Rhubarb and Apple Cider

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pvt_ak

Budding Brewer !
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Following my rhubarb obsession I've kicked off a 5l batch of cider.

600g Rhubarb
400g Sugar
3.5l of Apple Juice
0.5l of tea.
Pectolase
Yeast
Nutrient

How:

Froze Rhubarb
Next day - threw sugar over Rhubarb and left for 24 hours.
Filtered juice into DJ and squeezed through muslin to get as much juice (discarded rhubarb).
All other ingredients in.

OG at 1.064 means this will be a strong one at about 7-8% once topped up before bottling . [emoji41]


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Following my rhubarb obsession I've kicked off a 5l batch of cider.

600g Rhubarb
400g Sugar
3.5l of Apple Juice
0.5l of tea.
Pectolase
Yeast
Nutrient

How:

Froze Rhubarb
Next day - threw sugar over Rhubarb and left for 24 hours.
Filtered juice into DJ and squeezed through muslin to get as much juice (discarded rhubarb).
All other ingredients in.

OG at 1.064 means this will be a strong one at about 7-8% once topped up before bottling . [emoji41]


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Excusing my limited but hopefully ever increasing knowledge -

Would / should adding a Campden and pectolase to the mix and leaving for 24 hours before adding yeast not be the way to go? Nasties in the 'barb etc?
 
Excusing my limited but hopefully ever increasing knowledge -



Would / should adding a Campden and pectolase to the mix and leaving for 24 hours before adding yeast not be the way to go? Nasties in the 'barb etc?



Eek - think you may be right with the campden...
probably too late now ?


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It may well taste better without the campden.


Most likely it will. The trouble i have occasionally had with rhubarb is that it can ferment by itself unless you bung in a campden to kill of the natural yeast which can give the finished item an odd taste.
 
Tonight I am putting 12 litres of saison on 2 kg of rhubarb for a week, was told to freeze it for at least 3 days first.
I am also going to put 5 litres of cider I pressed 6 months ago onto 1 kg of frozen rhubarb.

I did two batches of cider last year, one with and one without campden, the one without has some very interesting esters from the wild yeast on the apples, much more depth of flavour compared to the other.
I think it may of helped that the apples were quite acidic, it probably made a hostile environment for most bacteria.
 
Just another note.
My friend stopped at a very old and well regarded cider makers in Herefordshire a few years ago. He asked the old guy a few questions about his cider and he was told to make good cider you need cider apples and that personally he believed that the best cider had no other yeast than what is on the apples and his press..
He brought a bottle back which we shared and it was the best I have ever drank.
 
I'm eager to bottle and the taste the bugger now - proof is in the drinking.
It was only a 5l batch so nothing too much to cry about if naff. Hopefully it's not [emoji15]


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Bottled up today. Rhubarb tarty alright !!
Sweetened up a little and primed with more Apple Juice.
Watch this space for a taste test in a few weeks !


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Snugged a bottle of this tonight. Disappointed [emoji854]. It's over carbonated - I like fizzy but took me 5 minutes to pour the glass. Although I did pour straight from brew fridge !!
Very tart and I wanted more rhubarb flavour.
Drinkable but not what I envisaged !


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I'm eager to bottle and the taste the bugger now - proof is in the drinking.
It was only a 5l batch so nothing too much to cry about if naff. Hopefully it's not [emoji15]


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I found that with some of mine, make sure the brew is ice cold, and pour into a wet glass !



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