Cider advice for newbie

[NCFCcrazy]

Ok, so, after being inspired by another post, I have started building an apple press, the frames made, just waiting for a Jack and large straining bag to be delivered.

I have been looking online at recipes, but have some questions:-

The recipes I looked at don't involve adding sugar, I assume that I would do the same as I would with wine? i.e. measure with hydrometer and add sugar to achieve desired abv%

Should I buy some proper cider yeast or will the wine yeast I already have be ok?

Instructions I read advise to "prime" the bottles with sugar, but I like still cider so assume this isnt needed?

Once fermentation has finished, can I drink it straight away or does it need to "mature" first?

Sorry, never done this before:razz:

 

[brewmandan]

Ok, so, after being inspired by another post, I have started building an apple press, the frames made, just waiting for a Jack and large straining bag to be delivered.

I have been looking online at recipes, but have some questions:-

The recipes I looked at don't involve adding sugar, I assume that I would do the same as I would with wine? i.e. measure with hydrometer and add sugar to achieve desired abv%

Should I buy some proper cider yeast or will the wine yeast I already have be ok?

Instructions I read advise to "prime" the bottles with sugar, but I like still cider so assume this isnt needed?

Once fermentation has finished, can I drink it straight away or does it need to "mature" first?

Sorry, never done this before:razz:

Sugar is just to boost the abv. cider yeast, wine or champagne yeast: i think each yeast has a different affect(don't know much about that) but wine and champagne yeast can reach higher alcohol levels.

If you don't like bubbles you don't have to prime.

You can drink it straight away I've done it but it didn't taste that good i used bread yeast then. Everyone says it gets better with age.

 

[user 4004]

You wont need sugar, any apple variety seems to produce about 7.5% abv, as for yeast I would say use what you have got, a couple of years ago I started with using a champagne yeast EC-1118, and have kept the culture going ever since (so now I have my own hybrid variety).

You can drink straight away but I would advise against it, I now tell any one that will listen to me that it requires at least the winter on it, but it is better after 12 months.

A lot of people will tell you, you need campden tablets, but I have never used them and never seen any ill effects (I would need one hell of a lot so far I am up to 280gal).

 

[Bramble]

A lot of people will tell you, you need campden tablets, but I have never used them and never seen any ill effects (I would need one hell of a lot so far I am up to 280gal).

How many Gallons?????? and I thought I had made some 6gals.:hmm:

My first year making Cider too, no sugar added, no Camdan tabs used and no yeast, I just let nature do her bit, the fermentation happened over night. I have 5gals in a brown keg sitting at the back of my summerhouse outside waiting patiently for this time next year to sample..

 

[Pirate_Pete]

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=56489&highlight=turbo+cider

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=52411&highlight=bramley

A couple of threads there for you.

 

[NCFCcrazy]

Thanks all, going to be a busy boy this weekend! Will see how it tastes before I decide whether to store or drink straight away.

 

[user 4004]

How many Gallons?????? and I thought I had made some 6gals.:hmm:

My first year making Cider too, no sugar added, no Camdan tabs used and no yeast, I just let nature do her bit, the fermentation happened over night. I have 5gals in a brown keg sitting at the back of my summerhouse outside waiting patiently for this time next year to sample..

Yeh, Last year I was short of apple and, so started looking around and scrounging apples from anyone with a tree in there garden, asking if I could have any apples they could spare, and I managed about 90 gals, this year everyone remembered that I would take any apples they did not want and they just keep arriving + the ones I go and collect, last weekend I had ten dustbins fulls and made 80 gals. :party:

 

[Bramble]

The lady that owns our local Brew Shop offered me a Scratter the other day while I was buying another beer kit, she knew I had made cider for the first time this year, she was wanting £40 for it marked down from over £200. I had a close look at it and in parts you could see she had had it for some time out in the back cause it had gone rusty in places.
Needless to say I didn't buy it, I said I would stick to the food processor to pulp the Apples I use.
Question....Obviously your drink your Cider that you make surely not all of it?

 

[Rincon]

Im no expert but i do use camdon tablets, always use cider yeast and I dont prime the bottles but Im sure that's personal preference as I like it flat.

As for leaving it, the first year I made it i tried some the Christmas after - it wasn't very pleasant but drinkable i guess. I wondered if i had made a bad drink and used quite a bit of it for mulled cider.

Wish I had of waited as its just got better and better.

Ive just finished the last few bottles from that batch that are now 2 years old and it was total nectar!

My only 2 regrets is that I didnt make more and that I hadn't of used it for mulled cider haha

 

[jamesw]

Back in the old days (and some "cyder" producers now) just use natural yeasts which are naturally present on the fruit itself. supposed to be very nice indeed but I would imagine you would have to be very careful with sterility.

 

[NCFCcrazy]

Im no expert but i do use camdon tablets, always use cider yeast and I dont prime the bottles but Im sure that's personal preference as I like it flat.

As for leaving it, the first year I made it i tried some the Christmas after - it wasn't very pleasant but drinkable i guess. I wondered if i had made a bad drink and used quite a bit of it for mulled cider.

Wish I had of waited as its just got better and better.

Ive just finished the last few bottles from that batch that are now 2 years old and it was total nectar!

My only 2 regrets is that I didnt make more and that I hadn't of used it for mulled cider haha

Thanks, that settles it for me, Im going to make it and leave it to mature. With all the wine and Cider, next xmas is going to be smashing!

 

[user 4004]

Question....Obviously your drink your Cider that you make surely not all of it?

Yeh, I use it for bribe currency with mates and at work.

 

[Bramble]

Being new to Cider making and not bothering to read up on the subject I just put the freshly squeezed apple juice into 2 litre milk containers until I bought another large fermentation vessel where it happily fermented all by it's self with me adding nothing to it. As I have said before I have 5 gallon in a brown barrel sitting peacefully outside on bricks at the back of my summerhouse waiting for Christmas 2016....