Supermarket Cider

[NorfolkBrew]

Hi all,

Apologies if this has already been asked but Every now and again between my beer brewdays I like to do a cheap cider from supermarket apple juice. It usually turns out ok but I was wondering what tips everyone had to improve it? So far what I usually do is literally just put in the apple juice and add yeast, thats it.

As for adding spices etc I have done that before but I was wondering about additives such as tannins, malic acid, citric acid that sort of thing to give it a bit of body as right now it tastes okish but feels a little thin on the palette.

So any tips?

Cheers!

 

[Cwrw666]

I do the same but just add a cup of tea (no milk obviously!) for the tannins. The longer you manage to keep it for the better it will be - traditional cider made in the autumn wasn't drunk til the following summer, and for very good reasons - the improvement is dramatic.

 

[NorfolkBrew]

I do the same but just add a cup of tea (no milk obviously!) for the tannins. The longer you manage to keep it for the better it will be - traditional cider made in the autumn wasn't drunk til the following summer, and for very good reasons - the improvement is dramatic.

Ah ok thanks, I suppose spiced tea would also work if you wanted an extra flavour in there?

I agree the longer the better, but it's not always so easy!

 

[terrym]

As an experiment I made 12 litres of supermarket apple juice Turbo Cider at the beginning of December and used tea for tannin and added some cooking apple juice to up the malic acid content. I tried a bottle just about a month after I made it just to see how things were turning out. It was as very 'thin' to the taste, only faintly resembling what I class as cider i.e. farmhouse scrumpy and overall very disappointing. I will leave it for a few months now to see how it turns out. I am not very optimistic however. I can see why people add Polish fruit syrup and the like to prop it up; however the alcopops thing passed me by so I won't be going there.

 

[Leon103]

Best had tea for tannins. I have found just Apple a bit bland so for just a normal apple cider I had a bit of another flavour. I have also bought some of those polish syrups and currently have a apple and raspberry cider on the go

 

[cheapbrew]

have you tried it recently Terry?

I did some at the start of Dec and like you it wasn't that good at christmas, but a month on and its getting much nicer.

 

[islaybrew]

i have a apple and raspberry on the go the now, it finished fermenting the other day so i had a taste while taking FG and was tasting good. i'll give it a couple of weeks to clear and try it again before bottling so fingers crossed it will be nice.

also you might want to try this recipe, its from a member on here called engineer(dont want to take the credit myself)

1/2 a large bramley apple chopped up
2 litres tesco pressed AJ
2 litres Princes AJ
80g sugar
Tannin - The juice from 2 tea bags in a mug of black tea
Malic Acid - 1 tsp
Pectolase - 1/2 tsp
Youngs wine yeast - 1 tsp
Yeast nutrient - 1 tsp

 

[terrym]

have you tried it recently Terry?

Sadly too much beer to get through to make way for, well, more beer.
I'll open my next bottle of TC in another month or so.
Hopefully it will have improved by then.
I tried several combinations, still as it comes, still sweetened with artificial sweetener (Cologran), carbed, and carbed with sweetener hoping to find something I liked. I live in hope!

 

[brisboy]

Couple of things that I've done that worked. First is to add a grated granny smith. Second is a bit of yeast nutrient which helps lower off flavours. Third was in my last brew I separated off one liter of juice and simmered some fresh ginger in it for ten minutes. Finally just a touch of stevia at bottling time.

 

[brisboy]

I've also read of others experimenting with different yeasts. I've tried mangrove Jack's workhouse but prefer champagne yeast so far. I've heard s-04 can be good for ciders.

 

[engineer]

I tend to use at least two types of juice, add malic acid and a few chopped bramleys, pectin and some black tea for tannin and a cider or sparkling wine yeast. At the moment i am using Lalvin EC-1118 for both TC and prosecco clone brews its been very reliable and produces a good end result.

The beauty of TC is that it can be kept very simple and you still get a drinkable albeit unremarkable result. However, i have found that with a bit more effort you can craft a brew that can be as good as most you can buy in a bottle at a supermarket. (Note that i bottle mine and aim to leave for 3 months before drinking)

The additions add depth and complexity to the end product which is of course what cider makers achieve using a mix of apples, juices and yeast.

Whatever you do keep a record, its fun trying different recipes and great when you land on one you really like.