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Best Kit Cider

Posted: Thursday Aug 24, 2006 5:51 pm
by thisispants
Any reccomendations?

Posted: Thursday Aug 24, 2006 6:36 pm
by blandy
There have been disputes about this, but I reckon you can't go past Black Rock Cider. Try Bulmers if you want a rough idea of how it tastes.

1kg glucose

final volume: 18L (not whatever it says on the pack)

add 250g lactose if you want to make it sweet.

See my recipe on "what's next" for the quince cider. Sorry no tasting notes yet, but carbonation is taking a while.

Posted: Wednesday Aug 30, 2006 4:36 pm
by Chris
The Blackrock is great. Do a search for some recipes- I've posted one too many times.

Posted: Thursday Aug 31, 2006 12:54 pm
by cleverpig
Brigalow Cider,
1Kg CSR Brew Sugar,
500g Light Malt,
100g Lactose,
6 Litres of Apple Juice,
Topped to 23L with water

OG 1056
FG 1008

Toxic :lol:

Posted: Thursday Aug 31, 2006 4:56 pm
by Chris
The Brigalow cider is toxic, but that's another story...

Posted: Thursday Sep 14, 2006 2:31 pm
by Trizza
Black Rock worked out well for me.

Just dont do what the can says, dont make 23L, make 18 or 20.
Add apples, lactose or apple juice.
Can taste very dry if you just add granny smith apples, but the longer you leave it, the better it will taste.
Use malt for an interesting change

Cider, like Ginger Beer is perfect to entertain the ladies who might not like your Lagers or Ales.

Coopers should release a kit for cider. Black Rock is good but you cant get the kit for less than $20 at a brewshop

Posted: Thursday Sep 14, 2006 3:21 pm
by gregb
Of course you could get yourself a big box of apples and a juice extractor. I did that many years ago and it was a very fine cider.

Cheers,
Greg

Posted: Saturday Sep 16, 2006 12:06 am
by Tipsy
I've made an all juice cider. Nice but I would recomend heaps of lactose. I only used 250g and it was too dry.

Posted: Saturday Sep 16, 2006 7:37 am
by blandy
Then again, if you want a dry cider, Black Rock kit and kilo made to 18L is absolutley delicious.

Posted: Saturday Sep 16, 2006 3:59 pm
by Trizza
Has anyone tried making a Cider from 2 Black Rock Cider cans?
I guess it'd be made up to 23L.

Just wondering how much lactose..... :?

Posted: Saturday Oct 07, 2006 6:39 pm
by Eureka
Chris wrote:The Brigalow cider is toxic, but that's another story...
Just had a taste test of a brew of Brigalow apple cider.

Tastes like shit (although I haven't tasted shit before). Uninspiring, bland, no body, bubbles disappear quick. What a waste of 10 bucks!

Posted: Sunday Nov 05, 2006 8:38 am
by InCider
Eureka wrote:
Chris wrote:The Brigalow cider is toxic, but that's another story...
Just had a taste test of a brew of Brigalow apple cider.

Tastes like shit (although I haven't tasted shit before). Uninspiring, bland, no body, bubbles disappear quick. What a waste of 10 bucks!
Hey Eureka - it is not recommended that the brigalow kit is made to recipe... my wife buys it for me when it's on special, and I don't want to dissuade her from putting HB stuff in with the groceries...

However, you need apples, juice, coopers 1 or 2 etc... can be made quite pleasant... good for 10 bucks, lousy for 12...

InCider..

Posted: Sunday Nov 05, 2006 9:38 pm
by Eureka
InCider wrote:
Eureka wrote:
Chris wrote:The Brigalow cider is toxic, but that's another story...
Just had a taste test of a brew of Brigalow apple cider.

Tastes like shit (although I haven't tasted shit before). Uninspiring, bland, no body, bubbles disappear quick. What a waste of 10 bucks!
Hey Eureka - it is not recommended that the brigalow kit is made to recipe... my wife buys it for me when it's on special, and I don't want to dissuade her from putting HB stuff in with the groceries...

However, you need apples, juice, coopers 1 or 2 etc... can be made quite pleasant... good for 10 bucks, lousy for 12...

InCider..
Good point InCider but since 7/10 I have learnt alot more about apple cider and not to stick to the instructions on the label.

On its own it is exactly what I said earlier - shit.

Posted: Monday Nov 06, 2006 12:00 pm
by Oliver
Black Rock gets my vote. But as I have often said, if you're making it with just a kilo of glucose I reckon you need a little lactose (200g?) to sweeten it, otherwise it's very, very dry. Put two or three cored, peeled apples in a stocking and drop those into the fermenter, too, for a little extra appley taste.

Cheers,

Oliver

Posted: Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 10:57 pm
by AlcoMoo
Eureka wrote:
InCider wrote:
Eureka wrote:
Chris wrote:The Brigalow cider is toxic, but that's another story...
Just had a taste test of a brew of Brigalow apple cider.

Tastes like shit (although I haven't tasted shit before). Uninspiring, bland, no body, bubbles disappear quick. What a waste of 10 bucks!
Hey Eureka - it is not recommended that the brigalow kit is made to recipe... my wife buys it for me when it's on special, and I don't want to dissuade her from putting HB stuff in with the groceries...

However, you need apples, juice, coopers 1 or 2 etc... can be made quite pleasant... good for 10 bucks, lousy for 12...

InCider..
Good point InCider but since 7/10 I have learnt alot more about apple cider and not to stick to the instructions on the label.

On its own it is exactly what I said earlier - shit.
Oh damn it. I just bought a kit of this to make some cider for Xmas. Thanks for the tip tho about adding other stuff. Will do.

BTW, if I make this now, will I have a drinkable product ready for Xmas????

Posted: Thursday Nov 16, 2006 6:58 am
by timmy
I've just put down a Brigalow 900g kit with 2L Coles brand cloudy apple juice (apple juice + vit C), 3 quartered granny's and 1kg white sugar and filled to 17L. Bubbling away nicely and doesn't taste too bad straight out of the hydro flask....
But my hopes aren't high given what I've read about these kits. I'll probably leave it for about 3months in the bottle before trying it.

Posted: Thursday Nov 16, 2006 5:57 pm
by InCider
I'm off to the shed with a can on Black Rock, 500 malt, 250 dex and 250 corn syrup. And a litre of apple and pear jiuce and some apples.. any idea if this will increase the fermentation time?

InCider

Posted: Wednesday Nov 22, 2006 1:28 pm
by drsmurto
gregb wrote:Of course you could get yourself a big box of apples and a juice extractor. I did that many years ago and it was a very fine cider.

Cheers,
Greg
G'day Gregb

Got a recipe for that cider? Was it a standards strongbow tasting cider or more like the irish bulmers?

Cheers
DrSmurto

Posted: Wednesday Nov 22, 2006 3:08 pm
by gregb
Nah, sorry drsmurto, it was about 10 years ago, juiced the apples they were granny smiths threw in a Coopers ale yeast and let 'er rip. It was way better than strongbow, very dry, almost champagne like. No records going back that far.

Cheers,
Greg

Posted: Wednesday Nov 22, 2006 3:52 pm
by melbourne man
i made my cider with this recipe. it is great and tastes just like strongbow and it has some kick at 7.5%?

1 can Black Rock cider
500g lactose
1.5kg white sugar
1.5kg, 12 granny smith apples cored, peeled, chopped and put in a stocking
4L apple juice no preservatives, no vitamin C (club brand apple juice)
Kit yeast

total volume: 23L

it was in the fermenter for 3 weeks before i had a chance to bottle it.