I have two apple trees in the garden and this year I decided to have a go at making some cider - this is my first time at brewing and I would appreciate some further guidance.
I managed to squeeze 17 litres of fresh apple juice which I've transferred to a 5 gallon fermenting vessel added around 800g of sugar and a sachet of yeast - this was all provided by with home brew online kit. Nothing else was added.
I followed the instruction provided and waited 3 weeks for fermenting to take place. I measured the gravity level and one week ago it was 994 and now it is 990 - I understand that this is normal at some point of the fermenting process.
Now the instruction provided say that it is now time to bottle it up. However, after watching several videos and reading forums, I understand that the gravity level should be ideally around 1050-1060 - not quite sure if this is reached when it is bottled or have to wait before bottling it up.
There is now some sediment at the bottom of the fermenting vessel. I have bought 4 one gallon demijohns. Am I correct in executing the next step by carefully funnelling the content into each of the demijohns leaving the sediment behind??? (it has been a month now since I added the yeast)
I also read that I am now supposed to add more sugar! Is this correct? If, so how much sugar do I have to add to bring the gravity levels to normal 1050-60?
Another question I have is if I have to add anything else like other nutrients to have a nice finished product.
I would be proper gutted if such a substantial batch was to go bad, so I would appreciate any guidance and answers to above questions. Thank you!
I managed to squeeze 17 litres of fresh apple juice which I've transferred to a 5 gallon fermenting vessel added around 800g of sugar and a sachet of yeast - this was all provided by with home brew online kit. Nothing else was added.
I followed the instruction provided and waited 3 weeks for fermenting to take place. I measured the gravity level and one week ago it was 994 and now it is 990 - I understand that this is normal at some point of the fermenting process.
Now the instruction provided say that it is now time to bottle it up. However, after watching several videos and reading forums, I understand that the gravity level should be ideally around 1050-1060 - not quite sure if this is reached when it is bottled or have to wait before bottling it up.
There is now some sediment at the bottom of the fermenting vessel. I have bought 4 one gallon demijohns. Am I correct in executing the next step by carefully funnelling the content into each of the demijohns leaving the sediment behind??? (it has been a month now since I added the yeast)
I also read that I am now supposed to add more sugar! Is this correct? If, so how much sugar do I have to add to bring the gravity levels to normal 1050-60?
Another question I have is if I have to add anything else like other nutrients to have a nice finished product.
I would be proper gutted if such a substantial batch was to go bad, so I would appreciate any guidance and answers to above questions. Thank you!
