I got my first batch of cider bottled yesterday afternoon. I was quite surprised by the gravity reading (0.992) as I’m used to beer, which rarely gets below about 1.004. That cider yeast must have the ability to tolerate a much higher volume of alcohol. Since it started at 1.046, calculations suggest a final ABV of about 7.1%. I didn’t add any sugar when bottling, which means that it will probably be relatively flat but also less likely to over-pressurise and explode.

By contrast, my Autumn Flowers beer, which I also got bottled yesterday, went from 1.032 to 1.005, for a nominal ABV of about 3.5%. Both now need to sit and mature for a few weeks before I can provide proper tasting notes although early samples were encouraging.