Brewbuddy Cider

[fbsf]

How do you culture up the yeast? Is it simply a case of putting the remaining yeast in the weston's bottle with a sugar solution in a demijohn or similar?

 

[kentmark]

I've got a TC on the go at the moment - basically the same idea but with a cup of very strong stewed black tea thrown in for good measure (adds tannin).

What I did was...

Get a decent sized mug, and brew a cuppa with 2 tea bags. Leave it to stew for now.
Boil 1/2 carton cheap apple juice with 250g(ish) of sugar, until all the sugar has dissolved.
Bung that in a sterilised demijohn
Add the remaining half carton of juice and another two full cartons to the demijohn.
By this time the tea should be brewed enough. Remove the tea bags and add the brew to the demijohn.
Add 1tsp of yeast (I used Youngs wine yeast, as that was all I had to hand), swirl the demi to mix it and add an airlock.
After 2-3 days any foaming should subside, so add another carton of juice (so that should be 4 now).

Mine's still bubbling away like a good 'un...

Like the simplicity of this! Can I ask, do you leave it bubbling until it stops bubbling, then do you bottle, or need to rack to a second DJ? Do you need to leave to condition in the second DJ / bottle etc? Is this intended to be a still or fizzy drink, if fizzy how do you carbonate?

Thanks in advance!


Mark

 

[graysalchemy]

How do you culture up the yeast? Is it simply a case of putting the remaining yeast in the weston's bottle with a sugar solution in a demijohn or similar?

It is quite simple but takes a bit of time to get it going. I have had one going for a week and it is limping along slowly.

What you need to do is put about 400ml of apple juice into a sterilized milk bottle. Next get you bottle of old rosie and carefully pour it without disturbing the sediment leaving the bottom half inch in the bottle. Swill this around and add it to you apple juice. add 1 tsp of yeast nutrient and give it a good shake to oxygenate the apple juice. Now cover it with a piece of tin foil (sterilized and put it some where warm. When ever you go past it give it a good swill around. After this has fermented out (it may show little sign of fermenting) repeat the process again. Once you have done this and the second lot has fermented out add all of it to a Litre of apple juice in a DJ, and again ferment, once this has got going you can add more apple juice until you get a good covering of yeast. This can now be harvested and added to a batch of TC.

You will notice that I didn't keep any of the fermented apple juice from the starters this is because I didn't add any malic acid or tannin to keep it all simple and avoid stressing the yeast. I tend to use this juice to make cider vinegar :lol: :lol:

Like the simplicity of this! Can I ask, do you leave it bubbling until it stops bubbling, then do you bottle, or need to rack to a second DJ? Do you need to leave to condition in the second DJ / bottle etc? Is this intended to be a still or fizzy drink, if fizzy how do you carbonate?

Kentmark It really will taste better with the addition of Malic acid.

 

[fbsf]

Right, I think I'm (very) slowly getting it. The apple juice used in the gathering process is effectively waste (unless you want to make cider vinegar, which I'm guessing is a different thread altogether).

Now how do you harvest the yeast that has been growing in that juice, to add to fresh juice to make a TC - is it from whatever drops out to the bottom of the demijohn, or the foam at the top of the liquor?

 

[fbsf]

Is this intended to be a still or fizzy drink, if fizzy how do you carbonate?
Thanks in advance!
Mark

It can be either - if you want it to be flat, add some potassium sorbate to kill the yeast and bottle. If you would prefer it fizzy, add 1/2 teaspoon to each 350-ish ml bottle (or scale up for bigger bottles) and cap. The yeast will ferment that second amount of sugar and in doing so create CO2 which will make the cider fizzy.

You'll need to leave it in the bottles for about a week in a warmish place, then at least two in a cold place, but the longer you can leave it, the better it should taste (4-6 months produces a lovely cider apparantly). You will need to pour carefully as their will be a layer of yeast on the bottom of the bottle. Unless you prefer a cloudy cider.

But I also bow to graysalchemy's knowledge here with regard to the malic acid...

Also, in answer to your first point, wait until it has finished bubbling and cleared, then bottle. No need to rack to a 2nd demi.

 

[RobWalker]

gray, is the weston's old rosie yeast worth using?

 

[graysalchemy]

gray, is the weston's old rosie yeast worth using?

I think so, you do get the farmyard twang with it which I haven't had with wine or champagne yeast.

Now how do you harvest the yeast that has been growing in that juice, to add to fresh juice to make a TC - is it from whatever drops out to the bottom of the demijohn, or the foam at the top of the liquor?

Once you have culture up a load crash cool it in the fridge and the yeast will settle at the bottom then decant of the 'cider' and remove the yeast as before. If you wanted you could add this 'cider to a 5l batch but make sure you compensate for the malic and tannin which you didn't add in the first place.

:thumb:

 

[Vossy1]

Moved to wine and cider brewdays forum as more relevant :thumb:

 

[RobWalker]

That's interesting. I wouldn't mind some scrumpy in bottles, our local do a Berry flavoured scrumpy and it's great!