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Oct 12, 2009 12:47:19 GMT
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Last year spurred on by postings on here I had a go at making cider. Two batches were made, first seemed OK but you awoke with a head like you'd been kicked by a mule the second was very dry but far more drinkable. This year I decided to get a bit more technical. Started with two carrier bags full of apples rescued from trees of friends and relatives that didn't want them. Cut out the bad bits and left to soak overnight to stop going brown.  Passed through a Siemens juicer borrowed off father in law. Comes out quite opaque but will settle to form a heady foam, nice bit in middle and skanky bottom scum.   Passed through a muslin cloth in a sieve to get rid of lumps  Foam passed through a further sieve to regain any further liquid.  Once done I bottled in compressed bottles to allow for room for expansion as I was freezing the batches as I went as apples became available.  Once I got enough I set the demijohn off, using a wheat yeast and some nutrient to kick off. Books said aim for a 1.055 reading on the hydrometer so added a little sugar to get this.  Once bubbling stopped after about 2 weeks I dropped in a campden tablet to kill the yeast. Yeast sinks to bottom. Then a day or so later add finings to clear it. This is the end result you can almost read a sheet of paper through the liquid.  Then I siphoned it off into cleaned and sterilised beer bottles. Can tell from the syphoning that it tastes great! According to the calculation table I've ended up with 7.9% abv as well so should be a good kick.   I'm going for a slightly fizzy cider so took some out of each bottle warmed slightly and dissolved 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar, and topped them back up. This should give me something semi fizzy. Or may explode everywhere. Not done this last bit before but followed a guide book for help. Says wait about 2 weeks and then start drinking!  8 bottles, 4 litres from this batch, second one going now. Should get about 8 litres all in and cost maybe £3 in yeast, nutrients and finings. |
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Oct 12, 2009 13:05:43 GMT
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"Jeremy Clarkson, a man we motor enthusiasts need on our side like Lewis Hamilton's F1 car needs a towing ball and a Sprite Musketeer" My motor |
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Nathan
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 5,650
Club RR Member Number: 1
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Cider Making - 2009 Fall EditionNathan
@bgtmidget7476
Club Retro Rides Member 1
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Oct 12, 2009 15:11:39 GMT
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Really wanna try this as Xmas is around the corner.
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Oct 12, 2009 15:27:24 GMT
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Nice work - although I'm not sure that you'll get fizzy cider having killed off the yeast - there's nothing left to ferment the priming sugars. At worst you might need to add the tiniest bit of yeast and re-cap the bottles.
If you need to ask people specific questions, have a look at jimsbeerkit.co.uk - lots of yeast-based food and drink going on there.
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Oct 12, 2009 15:41:05 GMT
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Really wanna try this as Xmas is around the corner. The best cider comes to those who wait, you might find it's a little rough if you drink it for christmas. Traditional cider is pressed about now and ferments slowly to dryness in the cold until early in the next year, then is bottled in early spring and not drunk until autumn. I've already pressed a load of mine, and I'll be doing at least one more pressing in the coming weeks. I've not opened any of last year's yet. The year before last's is a fine pale crisp and dry slightly sparkling cider that's just now starting to reach its full flavour development after 18 months in the bottle. It gives a serious apple hit I always describe as having overtones of apple pips, and its ABV is about 6.5% This thread is useless without pics, you say? My scratter - chops up the apples before pressing.   It's since had a Mk2 blade fitted which is much better. |
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"Jeremy Clarkson, a man we motor enthusiasts need on our side like Lewis Hamilton's F1 car needs a towing ball and a Sprite Musketeer" My motor |
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Oct 12, 2009 17:27:16 GMT
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We're going to do ours soon, we've got about a 40 tree orchard, and managed 20 gallons last year just using what we picked of the floor. We made a small press, about 1 metre square and 1.5 metres tall and used a bottle jack and a large piece of timber, net curtains and demi johns. If anyone is around stratford upon avon and fancies giving us a hand then I'm sure we could give you a gallon or so!
ps. We have what is known as a 'scrattler' that attaches to the back of one of the tractors to smash the apples up, so that bit is quite easy.
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purplevanman
Posted a lot
Way too orangey for crows
Posts: 3,830
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Oct 12, 2009 21:23:26 GMT
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We're going to do ours soon, we've got about a 40 tree orchard, and managed 20 gallons last year just using what we picked of the floor. We made a small press, about 1 metre square and 1.5 metres tall and used a bottle jack and a large piece of timber, net curtains and demi johns. If anyone is around stratford upon avon and fancies giving us a hand then I'm sure we could give you a gallon or so! ps. We have what is known as a 'scrattler' that attaches to the back of one of the tractors to smash the apples up, so that bit is quite easy. let me know when ;D could do with a day out with a difference LOL |
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Welder, fabricator, general resto work
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Oct 18, 2009 20:08:45 GMT
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I had a quick bash this year as well. It is 'agricultural'! I only made just over a gallon to see how it is.. I'm drinking a bottle once every couple weeks or so to see how it's maturing.. I'll be doing it again next year, but reading up a bit before I do. And making a proper press. I chose not to use an yeast at all  |
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...proper medallion man chest wig motoring. |
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Oct 19, 2009 13:48:43 GMT
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Natural yeasts will work, though there's always the danger you'll accidentallly end up with a "bad" strain and have some flavour issues. Or as happened to me once, end up with a strain capable of metabolising sulphur containing compounds and get cider smelling of bad eggs. You don't really appreciate why it's worth following the scientific path of cidermaking until you've had to throw a batch away.
It should be noted, cider is more like wine than it is like beer. You don't see wines with "September 2009" on them, you see "2006", "2007", or if you have crazy money, "1893". So trust me, and hang on to your bottles. Forget about them until this time next year. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you.
I pressed a load more juice yesterday. Not a good SG, about 1050. I'd prefer 1060 or so.
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"Jeremy Clarkson, a man we motor enthusiasts need on our side like Lewis Hamilton's F1 car needs a towing ball and a Sprite Musketeer" My motor |
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Oct 26, 2009 14:50:36 GMT
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Most of the books I've read seem to say start with a SG around 1055 which I what I aimed for with my two batches.
Drank the first bottle last night between friends. Really nice tasty cider but quite intense apple hit so best drunk in small measures. A little too dry maybe for me as I'm honestly more a Magners man!
Second batch is bottled and is far sweeter. This batch was made with one strain of apples and ended up cloudier and only around 7% but sweeter from the initial taste I had.
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Oct 27, 2009 10:53:28 GMT
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Drank the first bottle last night between friends. Really nice tasty cider but quite intense apple hit so best drunk in small measures. A little too dry maybe for me as I'm honestly more a Magners man! If you like it a bit sweeter, use Splenda (sucralose) when you bottle it. The great thing about Splenda is that it's chemicaly modified sugar so the yeast can't metabolise it, thus when you add it to your cider it won't restart the fermentation. It's likely to offend the cider purists though If you're a Magners man there's no hope. To get the required radioactive orange hue, you need some of this:  |
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"Jeremy Clarkson, a man we motor enthusiasts need on our side like Lewis Hamilton's F1 car needs a towing ball and a Sprite Musketeer" My motor |
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Oct 27, 2009 10:55:50 GMT
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Just a thought - there seem to be several RR-ciderists. Fancy bringing a bottle to RRG10 for a taste-off?
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"Jeremy Clarkson, a man we motor enthusiasts need on our side like Lewis Hamilton's F1 car needs a towing ball and a Sprite Musketeer" My motor |
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Oct 27, 2009 17:57:26 GMT
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I do not know cider well, however, the pear flavoured drink IKA sells is noce.
I used to brew when at school, and my dad had an illegal, homebuilt still we used to make moonshine.
I miss the process , and the fun of getting it right.
Maybe after we move to the new house next year.... hmmmm.
Love these threads, and would love to see the end product on RR '10 agenda.
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Maybe after we move to the new house next year.... hmmmm. Not worth it. It's one of those things where the punishment is waaaay out of proportion to the crime. |
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"Jeremy Clarkson, a man we motor enthusiasts need on our side like Lewis Hamilton's F1 car needs a towing ball and a Sprite Musketeer" My motor |
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