Ye Compleat Guide To TurboCider

[oldbloke]

I normally follow the instructions on the packet.

You can almost certainly not bother rehydrating, but: dissolve up to 1tsp sugar in about 50ml water at 35C and let the yeast sit in that for abotu 20 minutes, then pitch it.

 

[Allymc]

Thank you for that. I only ask as there were no instructions on the tub.. Thank you for the advice :)

 

[oldbloke]

If there was nothing saying it needs to be rehydrated, it almost certainly doesn't. Even if it did, missing that out would just slow things down by a few hours.

 

[itsmarkwilliams]

I've just started my first turbo cider today. I didn't add any extra sugar or tannin. Is it possible to add the tannin later (in the form of a strong tea) or does it have to be added at the start of fermentation?

 

[oldbloke]

Generally we recommend not adding sugar.
Tannin doesn't have to go in at the start, but if it's to get thoroughly mixed in it doesn't want to be too late in the process. A liquid form like tea mixes more easily of course.

 

[itsmarkwilliams]

Ok, thanks. I'll add 1/2 a cup of tea to it tonight.

 

[evanvine]

Not that it's hard and fast, I use 1 T-bag per 5ltrs!

 

[BrewWoo]

I started two 4.5L of turbo cider almost a week ago. One I just added yeast & nutrients and nothing else, the other all the usual's plus 250g of sugar. The one with sugar is still fermenting, the one without has finished and is starting to clear.

Will be interesting to see how they stack up against each other.

I mainly added the sugar to the other to up the abv %.

 

[Bernie]

How much tea per gallon?

 

[oldbloke]

How much tea per gallon?

This is a matter of taste, and is covered in the 1st post in the thread.

 

[Frogfurlong]

How much tea per gallon?

It equates to 4.5lt per gallon approx., so 1 teabag per litre is 5 per gallon :)

 

[BrewWoo]

To anyone that has made turbo cider; what colour does it go after it's finished fermenting and had finings added? Just wondering as mine currently looks like the photo. I was under the impression it would go a lot lighter, almost opaque?

It's the one on the right.

 

[Kentish Man]

For it to be " Ye Compleat Guide To TurboCider", you might like to add something about Dry Hopping.

I generally add around 25g of Hops to the fermenter about around 5 days to a week after fermentation starts. Leave to steep for 4 days and then bottle for high carbonation.

American Hops make for the best results IE, Amarillo , Cascade, Citra , they bring positive citrus flavours to the end product, sublime grapefruit taste is how I would describe it and it makes the Cider dangerously refreshing and easy to drink.

Loads of info on Youtube, simply search for Hopped Cider.

My favourite recipe. 20 ish Litres of Apple Juice, two tins of Pear Halves (Mashed),6 Tea Bag Tanin, Pectolase.
Any ale yeast that I have going spare ( sometimes I tip straight on to the yeast cake from a previous brew).
Ferment for 5 days, Add 25grams Cascade leave for a further 4 days. Back Sweeten with Splenda. Prime with 5tsp table Sugar per 2 litre plastic bottle.

Serve over Ice . Its a winner everytime. :drunk:

 

[oldbloke]

BrewWoo: you meant transparent, surely. I don't use cloudy juice and bottle when it clears. You can just about read through it. Some shade of yellow, like any pub cider, depending on juice(s) used

Kemtish Man: Yeh, I need to add something sometime. I get the impression adding hops to cider is only just going mainstream, though I'm sure it's been a niche thing for a while

 

[BrewWoo]

BrewWoo: you meant transparent, surely. I don't use cloudy juice and bottle when it clears. You can just about read through it. Some shade of yellow, like any pub cider, depending on juice(s) used

Kemtish Man: Yeh, I need to add something sometime. I get the impression adding hops to cider is only just going mainstream, though I'm sure it's been a niche thing for a while

Transparent indeed, don't know where my head is today! I didn't use cloudy juice. Used the 4x1L AJ from Tesco (Still on offer at 85p)

I'll leave it to clear for another couple of days and report back.

 

[BrewWoo]

Thought I'd take a gravity reading of the turbo cider with nothing in it bar yeast/nutrients.

Apple juice on it's own: 1.120?

After fermenting: 1.010?

Really need to get a better hydrometer (IE: easier for a thicko to understand!)

 

[oldbloke]

Thought I'd take a gravity reading of the turbo cider with nothing in it bar yeast/nutrients.

Apple juice on it's own: 1.120?

That looks more like a gms/litre sugar scale
120g/l sugar is quite high but believable

After fermenting: 1.010?

That looks more like 1.001

All this is one reason I rarely use a hydrometer for stuff like TC. You know exactly how much sugar you have from the cartons. Divide by 20, then by the volume in litres, call it %ABV - near enough. I sometime use one to see if a wine is finished, but for TC I just wait until it clears so I don't need one for that either..

 

[Bernie]

Thought I'd take a gravity reading of the turbo cider with nothing in it bar yeast/nutrients.

Apple juice on it's own: 1.120?


Really need to get a better hydrometer (IE: easier for a thicko to understand!)

What was the sugar content on the carton?
100 g per litre of sugar gives an OG of about 1.04.

 

[BrewWoo]

Thought I'd take a gravity reading of the turbo cider with nothing in it bar yeast/nutrients.

Apple juice on it's own: 1.120?


Really need to get a better hydrometer (IE: easier for a thicko to understand!)

What was the sugar content on the carton?
100 g per litre of sugar gives an OG of about 1.04.

111.2g of sugar per litre. 500.4 sugar total (4.5L total)

 

[Bernie]

111.2g of sugar per litre. 500.4 sugar total (4.5L total)

Just over 1.04

http://web2.airmail.net/sgross/fermcalc/index.html