TURBO CIDER - Supermarket Concentrate

[duckyousuck]

I'm new to home brew (2 months). I'm still learning the basics.

A few weeks ago I made 20 litres of BREW BUDDY Cider from kit form. Everything went well and after 12 days primary in my FV I transferred my brew to 1 litre PET bottles and primed with 1.5 teaspoons of sugar.

When I sucked up some of the cider it seemed very weak and watery, not much taste of Apple at all in fact.

Am I right in thinking the taste will improve over time?

I primed the bottles and left in warmth for 7 days then transferred them to my cold garage a few days later for clearing.

The cider has now cleared very well indeed but it looks very aneemic

(how DO you spell that) indeed.

I'm starting to think this creation might turn out disappointing.

Today I started another 18 litres this time using Tesco Every day Apple concentrate. I noticed the apple juice has a much darker colour than the Brew Buddy kit. The whole thing looks much more promising. I have added 500 grams of caster sugar to the mix and it's already started primary in my FV. Looks pretty positive at the moment. I used Youngs beer yeast and gave it a good covering.

Any valued observations or advice?

 

[zippy40]

I don't use cider kits as Turbo cider seems to be so much easier with better results - based upon what I have read!

Currently doing my first TC which is looking good. Done the same as you - just poured in lidl Pure apple juice from concerntrate to fill the Demi john, wacked in the yeast and nutrient and away we go. I didn't use any additional sugar and it should come out at 4-5% when finished.

If you didn't top up your TC with water then the sugar you added will make it a strong cider.
Also I use a dry wine yeast with added bentonite which allows for stronger alcohol content and clears quicker. I cant comment on taste though as its my first TC still in the FV.

 

[Roddy]

Good work matey.... I started out doing cider kits and soon moved on to turbo cider with supermarket juice.

The big standard AJ cartons usually have about 11g of sugar per 100ml, which will get you to round about 6% abv... so yours will be a bit more than this thanks to the extra sugar.

I did find that my tc's came out fairly dry/tart until I started using a cider yeast with built in sweetener, which I usually exclusively now and makes for a nice brew.

After doing a straight apple tc I started making a few variations using Polish fruity syrups (strawberry/raspberry/cherry/blackcurrant), which make for some tasty ciders.

I'm not sure that time will make too much difference if your kit cider is watery, but it won't do it any harm.

Ps... it's anaemic 😉

I usually make my ciders in 25L batches, you'll find a few recipes in the 'brewdays' forum, which everyone has great ideas in.

Always happy to lend my tuppence worth, so don't be shy in asking for any help/advice !

Happy brewing 😀

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[engineer]

I tend to make my own from SM juice or apples if i can get them, but i have made quite a few cider kits in the past and despite the low price found the brewbuddy kit to be pretty good with a little modification. I would brew it to 20 litres substituting 2 litres of water for supermarket apple juice and throw in a couple of chopped bramley apples. This adds to the body and if you can leave it in the bottle for a couple of months you should get a secondary malo-lactic fermentation which lowers the acidity and makes for a more rounded brew. In any case have fun experimenting.
p.s. I generally prime bottles with 1 tsp per litre.

 

[pvt_ak]

I'm new also matey and finding my feet. Have to say , this forum is awesome for learning though.
I've only brewed TC's and WOW for now, but have to say they are pretty decent .
It's all in the yeast I'm finding, I followed Roddy's advice for the cider yeast with sweetener and it totally blew me away the difference it makes.
Happy brewing !


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