🥂 Velvet Note Estate Black Cherry Cuvée

Written By Tré Taylor

Have you ever wanted to try homebrewing but weren't sure where to begin? Velvet Note Estate Black Cherry Cuvée is an elegant sparkling black cherry hard cider that's surprisingly simple to make and perfect for first-time homebrewers. Crafted with fresh apple cider, black cherry juice, champagne yeast, and just the right amount of cane sugar, this small-batch recipe produces a crisp, dry cider with delicate natural bubbles and a rich black cherry velvety finish.

After fermentation, you can adjust the sweetness to your own taste, making every batch uniquely yours. Inspired by years of brewing alongside wonderful friends in our local homebrewing community—including one remarkable brewer whose passion first introduced me to this craft—this recipe celebrates creativity, friendship, and the joy of making something beautiful by hand.

Whether you're brewing your first five-gallon batch or looking for a new signature cider to share at weddings, holidays, or backyard gatherings, I hope this recipe inspires you to discover how approachable and rewarding homebrewing can be. If you give it a try, I'd love to hear how your batch turns out, so leave a comment below and join the conversation.

tretaylor.com

The Elegant Sparkling Black Cherry Hard Cider

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Every favorite recipe has an origin story.

Long before my Jam Session Black Cherry Barbecue Sauce became one of my favorite summer condiments, there was this sparkling black cherry hard yet velvety cider.

I first brewed it for the birthday celebration of one of my dearest friends, Kevin Johnson—an extraordinary jazz pianist, award-winning homebrewer, and one of the most generous teachers I've ever known. Around our circle of friends he's affectionately known as "The Hobbit Oracle," partly because he's wonderfully wise and partly because he always seems to have another magical bottle tucked away in the cellar.

Kevin introduced me to the art of homebrewing, and what I discovered was that making hard cider is one of the easiest ways to begin brewing at home. There's no complicated grain bill, no hop schedule, and no intimidating mash. If you can follow a recipe, sanitize your equipment, and be patient, you can make beautiful handcrafted cider.

This recipe became my signature. I've brewed it for birthdays, weddings, holiday gatherings, and countless summer parties. The leftovers even inspired my famous black cherry barbecue sauce.

I hope it inspires you to discover just how rewarding homebrewing can be.

Velvet Note Estate Black Cherry Cuvée

Sparkling Black Cherry Hard Cider Recipe

Yield

5 gallons

Equipment

Ingredients

Before You Begin

Sanitation is everything.

Anything that touches your cider should be thoroughly sanitized before brewing. This single step is the secret to making consistently great homebrew.

Instructions

Step 1

Pour the 2 pounds of cane sugar into your large brew kettle.

Add about 1 gallon of the apple cider along with the gallon of black cherry juice.

Warm gently over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. You don't need a rolling boil—your goal is simply to dissolve the sugar into the juice.

Once the sugar has completely disappeared, remove the kettle from the heat and allow it to cool until it is warm, not hot.

Step 2

Meanwhile, pour the remaining 3 gallons of room-temperature apple cider into your sanitized glass carboy.

Step 3

Carefully pour the warm cherry-sugar mixture into the carboy.

The cooler cider will help bring everything down to a yeast-friendly temperature.

Step 4

When the cider is at an appropriate fermentation temperature according to your yeast manufacturer's recommendations, sprinkle in the champagne yeast.

Attach the sanitized stopper and airlock.

Step 5

Store the carboy in a cool, dark location.

Within a day or two you'll begin seeing bubbles in the airlock as fermentation comes alive.

Allow the cider to ferment for approximately 4 to 6 weeks.

About the Sugar

One of the biggest misconceptions in homebrewing is that adding more sugar makes the cider sweeter.

It doesn't.

During fermentation, the yeast converts most of that sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Adding more sugar at the beginning generally increases the potential alcohol content rather than the finished sweetness.

For this reason, I like using about 2 pounds of cane sugar for a balanced cider that finishes crisp, clean, and refreshing.

Racking & Backsweetening

After fermentation is complete, rack the cider into a sanitized keg or secondary vessel, leaving the sediment behind.

Now comes my favorite part.

Taste the cider.

If you'd like a slightly sweeter, fruitier finish, stir in 1 to 2 cans of thawed frozen cherry-apple juice concentrate.

This lets you fine-tune the balance after fermentation instead of guessing at the beginning.

If you're kegging, purge the keg with CO₂ before sealing to help minimize oxygen exposure and preserve freshness.

Serving

Serve well chilled in a stemmed cider or wine glass.

The tiny natural bubbles, crisp apple character, and deep black cherry finish make this cider wonderfully refreshing on a warm afternoon.

It also makes an outstanding marinade and, if you're anything like me, may inspire your next great barbecue sauce.

Chef Tré's Brew Tip

If you've never brewed before, don't let it intimidate you.

Hard cider is one of the easiest places to begin. Start with quality juice, keep everything clean, be patient, and let the yeast do the work.

You may just discover a hobby—and a tradition—that brings people together for years to come.

With love, music, food, art, and fun,

Tré Taylor & Bleep the tattoo

tretaylor.com:))

Tré Taylor
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