Making Cider

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Making Cider

Postby Longwood-65 » Monday May 04, 2009 8:28 am

Hi Guys,
Made my first cider over the weekend.
Knew I should have read here first, but I had already purchased a Brigalow Cider mix, then read it was crap, my bad luck.
Anyway I made it up yesterday,

1 Kilo white sugar,
500gm's Apple Blossom Honey (from Local orchardist) dissolved in Hot water ( then mixed with 2 litres cold water in the fermenter)
Added contents of Brigalow cider can
Added 3 Litres Filtered 100% apple juice ( not concentrate, no added anything)
1 litre Berri Pear juice ( made from Concentrate)
Topped fermenter with water to 19 litres
Added Yeast and nutrients from Brigalow kit. ( pitched @ 22c action started 6 hours later) didn't take a Hydrometer reading as it's broken.
I was thinking about adding a Champagne yeast instead of the Kit yeast but couldn't get any.

I think it might be a bit sweet so will age it for a couple of months before drinking.

Must say it smells pretty good ( Funny enough like apple juice go figure)

Cheers
Ron
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Re: Making Cider

Postby timmy » Monday May 04, 2009 12:10 pm

Hi Ron,

I don't think it will be sweet - I reckon the opposite. Good thing you didn't add the champers yeast because that would have made it worse....

Should turn out OK - I did a bastardised Brigalow as my first cider and it was drinkable.

FWIW I do my cider using shop-bought Berri juice + Wyeast liquid cider yeast and it comes out beautifully with little effort.

Cheers,

Tim
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Re: Making Cider

Postby Longwood-65 » Tuesday May 05, 2009 8:22 pm

Hi Timmy,
Thanks for the info, after I bought the kit then read a bit through the ciders and relized I should have done it the other way, however in my defence it was an impulse purchase.

Living in the country the only 3 yeasts I can purchase are safale s-04, saflager s-23 and 1 type of Wine yeast don't know what type, and thats a 100k return trip for the yeast.

Mail order is an option but I'm not sure about leaving a yeast at room temp in the post office for up to a week ( although kit yeast can sit on shelves in supermarkets for months).

Am surprized you would say it wouldn't be sweet, I thought with the added honey would increase sweetness.


Cheers
Ron
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Re: Making Cider

Postby Bum » Tuesday May 05, 2009 8:42 pm

Sugars are fermentable, it is basically what makes the alcohol. The sugar in the honey is no different.

The yeast you buy from a HBS is dried just like the yeast in a kit (although cool is better for both, obviously).

If you're particularly worried about yeast temp in transit I know that these guys can put little cold packs around your yeast if you request it (adds about $1):
http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/

I've used them before and their products and service are pretty great - placed an order one afternoon and it was at my door by lunchtime the next day (they are in QLD and I'm in Vic) so no need to worry too much about time spent in transit IMO (even if you are as far from the post office as it sounds).

Good luck with your cider!
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Re: Making Cider

Postby Longwood-65 » Thursday May 14, 2009 7:40 pm

Bum wrote:(even if you are as far from the post office as it sounds).
Good luck with your cider!


Not very far from the post office, but they don't deliver and I can only get there Saturdays.

Well fermentation has stop, so will keg it this weekend.

Since I have only done beers, Should I do anything different with the cider??
Should I carb it up about the same as beer??
I usually fill the keg, purge it, then dump a fairly high pressure amount of CO then let it sit for 3-4 weeks, then about a week before I'm ready to drink I drop it into the beer fridge and connect the gas in preparation.

With beers I usually poor a glass out to clear around the tap, then hose it into the keg being careful to stop the pour before the sediment is sucked into the keg.

Is there much sediment in cider?? it doesn't look like it but not wanting to disturb before pouring I can't really tell.

Cheers
Ron
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Re: Making Cider

Postby Longwood-65 » Sunday May 17, 2009 8:51 pm

Well transferred to keg, was fairly cloudy was expecting it to be a lot clearer.
Had a taste and it was was greatly surprized with how good it was a ton better than any the beers I've brewed straight of fermenter, my immediate was to tap it up, but I will let it mature for a few more weeks before chilling for drinking.

I will definately will be making another cider.

cheers
Ron
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Re: Making Cider

Postby Longwood-65 » Wednesday Jun 24, 2009 1:19 pm

Well tapped the Cider,
1 major problem, it is just so drinkable, even the missus loves it
1 minor problem, it's cloudiness any ideas on how to clear it up?? ( obviously not this batch but the next )

Cheers
Ron
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Joined: Sunday Nov 11, 2007 10:32 am
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Re: Making Cider

Postby goq11k_76 » Wednesday Jun 24, 2009 4:54 pm

filter, racking to second fermenter, cold conditioning, a mate puts in gelatin with some water into the keg first, pours in brew, mixes and leaves for a week or so, he reckons it clears it up. not many other options really

is it worth it, if its sooo drinkable it doenst matter does it
pilsner is the love of my life...
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Re: Making Cider

Postby Longwood-65 » Thursday Jun 25, 2009 8:59 am

Thanks for the Info goq11k_76, treat the same as trying to clear up a beer, Although most of the beers I have made are fairly clear doing buggerall
It 's not a problem and doesn't really matter, just a visual thing, to have it look more like a cider than freshly juiced apple.
It's got a fair bit of a kick to it and I'm quite proud of it for a first cider, I'll be finishing up the 1/2 dozen K&K's i have already purchased then concentrate on the ciders for a while.

As a side note Had a "Mercury Dry cider" at the Sister in laws last night before the 130k trip home, I personally thought mine was much better and not as sweet.

Regards,
Ron
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Re: Making Cider

Postby chadjaja » Thursday Jun 25, 2009 9:25 am

To get your cider sweeter if you want you have to add a non fermentable sugar like lactose. I add a bit to my cider recipe and its a hit with the lady folk around here.

Its just as easy as your one and uses 3L of apple juice and 1L pear juice but I also use lactose and a blackrock cider can instead. It takes AGES to clear up nice though but I put it in clear corona bottles to see it clear. Racking it also helps to reduce sediment as they have a lot of gunk in them otherwise.
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Re: Making Cider

Postby timmy » Wednesday Jul 01, 2009 2:51 pm

If you're kegging then you can add more apple juice after fermentation, providing you keep it from fermenting further.

My last cider (Just Juice 100% apple juice + Wyeast 4766) was a touch on the dry side so I tried adding some extra apple juice after pouring and it balanced it nicely.

For the next batch I might consider putting 18L of cider + 1L normal apple juice into the keg before carbing. You could also add more normal sugar provided you chill afterwards to prevent it from fermenting more.

Cheers,

Tim
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