–13%, this cool fermentation is key to stopping it when it has reached the desired gravity. The best way to control your fermentation speed is to carefully manage the temperature — you can always drop the temperature of your fermentation a couple of degrees if it is going faster than desired. Patrick Fournier at Vignoble Et Cidrerie Coteau Rougemont in Rougemont, Quebec, shared with me another method he uses to slow fast ferments if cooling doesn’t work, which is to rack off the lees during fermentation. This effectively removes nutrients from the must and will slow the fermentation.

Start checking your gravity daily once you are about 10 points higher than your desired finishing gravity (a residual sugar of 140 g/L equates to a FG of 1.056). I have found that final gravities 1.060–1.070 are ideal for what I am looking for in my own ice ciders. Don’t fear the high final gravity — you’re not making a saison. Given the relatively small volumes of fermenting ice cider on the homebrew scale, I recommend using a refractometer to limit volume loss during gravity checks. I use the EasyDens by Anton Paar that only requites a few milliliters per reading. I think this would be a very good application for a floating hydrometer, such as a Tilt hydrometer.  I have never had enough volume to leave a standard glass hydrometer in my fermenter. 

Crash cooling to 25 °F (-4 °C) and adding sulfite should stop your fermentation. I have had good luck with my ice cider dropping clear in 2–3 weeks at 25 °F (-4 °C). You may need to rack 2–3 times or add a clarifying agent of your choice if not brilliantly clear. Due to the nature of the slow fermentation, the yeast and haze proteins will drop, resulting in a brilliantly clear product. Commercial producers often sterile filter, but I have not found a need for filtration or other clearing agents in home production. If you end up with a stuck fermentation that is a little sweet, or you miss your desired final gravity and it ends up too dry, save this for blending. It makes the perfect back-sweetener for other ciders or cyser. Or save to blend with other batches of ice cider. I often make several batches every fall, and definitely notice some differences between early and late season batches. Blending is your friend and will really help get the acidity and sweetness just right. 

Once brilliantly clear, sulfite one more time to 50 ppm, bottle, and let age for a couple of months to help the flavor and acidity mature and mellow. If you have them, 375 mL clear Bordeaux or Bellissima bottles are perfect for showcasing the rich, dark golden color of your ice cider.

Ice cider has its own Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) category, C2D and I refer you to those guidelines for the BJCP style description.  At the time of writing, the BJCP guidelines require the entrant to specify the starting gravity, the final gravity or residual sugar, and alcohol level. Ice cider is the only cider category to require such entry specifications, although this may change with future guideline updates.

Ice cider has quickly become my favorite bottle to pull out at tasting events or when having friends over for dinner. It is sweet, with just enough acidity and tannin to balance the sweetness and not come across as cloying. It pairs well with desserts, blue cheeses, or standing alone as an after-dinner aperitif. 

In my conversation with Fournier, his recommendation for crafting an excellent ice cider is to “balance the sugar and acidity. Alcohol should be the third wheel.” I couldn’t agree more. Ice cider is an exercise in balance — sweet but not cloying, a perception of alcohol but not a booze bomb. 

Ice Cider Recipe

(2 gallons/8 L)
OG = 1.144  FG = 1.061
ABV = 10.9%

Ingredients
10 gallons (38 L) fresh-pressed, unpasteurized apple cider 
7.5 grams Go-Ferm
6 grams Fermaid O
6 grams Lalvin 71B yeast
Sulfite

Step by Step
Pour the juice into a sanitized bucket or carboy and freeze until the juice is completely frozen solid. Once frozen, move the juice to a warmer location that will result in a slow thaw. Sanitize a collection container and collect the concentrated juice, checking the gravity with a refractometer once close to 20% of the juice has thawed and been collected. When the gravity of the collected juice reaches about 1.144, stop collecting the juice (should be about 2 gallons/7.6 L in my experience). You can continue thawing juice and checking the gravity to see if you can collect enough to make a small batch of a more sessionable ice cider as well. 

Making sure to give the juice a good mixing, measure the pH and sulfite to 50 ppm accordingly. Oxygenate and add Fermaid O, shooting for a slightly lower amount than would be added to a similar gravity mead. 

Warm the must to fermentation temperature and temper the rehydrated yeast with small amounts of the must before pitching. Ferment cool at the low end of the yeast temperature range. A good rate of fermentation would be a drop of two gravity points a day. Start checking your gravity daily once you are about 10 points higher than your desired finishing gravity. 

Crash cooling to 25 °F (-4 °C) and adding sulfite should stop your fermentation. The cider should drop clear in 2–3 weeks, but if not you may need to rack 2–3 times or add a clarifying agent of your choice.

Once brilliantly clear, sulfite one more time to 50 ppm, bottle, and let age for a couple of months to help the flavor and acidity mature and mellow.

References

¹ https://cidreduquebec.com/en/the-cider/quebec-ice-cider-designation/

² https://corridorcanada.ca/resource/le-cidre-de-glace-delectable-fusion-du-terroir-et-de-lhistoire/?lang=en

³ https://goodfruit.com/ice-cider/

Written by Jeremy Olsen