Doctor Harvey's Pleasant Water-Cider from The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened

Citation: 

[1] C. Renfrow, A SIP through Time: A Collection of Old Brewing Recipes. 1995.

Year: 1669

Location: England

I brewed this recipe on 5/8/24.

The recipe calls for 1 Bushel (48lbs) of pippin apples. I used Braeburn apples locally sourced in eastern CT and I cut the recipe down for a 1 gal batch.

48lb/12 = 4lbs Braeburn apples (10 apples)

5lbs/12 brown sugar = 0.42lbs (190.5g) Dark brown sugar

12 gal/12 =1 gal water (well water Charlestown RI)

1 pint of ale yeast = 1 package lallemand LalBrew London English style ale yeast

Original Gravity: 1.026 at 87°F which is 1.028 at 68°F

5/10 

Transferred to new bottle, slowly poured to leave as much yeast as possible behind.

11/13/24 Bottled and tasted

It is lightly sweet and mildly cloudy with a low alcohol content. It has a fairly plain flavor but most certainly tastes of apples.

Final Gravity: 0.999 at 68°F

Alcohol by Volume: 3.81% 

The recipe says you may deink within a fortnight and it will last five to six weeks. I failed to bottle for 6 months, but unlike in Digby's time I had it in a fermenter with an airlock so it can last MUCH longer without going bad.