Help with making cider

[sharp88]

I found a source of unidentifyable but sweet tasting apple's at the back of my nan's retirement flat block, which every year go to waste and just rot on the ground. I had the bright idea of making a small batch of home brew cider, but Im confused on a few points to the process. I also have a second source of another kind of apple that I forget what variety they are.

I've been reading Real Cidermaking on a small scale by Michael Pooley and John Lomax, but Im having trouble with figuring out a few things. They do go on a fair bit about useless points to fill the book and because of this the cider making process is patchy and difficult to translate.

I'll write out the process that I've translated from the book into bullet points on here. If I've gotten any of the steps wrong, please correct me. I have a few questions too that are in block capitols.

Furthermore, I apologise for all the words.


-Sterilise the demi-johns & other apparatus that will come into contact with the brew using sterilising solution. WHAT ARE CAMPDEN TABLETS AND SHOULD THEY BE USED AT THIS POINT? HOW DO YOU USE THEM?

- Rinse off the sterilising solution in the demi-johns. HOW WILL I ENSURE THAT THE STERILISING SOLUTION WILL BE REMOVED?

- Wash & quarter the apples

- Pulp the apples in a bucket with a fence post or similar blunt instrument. PLEASE SUGGEST A SUITABLE INSTRUMENT TO BLUDGEON THEM WITH.

- Press the apples and collect the juice into demi-johns.

- Add the yeast to the demi-johns and plug them loosely with sterile gauze or cotton wool.
WHAT KIND OF YEAST IS BEST? WHATS THE BRAND NAME & VARIETY OF THIS PARTICULAR YEAST?

- When the frothing from the top dies down, remove the gauze or cotton wool and fit the fermentation lock.

- Rack the cider into a clean demi-john and top up with cold water. HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN TO RACK THE CIDER? HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TILL ITS TIME TO RACK IT?

- Add warm sugar syrup to demi-johns and shake well until its dissolved.

- Syphon out the cider into clean bottles and store in a cold place for 3 months. WOULD A SHED BE SUITABLE FOR THIS? OR IS IT TOO COLD?

Many Thanks,

Sharp.

 

[EdS]

Rincing twice with water after the sodium metabisulphate will do.

Also rinse apples in steriliser to kill the wild yeast.

If you've got a juicer just juice the apple - put into a bucket that is what I do. Spoon the "scum" off with a clean spoon. Add high alcohol tollerant yeast you and also add pectin emzyne if you want (reduces the haze). Leave to ferment for a couple of days Remove scum and then transfer to demi-johns.

Leave until it spots bubbling, then leave a little longer to check. It may take 6 months to ferment out fully.

If you add sugar before bottling you'll get sparkling (or exploding) cider. I don't add any sugar and get a dry "farmhouse" type cider. Some years it is a bit cloudy some very clear.

 

[slowworm]

Campden tablets are sodium metabisulphite, you dissolve them in hot water. As it can be added directly to wine to stop the fermentation then I don't worry too much about rinsing, once or twice is fine. The main concern would be it could prevent the juice from fermenting for a few days if you don't rinse.

A rolling pin with a blunt end might be a suitable instrument for bludgeoning.

I've been making cider from apple juice recently and just use a sparking wine or plain wine yeast. I gather you can buy cider yeast, a decent home brew shop might be able to help. Do take care not to over fill the djs, you can get a good couple of inches of foam during the initial ferment.

You should see the cider gradually slow fermenting and start to settle, it can be quite variable depending on temperature and the amount of fermentable sugars in the apples. When I use apple juice in the summer it can take just a month or so, some wines I make can take a year or more.

Adding the sugar syrup near the end I assume is to prime the cider so it's sparkling when the bottles are opened. Take care with this, don't be tempted to add too much sugar - it'll not increase the alcohol or sweetness and too much can cause the bottles to burst (I've added three tea spoons of sugar to a pint of home-made beer once and all that was left of the bottle was little bits of glass in the walls of the shed!)

 

[waylander]

When I made turbo cider I used champagne yeast. It has a higher attentuation I believe itsw called so can take the alcohol percentage up to about 14. It made a nice cider but it was slightly to dry for me so before I make it again I want some lactose (non-fermentable sugar). I'm not the most active on here so I hope this isn't taken as spamming but this site will have loads of helpfull info for you http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/index.php

 

[British Red]

Campden tablets are completely un-necessary for sterilisation. An eggcup full of plain unscented household bleach (5&#37 in a gallon of water works fine. Rinse twice with tap water - done.

Any decent wine yeast will work - or bread yeast come to that - just make a starter culture with the yeast (5g) in half a cup of room temperature orange juice. Wait a couple of hours till bubbles form and pour in.

You need to pulp the apples - rough chop em with a big knife and whiz them up in your missus food processor of beat the snot out of em in a bucket with any blunt instrument.

Squeezing the juice out is the trick - do you have a press?

Rack (with a piece of plastic tube) when the violent frothing ceases. Again when all bubbles cease to rise.

Leave the bottles in the house (warm) for a week then transfer to the shed.

Been brewing for 30 years - anything you need - ask!

Red

 

[sharp88]

Campden tablets are completely un-necessary for sterilisation. An eggcup full of plain unscented household bleach (5%) in a gallon of water works fine. Rinse twice with tap water - done.

Any decent wine yeast will work - or bread yeast come to that - just make a starter culture with the yeast (5g) in half a cup of room temperature orange juice. Wait a couple of hours till bubbles form and pour in.

You need to pulp the apples - rough chop em with a big knife and whiz them up in your missus food processor of beat the snot out of em in a bucket with any blunt instrument.

Squeezing the juice out is the trick - do you have a press?

Rack (with a piece of plastic tube) when the violent frothing ceases. Again when all bubbles cease to rise.

Leave the bottles in the house (warm) for a week then transfer to the shed.

Been brewing for 30 years - anything you need - ask!

Red

No I don't have a press, but I've got access to one not too far away. I figured that I should get a load of buckets & containers, get up early and pulp the apples in the yard. Then go down to the press, which is about 8 miles away and get them pressed...Must the apples be pressed immediately after being pulped? They should be fine sitting in buckets for 20 mins I would of thought.

 

[sharp88]

Campden tablets are completely un-necessary for sterilisation. An eggcup full of plain unscented household bleach (5%) in a gallon of water works fine. Rinse twice with tap water - done.

Any decent wine yeast will work - or bread yeast come to that - just make a starter culture with the yeast (5g) in half a cup of room temperature orange juice. Wait a couple of hours till bubbles form and pour in.

You need to pulp the apples - rough chop em with a big knife and whiz them up in your missus food processor of beat the snot out of em in a bucket with any blunt instrument.

Squeezing the juice out is the trick - do you have a press?

Rack (with a piece of plastic tube) when the violent frothing ceases. Again when all bubbles cease to rise.

Leave the bottles in the house (warm) for a week then transfer to the shed.

Been brewing for 30 years - anything you need - ask!

Red

No I don't have a press, but I've got access to one not too far away. I figured that I should get a load of buckets & containers, get up early and pulp the apples in the yard. Then go down to the press, which is about 8 miles away and get them pressed...Must the apples be pressed immediately after being pulped? They should be fine sitting in buckets for 20 mins I would of thought.

 

[British Red]

Yep should be okay - may go a bit brown but heck who cares. They should have a way of pulping too - most use a clean wood shredder or hand pulper

Red