Cider Noob and Keg Filling

[dazziep]

Hi all,

I'm hoping to start my first ever attempt at brewing cider soon for the wife.

So really I'm looking for tips, advise etc.

She loves Brothers toffee apple cider, loves kopparberg fruity ciders etc, nice and sweet nice and fizzy.

She doesn't like flat dry, cloudy, scrumpy type ciders.

So any recommendations on say a kit that's really easy for a noob would be awesome.

Also the 2nd part of this question is that, I have watched LOTS of vids with people making cider and yep it seems simple enough, but all of them end with them bottling it.. I want to see how to keg it and force carbonate it etc.

As for my beer, I'm lucky enough to have a friend who loves brewing and has offered to brew my beer for me, so I'm not worries about that side of things, just wanted to make sure that I can have a nice cider on tap too :)

eventually I'd like more beers, lagers etc (all sadly not brewed by me) , but wondered if there is anywhere else other than relying on my friend all the time where I can just take an empty corny and they will fill it full of beer for me?

I've tried emailing local brewers and either been told no or ignored

 

[dazziep]

Anyone ?? Sorry to nag but I really want to get in with making a cider ready for BBQ time :)

 

[simon12]

I am no cider expert but since noone else has answered I suggest trying this. Fill a fermenter to the desired level with apple juice any type that has no preservatives, add cider yeast at the temperature recommended on the pack. Leave to ferment until theres no activity. Use potassium sorbate to kill the yeast at the recommend dose on the jar and leave for the sediment to settle out (chilling will help if possible). Siphon into the corny keg, add sugar to the desired level of sweetness and force carb to the desired amount based on pressure and temp (calculators can be found online).

 

[dazziep]

cheers for replying :)

To be honest I was looking at even simpler than that, I have seen a kit in the range that looks interesting I might give that a try I think ...

https://www.therange.co.uk/cooking-and-dining/drinks/home-brew/make-your-own-apple-cider-kit#499806

I just guess instead of the bottling bit at the end, I don't pour in the sugar and just keg it all then force carbonate?

 

[WierdFish]

The "On the Rocks" kits are pretty good. I did a mixed berry cider last year which turned out very nice.

 

[dazziep]

cool, thanks for the recommendation, I might give that a try.

Just one question though, no one has answered me about kegging and force carbonating.

when I've watched videos or read instructions how to make these kits, they always show how to bottle and but in the sugar to make it fizzy. I want to put it in a corny and blast it with co2 and having coming out of my kegerator. does that mean I don't add the sugar at the end? so after fermentation I can siphon it in to a corny, and just copy one of the vids I've watched about force carbonating beer (I assume it's the same??) sorry total noob, I really need someone to hold my hand here :)

 

[zippy40]

cheers for replying :)

To be honest I was looking at even simpler than that, I have seen a kit in the range that looks interesting I might give that a try I think ...

https://www.therange.co.uk/cooking-and-dining/drinks/home-brew/make-your-own-apple-cider-kit#499806

I just guess instead of the bottling bit at the end, I don't pour in the sugar and just keg it all then force carbonate?

What simon has said above will be the easier todo than the kit. Look up on here about turbo ciders. Really easy to Make with good results. They do ferment to dry. Rather than worry about killing off the yeast as simon says, just back sweeten with splenda or similar. This way ensures a sweet cider with no worry about sterilising the brew of yeast. If you want a fruit cider just add concentrated juice at the start of brewing to create a fruit cider

 

[WierdFish]

Not a keg man myself but I understand that instead of adding a teaspoon of sugar per bottle you simply add all the sugar ( or make a syrup for better dissolving) and it all goes in the keg together. Can't comment on forced carbonation though.

 

[simon12]

Just to give you a bit of an explanation, I advised killing the yeast before adding sugar to stop it fermenting the sugar to make a sweet cider adding a non fermentable sweetener like zippy said is an alternative. Adding sugar without killing the yeast will allow it to ferment and naturally carbonate it (and leave it dry) but there is no need to do this as you are force carbonating it.

 

[dazziep]

cool thanks.. I might just give a try, just a small amount to start with, I'd be a bit gutted chucking 20L away if it's not nice :)

 

[zippy40]

Try an experiment with a demijohn full. It will cost you less than a fiver so not much to lose.

 

[pvt_ak]

Go to wine cider recipe of this forum - lots of recipes for cider without the expense of a cider kit.

Simple cider =

Cider 100% juice
Yeast
Pectolase
Yeast nutrient
Water

Simples [emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tanzanite]

Anyone ?? Sorry to nag but I really want to get in with making a cider ready for BBQ time :)

Dazzie plenty of time to make cider for summer it does not require the conditioning time of beer and is ready to drink in 10 weeks, do your self a favour and buy a couple of Ciderworks kits there without doubt the best available and make superb cider . i use all the ingredients provided and they make a medium lovely appley cider , I am a cider drinker and these kits taste better than any commercial stuff Cheers:thumb:

 

[dazziep]

Cheers for this guys, so this weekend I'm gonna buy a demijohn, and the ingredients as mentioned from @pvt_ak above and just have a go and see what happens.

Although I'm trying to make like a dark fruit cider. I watched a vid where a guy made strawberry cider and used Ribena, so I guess I could do similar ??

I'm thinking..

off to ASDA?? maybe, 4 litres of their cheap 100% apple juice and 1 litre of some dark fruit dilute drink (no artificial stuff added)
off to wilko?? buy a demijohn, yeast, pectolase, yeast nutrient. (and something to sterilize all the stuff) - oh and I guess and all the other stuff, hydrometer siphon etc.

I'm a total brewing noob, I have nothing yet.. I only really got into the idea recently because I'm building my own bar and needed cheap alcohol

- first sterilize EVERYTHING (even scissors etc)
- then boil dark fruit juice to get all **** out (for about 15 mins??) and let it cool back down
- pour all my apple juice into my demi
- mix it all up
- sprinkle in yeast
- stir it
- stick in bung and airlock
- leave (how long?? 1 week ??)

that's about as much as I know, so I can see there is quite a bit missing.. when do I add yeast nutrient, and pectolase?
I guess I need to do something at the end to make it sweet and fizzy ( add sugar substitute - splenda or something??) when do I know it's time to add this and bottle and how much?

In fact I don't know how much of anything I need to add, all vids I watch, just say things like now add yeast (how much??)

this is why I was just going to buy a kit, everything is included with instructions for a idiot like me

sorry for being such a numpty

 

[dazziep]

Dazzie plenty of time to make cider for summer it does not require the conditioning time of beer and is ready to drink in 10 weeks, do your self a favour and buy a couple of Ciderworks kits there without doubt the best available and make superb cider . i use all the ingredients provided and they make a medium lovely appley cider , I am a cider drinker and these kits taste better than any commercial stuff Cheers:thumb:

:thumb::thumb: cheers might do that, thanks for recommendation..where do you get them from ??

 

[Tanzanite]

:thumb::thumb: cheers might do that, thanks for recommendation..where do you get them from ??

Nearest to you is love brewing Chesterfield for the ciderworks also there a brew shop called discount homebrew at doncaster a guy called gary does it from home he dosent have the ciderworks kits but hes cheap for every thing else, :thumb:

 

[dazziep]

it looks like I might be forgetting this after all.

I was making the cider for the wife, she tried a cider that she bought from a shop last night and said it was horrible and that she only liked Brothers toffee apple cider NO OTHER. (btw it was Bulmers pear cider and I drank it and thought it was really nice)

So I'm guessing unless I can make that (and EXACTLY that) she's not gonna like anything I make for her and I will be wasting my time..

women