'Traditional' Cider

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JakeE

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Bristol
Hey all,

I've been lurking about for a while, and getting close to trying to make some cider for the first time.

This will be with apples from a tree outside the place I rent from friends in Bristol. I'm told by them that all they know is they are 'eaters'.

Now, I wanted to do this as unadulterated, and more to the point as easily, as possible. In the course of my research I found this thread http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=56243 (props to Chippy_Tea for suggesting in another post), and was particularly glad to see the following comment from Snake_2586:

"You do not need any of the additional ingredients if you are making a traditional scrumpy just wash, pulp, press and in the barrel it goes."

This is basically all I want to do. I accept as they are not cider apples it might not quite work, but I'm willing to take the risk on a first attempt. Also accepting some yeast might have to go in too, will cross that bridge as and when.

The reason for posting is that I wanted to review what I believed where the steps I'd need to follow, from what I had gathered from the posts I had read, and fill in a few blanks on the way.

So, I've already got the apples in the freezer. I'll then be defrosting them, juicing them, and putting in to a glass demijohn as the fermentation vessel, with airlock - **Question 1 - what do you use for sterilisation of FVs and subsequested containers? Old-school Milton? Does it need to be homebrew-specific?**

I've seen some comments about racking once or twice after fermentation for bulk aging, others that have suggested you can leave in the FVs all the way through. Also I've seen comments about temperature required for the fermentation - I'm worried about this, as I live in an old, cold house, and getting anything of a consistent 'room' temperature will be tricky, though I can follow recommendations I've seen for wrapping in a towel/duvet etc. Once the fermentation is over I can easily more to the cellar for aging - **Question 2 - Can I just leave it in the DJ with the airlock/replaced with a bung, without transferring to another container for bulk aging?** **Question 3 - Will I be OK to leave the FV in the warmest spot in the house, even if it gets cold at night? And I assume aging in the cold cellar will be fine?**

And that's it I guess. I know I'll want to decant once aged, and will try and stick it out as long as possible - probably take of a little every few months so I can see how it develops, and not have to wait the sometimes-recommended 12 months to try it at all!

As a last point, I'm likely to get hold of actual cider apples in a few weeks, so assuming this first experiment seems to be working, will give those a go too.

Sorry this has been an essay, and thanks for any advise!

Cheers,

Jake
 
Hi, to answer q1 when I was wine making I used to use Milton tablets cheapest I could find, drop the tablet in the dj and fill with hot water out of the tap leave for a while, empty and call it ready to go, never had any problems, but others may disagree ( when I read through threads on hear others put a lot more effort in than I used to).

Q2 as I have said in previous threads I like to leave for 12 months to age, this was buy trial and error to start with, but now it just works out that before I start the next batch, I am normally using the oldest first, the cider loft I built is in the top of a farm shed, in the winter it is cold, in the summer it is hot it does not seem to have an effect on the cider, saying that it is Interesting when it is fermenting well and the airlocks freeze.
I leave it under an airlock until I need the airlock, and I have never racked a barrel off yet.


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Thanks for replying mate, much appreciated!

When I was getting my equipment from Wilkos this week, I stumbled across Bruclens cleaner and steriliser, only a couple of quid so just went with that. Assumed Milton would do the trick though.

I was thinking I'd take a little off to sample every few months, but leave most to carry on. I likely the idea of waiting til the tree the apples had come from was next in flower which I read somewhere on this forum, as I'd be able to do it with this first batch.

I liked your set up there, had seen the photos you'd posted of your equipment, looks amazing.

Cheers again!
 
Yeh it started as a hobby making a bit of wine out of things that grow in the hedgerows around the farm, then we put in a load of trees, some apple, when they fruited for the first time I thought apple wine, and still had a load left(maybe a bin full) so thought I would give cider a go, I made 1 fv full, that came out nice and anyone I gave a sample to liked it and wanted more, the following year I asked around anyone in the village with an apple tree could I have the apples they did not want, and it has grown from there, last year I ended up making 19 barrels, and I reckon that was nearly 6 tonne of apples, by Christmas I was fed up with seeing apples.
This year I am telling everyone, I am having the year off, (don't know if I am ever going to drink all of it)

I am happy to pass on the bit of knowledge I have, and try to help with any questions.

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Do you have a particular recipe that you use if you can share,and maybe a little history about who gave it to you (ya know like something passed down in a family like an older person remembering his relative teaching him/ or her)

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No recipe, no secret. As stated previously it just started as a hobby that exploded, I don't know what half the apples I use are as I just acquire them from anyone with an apple tree, so it is a mistury what the flavour will be until I start the barrel, (they are all slightly different) I am slowly getting a feel for it. This year I am not planning on making much lucky I do not seem to have many apples around here.
On the side of this hobby I started growing/grafting apple trees, and now have an orchard with about 350 trees in it. ( I don't know what I'm going to do when they start fruiting) but I enjoy watching them grow, and am looking forward to seeing all the different varieties of apples, I am aiming for two of each variety.

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Don't feel bad my apple tree in my back yard I can't pinpoint a specific variety. I believe I've got three; yellow delicious, granny smith and a red variety my tree was one the property when I bought it an is at least 15 feet over the roof peak of my trailer. I just acquired permission from my adjacent landowner to pick and maintain under/around some trees on her property. Last fall my husband an i got 8 bushels off my tree alone, and I liked a bushel of red from my neighbors tree. I've got 35 gallons of wine sitting in my friends house "perking". I'm still working on getting set up, we've built our own press, an next month I'm getting the grinder mechanism , up til now I've been using juicers and meat grinders. I've gotten some harvest baskets and a fruit pole. A friend gave me one one of those over the shoulder bags that hold a bushel. The orchard ladders are rather pricey here in the united States so I've got my eye out an my ear to ground listening for anyone getting rid of one.

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I never pick apples for cider, i just pick them up as they fall, the easy way to collect if you want to do most of the tree in one hit is to put two tarps down under the tree to cover the ground, and get a long pole and knock the branches to make the apples fall, if it is a smaller tree give it a good shake, if the apples will not fall and need picking they are not ripe, it does not matter if they are brused when they hit the ground if you are pulping them, they are not normally left long enough to go rotten.
As I have said in previous threads I just wash pulp press and in the barrel, (add some yeast to be sure of a good start if there is any consern),
I use a 7 gall bucket bucket for washing, so as I move apples from the collection bins to the wash bucket any i dont like I through out, so again I'm not to woried about bad apples, and when you are clearing apples from somones lawn they like them all gone not just the good ones, and leave the rotton ones, all bad apples and wast off the press ends up with the pigs so nothing is wasted in the end.
If you need any inspration here is a thread I did last year on the kit I have made and use. http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=57618
 
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