My first Turbo Cider - A little how to.

[ScottM]

I only put this together last night so I don't have any idea what it will taste like, just went with what I felt would make for a nice summer brew. Feel free to chop and change, make suggestions or just rip what I have done apart as required

All the measurements are to hit 7% @ 4.5L so feel free to add or subtract sugar as required.


Equipment Required

Demijohn 2
Airlocks 1
Funnel 1
Steriliser 10g
Thermometer 1
Syphon Kit of Choice 1
Bottles 9 (500ml)
Caps 9
Capper 1

Ingredients

Malic Acid 1tsp
Tannin 0.5tsp
Apple Juice 3L
Pomegranate Fruit Juice 1L
Sugar for Primary 210g
Sugar for Priming 40g
Pectolase 1tsp
Yeast 1tsp
Yeast Nutrient 1tsp


Instructions

Primary:

Have apple juice sitting at room temp (aiming for 18-23DegC)
Sterilise Demijohn, Funnel, Airlock, thermometer & Bung
Thoroughly Rinse the above with cold water
Mix 0.5tsp of tannin with 210g of sugar (prevents clumping)
Boil min amount of water and dissolve above sugar/tannin mix into it, allow to cool a bit.
Using funnel pour dissolved sugar syrup into the demijohn
Pour juice into Demijohn
Put hand over the end and give a really good shake to mix the sugar in
At this point you can check the OG if you like. Depending on sugar levels it should be approx 1.059 (@4L)
Check Temperature (looking for 18-23DegC). Wait to warm/cool as necessary
Once the above temp is hit sprinkle 1tsp of yeast, yeast nutrient, malic acid and pectolase into Demijohn
Wait for yeast to sink into the juice then give another good shake to mix it all well
Put bung and airlock in place, appropriately fill airlock with cold boiled water
After 3-5 days top up the demijohn with cool boiled water, leaving an inch of space
Sit somewhere out of sunlight at approx 18-23DegC until bubbling stops (approx 7-14 Days)


Once finished it’s onto Secondary Racking & bottling:

Sterilise the Siphon Kit, Demijohn No.2, caps and bottles.
Thoroughly rinse the above with cold water
Place 2nd Demijohn lower than the 1st.
Add 40g of white Sugar to clean Demijohn.
Put siphon kit into the Cider (approx half way) and suck the other end to start the flow.
Allow cider to run from primary into secondary mixing with the sugar as it goes.
As the level of cider drops lower the siphon into it.
Leave approx 1” in the bottom of the Demijohn to make sure sediment stays (siphon kit will likely have trap).
Top up secondary to 1” from the very top (giving approx 4.5L)
Once finished give it a good shake to mix everything as well as possible.
Attach bottling wand to siphon kit and siphon into the bottles.
Cap them as you go.
Allow to sit in approx 18-23DegC for 2 weeks (can sit a lot longer, this is the min)
Allow to sit in the fridge for 1 week each before drinking.


Bulk Ageing Option:

If you wish you can leave the Cider to mature in the secondary. Simply transfer to the secondary, without the sugar, refit the bung/airlock and allow to sit for 3-6 months. After this time rack into a clean demijohn with 40g of sugar and bottle as above.


I'll be back once I've tasted it

 

[andylanc1975]

Bookmarked ready to go into my DJ's once I've done a WOW :grin:

 

[Djtrouble1982]

What's the best yeast to use?

 

[ScottM]

I just use Youngs super wine yeast, really good stuff.

I've read about mixed success using Old Rosie to culture some cider yeast. You can also buy cider yeast strains but not sure how good each variant is and what differences there are. I don't think there will be much of a difference between the wine and cider yeasts though.

 

[graysalchemy]

Culturing old Rosie isn't hard you just need patience. Also in the initial steps it doesn't look like anything is happening when in actual fact it is. :thumb:

 

[Djtrouble1982]

Ok cheers Scott just used the youngs super wine yeast in my wow so I'll give that a go.

 

[ScottM]

Gave this a go tonight and its pretty nice. It has that LOVELY cider taste with just a hint of the pomegranate. The only downfall is with the pomegranate being dried right out it really does smack your lips together.

I'm looking forward to making straight TC from apples now as the flavour is far better than kits I have tried

BTW gave this another go tonight after leaving it alone and it's rounded out magnificently. It's came out absolutely fantastic. Lovely and dry but with the fruity taste of the pomegranate to take the edge off.

I'll DEFINITELY be doing this one again!

 

[oldbloke]

Your recipe appeared to only have 4l in it.
Instead of 3l AJ and 1l pomegranite, try 4 AJ and 0.5 cranberry

 

[ScottM]

Your recipe appeared to only have 4l in it.
Instead of 3l AJ and 1l pomegranite, try 4 AJ and 0.5 cranberry

Yeah, that's because I'm using DJs. Using a 5L bottle I could fit 4.5L in but with the DJs I can only just get 4L in to leave the correct shoulder depth. After the initial fermentation has calmed down I top it up to 4.5L with water/juice, depending on what I have used to calculate the levels.

The above recipe will hit around 7% when lengthened out to 4.5L with water.

Cheers :)

 

[BrotherMalice]

May have to give this a try at the weekend :)

 

[ScottM]

Last one :)

Tried to get a picture to show how clear it is but the CO2 is making it look misty.

 

[Davybarman]

Nice !!! :thumb:

 

[old tom]

i just got 1gal resting tasted first class. for a young cider. going to get another 5litres going . thanks for this i might give it ago with beetroot instead of pom wot do any won think ?.

 

[PD]

Careful with beetroot and other "root vegetables" they can impart an earthy taste to the brew which takes a long maturation period to dispel. Stick to added fruits, and your cider can be drunk earlier. Although all ciders improve with age........ even TC ciders....

 

[Merx]

I'll be trying a TC as soon as I get another demijohn, the rest are full already. Does it really have to be left for up to six months? I'm not sure I could wait that long!

 

[ScottM]

I'll be trying a TC as soon as I get another demijohn, the rest are full already. Does it really have to be left for up to six months? I'm not sure I could wait that long!

3-6 months is the recommendation if you want a well rounded cider, on the off chance that you manage malolactic fermentation. The minimum I would recommend is 1 month, after that it is reasonable. After that it just gets better and better. After 2 months my stuff was really nicely rounded and the sharp taste had gone.

If you can, I would say 3 months would be a decent middle ground.

 

[jamie_bolsover]

Hi all, newbie here, pleasure reading many numerous threads already as I look to educate myself in the art of home brewing.

Ive currently got a bin full of Magnum cider on the go, my first effort, all seems good up to press on that front.

Whilst that takes care of itself I decided to fill a gap by trying some of this turbo stuff after hearing about it.

Started my first batch today using Scott's recipe & instructions, im a bit concerned as there seems to be no bubbling activity after several hours, is this normal? of have a indulged in some sort of beginners error I wonder?

 

[ScottM]

I wouldn't worry too much just yet. Is there any activity at all? Little white bubbles raising up the sides of the DJ?

What yeast did you use?

 

[jamie_bolsover]

Hi Scott,

On the first batch I used Cider yeast from a local brewing shop (their home brand), there has since been a few bubbles but very few, yes there is very small bubbles up the side but not much higher than the liquid level, seems to be a high concentrate of the ingredients gathering at the top.

 

[ScottM]

Hi Scott,

On the first batch I used Cider yeast from a local brewing shop (their home brand), there has since been a few bubbles but very few, yes there is very small bubbles up the side but not much higher than the liquid level, seems to be a high concentrate of the ingredients gathering at the top.

Sounds good to me. Possibly not a perfect seal in the DJ with the stopper or something like that. I wouldn't worry too much about it, as long as the action is happening on the inside it's all good