Cider Making

[TRXnMe]

So, I've been brewing beer for a few weeks and now the wife wants me to make her some cider...

It looks like the easy way is fruit juice, malic acid, pectolase and strong tea with a nice dose of yeast. Now, the wife can get hold of bread dyeast from work, free, will that work?

I've also got the chance of a few demi johns, can I ferment in one and condition in another one? Or would I have to bottle it all off when it was ready?

At this rate I'm going to need a shed for brewing and storing all the booze while it conditions, home brewing could becomme expensive after all*













*A man needs a shed

 

[graysalchemy]

Personally I wouldn't, bread yeast is for breed :lol: . A sachet of cider yeast will only cost a few quid and if you are cleaver it can be washed and used again in the next batch. If you can't get cider yeast use a wine yeast. Or better still you could culture a cider yeast from a bottle of Westins Old Rosie a mighty fine cider see here.

The yeast attributes to about 70% of the flavour so using the right one is important.

Glad to see your recipe list includes Malic acid and Tannin(strong tea) :thumb: Don't forget to age it for a few months in bulk preferably.

 

[TRXnMe]

Thanks for the feedback, I had an idea the bread yeast might not be too good, but then read the prison booze thread and started to think too much :)

I'll give the cuturing bit some thought and a bit of research, including the old rosie yeast.

Thank you.

 

[paultrademark]

Just a quick question on bulk aging GA, should I leave the airlock/bung on or just use a plain bung?

Will there still be co2 being produced meaning there will be no where for it to escape if a plain bung is put on the DJ?

Also the Apple & Fruit Cocktail TC I have made, it seems very, very sweet. Is there something that can be added to lessen this?

 

[alanywiseman.]

Also the Apple & Fruit Cocktail TC I have made, it seems very, very sweet. Is there something that can be added to lessen this?

You could blend it with a very dry cider :hmm:

 

[graysalchemy]

You should age under airlock Malolactic fermentation produces co2 as a by product.

which regards to your Apple and fruit cocktail cider what was your recipe and what is the FG of it? Either it has stuck and not completed fermentation for some reason or the ingredients included artificial sweeteners in the juice.

As Alan says if it has finished fermenting then I would blend it with a dry cider.

:thumb:

 

[paultrademark]

You should age under airlock Malolactic fermentation produces co2 as a by product.

which regards to your Apple and fruit cocktail cider what was your recipe and what is the FG of it? Either it has stuck and not completed fermentation for some reason or the ingredients included artificial sweeteners in the juice.

As Alan says if it has finished fermenting then I would blend it with a dry cider.

:thumb:

Ok thanks, have put the airlocks back on the DJ's with the TC in them, yeah they did give a bit of oomph when removed the bungs :?

I used 3 litres of Sainsburys AJ from Concentrate and 2 litres of Sainsburys Fruit Cocktail from concentrate. Also as suggested by your good self, I used cider yeast, 1 tsp of Pectolase, 1 tsp of Tannin powder and 1 tsp of Malic Acid.

Start and end reads were -

11/05/2012 1.062
23/05/2012 0.980

Which I guess makes it very strong at 8.5%, so maybe its just my tasting of it made it seem sweet when in fact it is just a bit strong?

Blog post about it is

http://paultrademark.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... uired.html

Probably will turn out alright, maybe just a tad stronger than I thought it would end up.

 

[graysalchemy]

if it is 0.980 then that is a dry as a witches T*T. If you are bothered by strengh you could dilute it with a bit of water, but personally I would leave it and wait until after it has aged the flavours will change.

:thumb:

 

[paultrademark]

Thanks, will just let it do it's thing and see how it is in a few months. If it is very dry, I assume just adding some sweetner or mixing it with some apple juice would do the trick?

 

[graysalchemy]

yes artificial sweetner or applejuice on serving (not in the bottle as you will get bottle bombs) :thumb:

 

[TRXnMe]

OOOOO, sorted, I'm now seriously after the demi johns!

8.5% from cheap fruit juice is, attractive, the fact that it will turn into good tasting cider by Christmas (mulled cider anyone?) is even more attractive

Has anyone added the cinamon and cloves during fermenting? If so, how good was it?

 

[graysalchemy]

You are best adding spices after fermentation as the fermentation process will drive of volotile essential oils and flavours and aromas just like boiling. Also this way you can gauge how it is tasting and if the flavours are getting to strong you can take the spices out.

I find 1 clove 3 cardomon pods (crushed) and an inch of cinamon bark make quite a good cider. It also makes for an excelent pork dish cider clove cardoman cinnamon, sage and garlic. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[TRXnMe]

You beggar, I'm hungry now

Pork in cider, with crackling, cider gravy and Yorkshire pudding, and I've not even started the home brew cider yet

I knew this place would be bad for me one way or another

 

[graysalchemy]

I do it either as a cassarole or as a roast slow rasting the pork on a bead of onions and cellery whwhich braize in the juices then add the cider and spices to make the gravy. :thumb:

 

[bobsbeer]

For DJ's get a couple of 5lt water bottles from a supermarket. You can drill the lid for a airlock and you get free water.

 

[jonewer]

If you're a total cheapskate, prick a hole in a balloon with a pin and put the balloon over the end of the bottle.

Simples!

 

[TRXnMe]

Cider yeast and malic acid now ordered, just got to sort out some decent size storage vessels, still hoping to get the demi johns (14 of them currently running at £14 ) if not I've got a spare keg waiting for summat to do :)

Te wife likes cider and she's getting quite excited about the idea of 14 different varieties to sip at :)