Cider from Aldi 100% natural apple juice

[ukphiltr7]

I don’t put milk in mine

Miine still looks.like it has milk in it. Looks as cloudy as custard. I checked it on the refractrometerand it was reading 4.5 on the Brix scale.

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[ukphiltr7]

I will be adding some sugar to my cider the weekend as i took a Brix reading and it was 4.5. So it is going down and so is the abv.with that in mind i want to add sugar to take the abv up. So should i add normal suger, brewing sugar or brew enhancer? Also how much for a 10 ltr 2 gallon FV?

 

[Nicks90]

generally 20gms of sugar per litre = 1% abv

so adding 200gms would up your current brew by 1%

 

[BrannBrew]

If you were to make a batch and keg it what psi would you want to set your regulator to?

Made it many times, turns out like Thatchers.
I use sweet cider yeast from Hambleton Bard £4.50 for 2 packets.
5 strong t bags in a ltr of water for 30 minutes
yeast nutrient
20 ltrs of Aldi pure apple juice
topped up with 3ltrs of water
ferment out to 1.000
normally a week then bottle with 325g of sugar
2 weeks condition at 20 degree
chill and drink
job done

Tried lots of different yeasts including Champagne yeast,but this seems to be just right, alot turn out dry and watery

Looks good! Ive only ever tried a cider kit. If you were to make a batch and keg it what psi would you want to set your regulator to? Thinking of doing a batch ...also might be nice for the wife to have something she could "utilise" other than my beer/brewing stuff and man tools! and a keg of this might be nice.

 

[BREWERS DROOP]

If you were to make a batch and keg it what psi would you want to set your regulator to?


Looks good! Ive only ever tried a cider kit. If you were to make a batch and keg it what psi would you want to set your regulator to? Thinking of doing a batch ...also might be nice for the wife to have something she could "utilise" other than my beer/brewing stuff and man tools! and a keg of this might be nice.

I have only bottled it, as i use my kegs for beer, as i don't really drink it, its just for visitors. I would probably stick 20psi for a week, then reduce to your liking for serving.

 

[ukphiltr7]

Well it has been two weeks now in the FV so i took a reading the weekend. I am thinking of leaving it for 3 weeks before i bottle. The reading was 4 on the Brix scale, so with an initial reading of 11 that makes my cider 4.8%. Not too baf for a first time with just juice anf yeast.
It is still rathet cloudy so i hope the time in the bottle will help there. However, if it is cloudy i do not mind.

 

[zipfly]

Don't forget if you use a refractometer after fermentation, it won't read true as the alcohol distorts the reading.

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[JebKerman]

my last batch using this recipe, just opened


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[ukphiltr7]

my last batch using this recipe, just opened

Must admit that looks a nice clear refreshing drink. I hope that mine clears up during the second fermentation stage. In the 740ml bottle with two car tabs for 4 weeks. Hopefully that should sort it out [emoji38]

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[ukphiltr7]

Don't forget if you use a refractometer after fermentation, it won't read true as the alcohol distorts the reading.

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When you say after fermentation do you mean the first or second stage? Also I didn't know that. Really, why does it not read true?

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[JebKerman]

Must admit that looks a nice clear refreshing drink. I hope that mine clears up during the second fermentation stage. In the 740ml bottle with two car tabs for 4 weeks. Hopefully that should sort it out [emoji38]

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Once you’ve bottled it, put them somewhere cool and dark for at least a month before opening them


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[ukphiltr7]

Once you’ve bottled it, put them somewhere cool and dark for at least a month before opening them


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That is the one hard part of this game, the putting away and leaving g them for at least a month. I am trying to do it so I always have a batch primed and ready to go. So that way my mind is taken off the batch that needs the extra time. Hard though when you know it is there, all you want to do is try them and see how it is going.

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[JebKerman]

It’s why I have arguments with my wife about brewing. I have a horrible feeling that these could be solved by spending £12 on a second brew bucket, but I may not be able to brew fast enough for the bottles I have. Then kegs may be involved, and we all know it’s a slippery slope from there.


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[Nicks90]

Every so often I put 2 brews on - to get a stockpile going so that I can lety next few brews age appropriately without running short.
It's the way forward...

 

[JebKerman]

It’s more difficult when doing beer as well.

I have to take over the kitchen for an afternoon at a time


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[ukphiltr7]

Every so often I put 2 brews on - to get a stockpile going so that I can lety next few brews age appropriately without running short.
It's the way forward...

This is something that I think I will need to do in future. It will keep me going and like you say allow the other beers to prime.

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[zipfly]

When there is alcohol in the liquid, it affects the refractive index and throws off the reading. There are formulas online to correct for this. Refractometers are generally best for reading sugar concentration in liquid before fermentation. Like to use a hydrometer after fermentation.

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[steviebobs83]

Yeah, you're probably closer to 6% ABV depending on how reliable your refractometer is (some have a large correction factor). Plus if you added the extra 200g sugar you mentioned, it's possibly closer to 7%. It's very difficult to tell if you've added extra sugar in the middle of fermentation as you need an initial reading and final to do the calculations with alcohol present.

Check your y-fronts for skid marks after 2 or 3 bottles and you'll know it to be true.

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[ukphiltr7]

Nope didn't add the extra sugar in the end half way through the process. Thought I would leave it as it is this time and the tweek it next time. For a start though I am very pleased with the outcome.
The sound of it being closer to 6% sounds good.

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[steviebobs83]

Nope didn't add the extra sugar in the end half way through the process. Thought I would leave it as it is this time and the tweek it next time. For a start though I am very pleased with the outcome.
The sound of it being closer to 6% sounds good.

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I used brewers friend to roughly gauge your ABV. I use it all the time and it's great. Working out your wort correction factor can be useful if you want more accurate readings but it is a bit time consuming.

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