First time brewer

Hello,
I am a first time brewer, a baby one, but a 60 year old baby when it comes to brewing. I had spent time researching into brewing Cider as I love the stuff and enjoy trying out different flavours. However, I decided to try my hand at making my own seeing as I have a few apple trees which produce masses of apples. A particular variety being a really sweet red strawberry apple. So hopefully I can make some nice cider from them. I will soon have a 10L cider making kit which I spent quite abit of time looking into as I didn't want to waste money on something that wouldn't do what I need. Starter kits seemed to look ok for the job, but opted for something a little more toward the experienced side of things which only cost a little bit more and had the same as a starter kit but with a few more things thrown in.
I am looking at mashing apples then obtaining the juice by using a cheese cloth. Presses seemed a little over the top to start with, maybe later down the line. Once I have used the apples up, I could go to cartoned apple juice.
Either way, one is free except for cost of the brewing kit and the other is still cheaper than buying bottled cider from a store I suppose.
Really looking forward to getting started and share my baby steps along the way.

Thanks and Cheers

Welcome to the forum


If you haven't already seen it have a look at -

How to make Turbo Cider.​

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/how-to-make-turbo-cider.69059/post-652157

Welcome to the forum

Welcome

Im not sure what kit you have, but in my early cider making experiments I have done:
Generate pulp in a food processor.
Fermenting on the pulp. I had to add a little apple juice to get it liquid enough but after fermentation it was easy enough to separate the pulp. I used one of my BIAB big mesh bags.
I also tried using an old steamer as a press. Pulp in a supermarket veg bag & press down with a bit of wood I'd shaped to the correct side to act as a plunger.
If you like your cider pale, then a little metabisulphate while juicing will stop the juice oxidizing, but if you like a nice golden hue, don't bother.
Also if you want crystal clear cider, consider adding pectolytic enzyme.
We only get one shot at cider making a year & I'm still trying to improve. My challenge is not to use more than 20% cookers, as that's the most prolific tree. But I have located a sweet crab apple that's quite prolific that worked well last year.

jof said:

Im not sure what kit you have, but in my early cider making experiments I have done:
Generate pulp in a food processor.
Fermenting on the pulp. I had to add a little apple juice to get it liquid enough but after fermentation it was easy enough to separate the pulp. I used one of my BIAB big mesh bags.
I also tried using an old steamer as a press. Pulp in a supermarket veg bag & press down with a bit of wood I'd shaped to the correct side to act as a plunger.
If you like your cider pale, then a little metabisulphate while juicing will stop the juice oxidizing, but if you like a nice golden hue, don't bother.
Also if you want crystal clear cider, consider adding pectolytic enzyme.
We only get one shot at cider making a year & I'm still trying to improve. My challenge is not to use more than 20% cookers, as that's the most prolific tree. But I have located a sweet crab apple that's quite prolific that worked well last year.

Click to expand...

That's a good idea to use an old steamer press. I have something similar that might be of use in the loft. I was kinda thinking to blend the apples into mush after cutting out any bad bits, then line a sieve with cheese cloth, fill with the mushed apple and then wrap the mush up then twist the cloth until all the juice is squeezed out initially. Time consuming I suppose, but for a brewing baby like me, using a measuring jug to get the exact amount of juice needed for 10L bucket seems easier for starters. Thank you for the very useful info on the enzymes etc... something to try out for sure once I have a more experience.
The kit I ordered is the Almost off Grid 10L kit with fermentation bucket.

Garden shredders make good cider.
As does freezing the apples.
+1 for pectolytic enzyme.

MashBag said:

Garden shredders make good cider.
As does freezing the apples.
+1 for pectolytic enzyme.

Click to expand...

You need to be making a high volume to justify a garden shredder.
Plus you need to make sure you can clean the insides to your required brewing standards.

I've got my eye on a vegetable shredder that I've found in a cupboard at the museum for this year's batch rather than taking in my magimix. But it's hand cranked like a vicious mangle.

Welcome to the forum

jof said:

You need to be making a high volume to justify a garden shredder.
Plus you need to make sure you can clean the insides to your required brewing standards.

I've got my eye on a vegetable shredder that I've found in a cupboard at the museum for this year's batch rather than taking in my magimix. But it's hand cranked like a vicious mangle.

Click to expand...

A few carrier bags are enough, but Tbh freeze, thaw, press is so much better than any shredder.

I've been making cider for the last 4 years. Last year I tried scratting with a garden shredder but it was hopeless so I reverted to the food processor.

mgmick said:

I've been making cider for the last 4 years. Last year I tried scratting with a garden shredder but it was hopeless so I reverted to the food processor.

Click to expand...

Could you expand a little before I spend 45 mins cleaning the shredder up before trying it. Did it not shred? Did it spit stuff everywhere but the bottom spout?

MashBag said:

Garden shredders make good cider.
As does freezing the apples.
+1 for pectolytic enzyme.

Click to expand...

How many garden shredders for, say, 20 litres of cider?

An Ankoù said:

How many garden shredders for, say, 20 litres of cider?

Click to expand...

I use a ratio of 2 for every pair of pruning shears and a cup of bone meal.

An Ankoù said:

How many garden shredders for, say, 20 litres of cider?

Click to expand...

I have been using a garden shredder for a few years now. I started by pulling out all parts and giving everything a deep clean, including sharpening the blades. This took me a few hours, but now I have a machine that only requires an annual deep clean after the season is over.

I cut each apple in half (actually my wife is kind enough to do this) and check for worms, then feed them gradually into the shredder. 2 x 10 litre buckets of apples makes about 10kg of mush. I then squeeze this into juice using a 20litre "hydropress" (online about £400). This 10kg of mush makes about 6 litres of juice. I then freeze most of the juice in 2.5 litre plastic containers and make cider using the rest. If I want to make some to give away I use my beer kettle to pasteurize the juice and then bottle it.

After collecting a few boxes of apples already fallen from our trees, my wife and I were able to make 33 litres of juice in around 2 hours on Monday this week. We will probably make about 200 litres of juice this year as it is a good year for our 5 trees. The juice in the freezer is still good 2 years later and I believe that the hydropress has now paid for itself.

Good luck

An Ankoù said:

How many garden shredders for, say, 20 litres of cider?

Click to expand...

Surely just one shredder. I have heard you need 3 times volume of final juice in apples and four times the volume for “hard cider “ All recipes seem in gallons where as I collect my apples in supermarket bags and buckets.

Philthebrewer said:

I have been using a garden shredder for a few years now. I started by pulling out all parts and giving everything a deep clean, including sharpening the blades. This took me a few hours, but now I have a machine that only requires an annual deep clean after the season is over.

I cut each apple in half (actually my wife is kind enough to do this) and check for worms, then feed them gradually into the shredder. 2 x 10 litre buckets of apples makes about 10kg of mush. I then squeeze this into juice using a 20litre "hydropress" (online about £400). This 10kg of mush makes about 6 litres of juice. I then freeze most of the juice in 2.5 litre plastic containers and make cider using the rest. If I want to make some to give away I use my beer kettle to pasteurize the juice and then bottle it.

After collecting a few boxes of apples already fallen from our trees, my wife and I were able to make 33 litres of juice in around 2 hours on Monday this week. We will probably make about 200 litres of juice this year as it is a good year for our 5 trees. The juice in the freezer is still good 2 years later and I believe that the hydropress has now paid for itself.

Good luck

Click to expand...

A few hours! That is typical of me I was budgeting under an hour.

mgmick said:

I've been making cider for the last 4 years. Last year I tried scratting with a garden shredder but it was hopeless so I reverted to the food processor.

Click to expand...

I have a selections stainless steel shredder, it is essentially a garden shredder, long tube down to a rotary blade. Better electrical protection than standard garden shredders. It produces a fine pomace which presses well.

Gonna spend an hour cleaning up my shredder and give it a go.

15 days to go until the 4 weeks til ready. Has been fermenting very well for 1 and a half weeks, now it has slown down considerably over the past 4/5 days. Airlock still indicates pressure escaping, but much slower now. Is this about how things should go?. I plan on not touching anything until the 15th September. I imagine by that date, I can test gravity. Hope it sounds about right.