Elderberry Cider

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user 4004

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It seems cider season is doing to start sooner than I was planing this year, and as I now have a bin and a half of apples waiting for the press, I am looking at the elderberries that are also ripening rapidly, just wondering what it will turn out like if i throw a load of them through the pulper when the apples are going through and press it all in one.

Has anyone tried this? and do you have any suggestions on quantity's?

I will probably give this a try anyway and see how it turns out.
 
Your idea sounds good i would suggest putting a lot of Elderberry's in the pulp with your apples as i have just topped up my elderberry wines, the single elderberry was a bit bland but the elder and apple juice i was happy with.
I was wondering while i was replying to your post once the elderberry has finished fermenting would it be ok to put Ribena cordial in each bottle to give it a bit more taste any suggestions would be appreciated.:drunk:
 
Well I tried this any way with this first lot of apples, last year as these are eating apples I tried them anyway, and as expected the cider turned out to the very sharp at Christmas, and by May/June it had lost the sharpness so was drinkable but it had no body to it (kind of like a weak wine) so I came to the conclusion it required tanning, that is why I was thinking elderberries.

So back to this year, the same apples no where near the quantity only had enough for 7 gallons, so that equated to 1, 5gal fv of juice and a bucket of pulp still to be pressed, I collected about 2kg of elderberries before i got bored, they went through the pulper and into the bucket (that changed the colour) and then the press, and I had red apple juice.

Obviously 2kg in 2gal is not going to affect the flavour much but i hope it will give a bit more body, On sampling the sugar content was the same, estimated vol of 7.5%, but the elderberrie/apple juice did not taste as sweet, as the pure apple juice.

When I added the yeast the apple juice behaved as expected, but the elderberrie/apple juice went mad and decided it did not want to stay in the demijohns.

Thats how far I have got so far, but we shall see, it is all trial and error after all.
 
I was wondering while i was replying to your post once the elderberry has finished fermenting would it be ok to put Ribena cordial in each bottle to give it a bit more taste any suggestions would be appreciated.:drunk:


As for the Ribena, the truth is i have no idea, but my option is to try it in a glass, if it works go for it, if not don't mess up the hole batch.
But if you do mess it up, learn from the experience and try not to repeat. :wha:
 
My demijohn of pure elderberry (4kg berry's) with 1kg of sugar now tastes different than a few days ago, it is very dry very red and tastes like a Merlot i am still going to try a small glass with a touch of ribena for future reference, any excuse to have a drink. lol:drink:
 
I used the fruit from my perry pear and elderberry wine to make cider with last year, and its was bloody lovely. Threw it into the press when we were doing the apples, added a small almount of apple juice to top it up to a gallon, and drank it all at midsummer
 

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