Turbo Cider - a question or 2

evolving_doors

303Techno wrote: »

So 22l of cider has been 2 weeks warm 2 weeks cold after bottling in a few days (2), hoping to properly enjoy on Saturday.

Have used 5l bottles this time, found less collection of sediment although I syphoned a number of times, added pectolase a bit late at like 5 days primary. But also some 1l bottles for early/late tasting. Like to see the difference over a few weeks but it's difficult to keep some.

Going to be trying this plum wine recipe, well a combination if it interests anyone hope link sharing is okay:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Plum-Wine/

Will report back.

Also, wondering now as I've done 2 batches and slowly adding more things to improve. So far I use Yeast/Campden Tables/Pectolase/Cologran/Large Cup of Raisins Chopped/4 Tea Bags 500ml/22l Apple/2l Prime.
Is there anyway I could go about improving things more? Like these yeast nutrients? Looking forward to seeing if the pectolase added earlier helps. Wondering if I should start adding some sugar at start or bottle.

Edit: I couldn't wait and had to try one of my saved sample litre bottles. There isn't as much fizz but I like this, makes it easy to get down you. Beautiful, no alcohol smell this time which I'm not sure if is due to syphon or pectolase or better priming. Going to have to have my other litre now, highly recommend these 5l bottles though, easy to carry for any festival goers. I've gotten much better results with syphoning a few times which just takes a bit of extra effort, sieving and pectolase. Recommend to anyone new to this as I am.

Also, anyone ever add caffeine powder itself to their batches? I wouldn't mind making a more buckfast like wine and could easily throw in a tea spoon or two.

I think maybe you could try stripping it back to apple juice + yeast! Maybe it's nout the more adjuncts the better.... Time and temperature are very big variables to play with, I used to throw loadsa of junk into it but hadn't any clue about the basics...but I definitely will not be putting tea in again as I'm just too awake after drinking...wrecking me buzz... For tannins I just use a few cookers...also I did find a good bit of difference in priming with apple juice/sugar or adding splenda etc!

stenan

Just made my airlock for my 5l bottle I bought in aldi Going to start my first batch.

303Techno

Armelodie wrote: »

I think maybe you could try stripping it back to apple juice + yeast! Maybe it's nout the more adjuncts the better.... Time and temperature are very big variables to play with, I used to throw loadsa of junk into it but hadn't any clue about the basics...but I definitely will not be putting tea in again as I'm just too awake after drinking...wrecking me buzz... For tannins I just use a few cookers...also I did find a good bit of difference in priming with apple juice/sugar or adding splenda etc!

The extra things are coming for the wine though regardless, as since it'll only be the 10-15l going for a nice proper quality to save for months and months.

I quite like the buzz of the tea and that's why I'm considering adding a small amount of caffeine, may as well make it more to my taste. I prefer the buzz of buckfast but prefer taste of cider. All experimental anyway with these 5ls

I am really happy with results of 22l apple juice + 1 yeasts + raisins/tea and then prime with 2l apple juice and a load of sweeteners. Doesn't even need anything changed for me.

With time, what you think more in primary or secondary and bottling?? Only thing is I think I'd need to get a few batches going then, not one to wait and I would much rather drink my own stuff.

KAGY

I going to try this again, but I want to add blackberries to this mix (because there's loads in the hedges outside!). Because I'm running a trial in a 5l demijohn I won't be able to fit a muslin bag in it.
What do you think of boiling up, say 500g berries (only 5g/100g sugar apparently) with a little water, blitzing them with a processor and adding the strained liquid to the apple juice at the start? Or would it be better to add the crushed fruit to the demijohn and worry about the crud when syphoning?

Mister Burns

Just got my fourth batch of this on the go and it's just about finished fermenting - if I'm putting this into Cornies do I still need to add the additional 2L of apple juice to carbonate or will the CO2 carbonate it? First time Keg user!

drumswan

Maybe a stupid question but can you bottle condition cider like you can beer or should I leave it in the fermenter for the duration?

KAGY

drumswan wrote: »

Maybe a stupid question but can you bottle condition cider like you can beer or should I leave it in the fermenter for the duration?

Primary fermentation (~2 weeks in the bucket), condition in the bottle with your choice of sugar for fizz. Leave it for 4-6wks to condition in the bottle (i.e. let the yeast clean up secondary / funny tasting alcohols. Though I'm open to correction on what conditioning actually is :rolleyes:)

gazahayes

KAGY wrote: »

I going to try this again, but I want to add blackberries to this mix (because there's loads in the hedges outside!). Because I'm running a trial in a 5l demijohn I won't be able to fit a muslin bag in it.
What do you think of boiling up, say 500g berries (only 5g/100g sugar apparently) with a little water, blitzing them with a processor and adding the strained liquid to the apple juice at the start? Or would i't be better to add the crushed fruit to the demijohn and worry about the crud when syphoning?

I wouldn't blitz them just mash with a potatoe masher as the seeds will get through and can make it bitter and block what your straining it with.

KAGY

gazahayes wrote: »

I wouldn't blitz them just mash with a potatoe masher as the seeds will get through and can make it bitter and block what your straining it with.

Good tip! Thanks.
I might try the potato ricer I have but never use (like a garlic press on steroids)

loyatemu

just boil them up and then strain through a muslin - did it with frozen berries for my last batch and it worked fine.

KAGY

loyatemu wrote: »

just boil them up and then strain through a muslin - did it with frozen berries for my last batch and it worked fine.

Slight change of plan from my "do this one by the book and measure everything" plan. Mrs kagy had a kilner jar of BlackBerry and Apple jam that hadn't set so I bunged that in through a sieve and rinsed with boiling water. Who knows how much extra sugar was in that :-/

The "control" apple only batch started at 1.050 though I'm sure there's more sugar in the raisins not accounted for.
Using young's cider yeast, handful of sultanas and cup of tea per 4.5l. Bubbling away after only 4 hours. Massive yeast head on it so I've left it out in case there's a blow out.

Khannie

Berries people: It's better to brew the cider, then do a second fermentation by adding the berry juice. You keep a lot more of the flavour this way (and avoid a lot of the crud).

stenan

So my first batch has been five days and its has really slow down with the bubbling? (Stop) Is this right? Would adding more yeast be a good idea or I can't add more juice as its full enough but should I add sugar?? The heating was left on last night and the house was ridiculously hot (termo stat was at 25)!!!!

I have used this yeast;

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Youngs-Brew-Super-Wine-Yeast-Compound-60g-/370793839117?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&hash=item565508fa0d

Does it make a differences that its super wine yeast?

KAGY

stenan wrote: »

So my first batch has been five days and its has really slow down with the bubbling? (Stop) Is this right? Would adding more yeast be a good idea or I can't add more juice as its full enough but should I add sugar?? The heating was left on last night and the house was ridiculously hot (termo stat was at 25)!!!!

I have used this yeast;

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Youngs-Brew-Super-Wine-Yeast-Compound-60g-/370793839117?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&hash=item565508fa0d

Does it make a differences that its super wine yeast?

My understanding of it would be that the high temperature sped things up and the yeast has used all the easily accessible sugars but it's not dead. Id still leave it a bit longer. Throwing more sugar into it would increase the alcohol content but at the expense of taste. You'll be adding a bit more anyway at bottling time.

evolving_doors

KAGY wrote: »

My understanding of it would be that the high temperature sped things up and the yeast has used all the easily accessible sugars but it's not dead. Id still leave it a bit longer. Throwing more sugar into it would increase the alcohol content but at the expense of taste. You'll be adding a bit more anyway at bottling time.

I'd agree with that pretty much..it also depends on the type of fermentation you observed....The super wine yeast has a fairly vigorous fermentation like a lava lamp on crack..I've mostly seen the Ec-118 have a gentle fizz over a longer period..

I'm assuming you don't have a hydrometer, if its done five days allready then wait another five or so..add yer sugar or apple juice before bottling to prime. How much sugar did you start with?

I wouldn't worry to much about a stuck fermentation, I've never experienced it or heard of it with cider!

evolving_doors

Oh yeah, make sure to let us know what it tastes like..I have a pot of that super yeast compound but I'm nout to enamoured with my wine efforts..

flanaganred

Well just done my third batch bubbling away nicely,made up with about 700 grams of blackberries read Khannie's advice too late about adding the berries to secondary barrel might add some more at secondary stage.My second batch I sweetened with stevia and the cider is tasting well after a couple of weeks less of an artificial taste to me,Aldi are now selling stevia for 50c for 100 tabs which makes it a lot cheaper then tescos!they are also selling a sucrose sweetener for the same price

Loobz

Im planning on doing this brew over the weekend. Can I use champagne yeast for this? Its all I have to hand and will never get cider yeast to me by s
Sunday. Thanks.

Khannie

Loobz wrote: »

Im planning on doing this brew over the weekend. Can I use champagne yeast for this? Its all I have to hand and will never get cider yeast to me by s
Sunday. Thanks.

Pretty sure cider yeast is champagne yeast. Regardless, yes is the answer.

Loobz

Going to crush this bag of apples and get some cider in my bucket!

Khannie

Nice! Have you a press? I got some apples - a mix of eaters and cookers - and I'm going to put them through the juicer. Last time I did that with a load of eating pears I broke the juicer.


*innocent whistle*

loyatemu

I was thinking of doing something like this with my apples - anyone know where I could get a similar container? (and would voile curtain be a suitable mesh?)

last time I pressed into a baking tray with the the mulch contained in muslin bags, but the bags tend to bulge out and split without something to contain them.

Loobz

Yeah made a press from steel and to apply pressure I use a bottle jack for jacking up a car. Shredded apples in a new garden mulcher (never used for anything but the apples.
These go into muslin cloth. Bought 4 metres by 1.5 metres in michael guineys for 12 euro.
This goes into large rectanglar container. I drilled a hole in the corner and attached a ferm bucket tap to control flow.

Ronan|Raven

Planning on starting a second batch this week, following on from my first attempt I will be making an apple/red grape mix and maybe using slightly less sugar than my last attempt (150g per 4.5L)

I will also remember to take a gravity reading at the start this time! I have to admit the first batch had one hell of a kick to it so I am curious to get a proper alcohol % reading at the end.

willabur

I am planning something along these lines for a cider. I have no experience with making cider so some constructive criticism is more than welcome

19 litres of fresh farmers market AJ
Pitch a packet of Nottingham Ale Yeast
leave in fermenter for a month
Rack to Boil kettle, bring to boil for 10 minutes to kill yeast
Back Sweeten with 2 litres of Pear juice
Rack to Corny Keg and Force Carb.

Serve on Week 5

Thoughts?

Khannie

willabur wrote: »

Rack to Boil kettle, bring to boil for 10 minutes to kill yeast

:eek:

Is this a thing that people do?

willabur

Khannie wrote: »

:eek:

Is this a thing that people do?

What is the argument against it? My idea was to kill yeast so the Sweetness of the pear juice is preserved

loyatemu

camden powder to kill the yeast is probably preferable (isn't that what winemakers use before backsweetening/bottling?) - boiling it could affect the taste as well as reducing the alcohol content.

Khannie

You could probably heat it up to like 50C and hold it there even for a short time. Yeast dies easily with heat to the best of my knowledge. Boiling (especially beyond the alcohol evaporation point :pac:) seems OTT.

willabur

did a google on it there and it dies at 60 degrees celcius. So I don't see a problem with taking it up to 60 degrees with a lid on the boil pot to preserve the alcohol