Two TC's using lowicz

[Nicks90]

My lovely wife brought home a load of fruit from school that she was planning to use to teach some of the junior school kids a fruit salad. But due to snow days, it didn't happen and it needed using up.
I'll have it,said I

After most of it being stolen by a ravenous daughter, I ended up with a big bag of pears and 2 bags of kiwi.
Mmm mmm, kiwi and strawberry tc
Pop out to the local polish shop and pick up a strawberry and also a raspberry and cranberry syrup

TC no 1
Chop up the kiwi and pear and leave overnight in a liter of boiling water with a campden tablet
Drain the juice into a 5l water bottle
Add half a bottle of strawberry lowicz
Add 3l finest Lidl apple juice
1tsp Young's dried yeast
OG1050
Plan to use 5ml of lowizc to prime the bottles

TC 2
4l Lidl apple juice
Half a bottle of cranberry and raspberry lowicz
1tsp Young's dried yeast
Plan to use 5ml of lowizc to prime the bottles
OG 1055

From past experience the Young's dried yeast will finish at about 1005, so looking at a pair of fruity little numbers of 5.5-6.5% abv

This time I haven't added any tannin or lemon juice, so will be interested if this makes any difference.

 

[Derekmr]

Got a few on go with lowicz,
Using Young’s yeast,
Coming out at same 1005
So 5.5-6.5, raspberry is bottled and come um nice with fizz,
Tastes great, not too sweet, nice raspberry taste coming though .

 

[Nicks90]

both of mine are still bubbling away after 2 weeks - its taking its time, but i'm in no rush. although i am secretly wanting to try it asap - but i will resist!

 

[Derekmr]

both of mine are still bubbling away after 2 weeks - its taking its time, but i'm in no rush. although i am secretly wanting to try it asap - but i will resist!

Yep, I’ve had some going a while, think it’s the colder temp now
Look forward to them being done

 

[Nicks90]

That's a fancy setup!
Mine are in 5l water bottles with the tops to loosely!

 

[Derekmr]

Keeps growing lol

 

[Bigcol49]

Mine are in 5l water bottles with the tops to loosely!

'Ow do!
. . . and there's nowt wrong wi' that.
What a great system - buy your water in 5 litre bottles, use the water to prepare the wine, use the bottles to ferment.
They don't need to be washed before using them - a quick swish with sanitiser and away you go!

 

[LarryF]

That's a fancy setup!
Mine are in 5l water bottles with the tops to loosely!

I use a piece of folded tissue sellotaped over the grommet in the lid of my FV and a blow of tube for stouts, stouts are insane.

 

[Nicks90]

All bottles and carbed using a shot of syrup instead of sugar and spent the last week in the warmth of the airing cupboard.
Both finished at 1000, so are about 6.5-7% - which is a bit loopy, but heyho

Decided to crack one of each open tonight to get an early taste
WOW
The strawberry and kiwi is incredible.the smell of kiwo hits you in the face when the glass is still a foot away! I would have thought most of the flavour would have been eaten during the brew, but it's incredible on the nose. Taste is really clear, with a definite fruity strawberry after taste and it's a definite medium sweet cider.
Properly properly good drink.
If only it wasn't 6.5%, or this would be a session drink!!!

Cranberry and raspberry is also a good tasting cider, moderately sweet and easy to drink...if a little unmemorable. Still very pleasant

But damn, by God, Jesus, eeebygum - you can tell the difference when using real fruit in the brew.

Both these bad boys are getting chucked in the cellar tomorrow and cold stored at 10c for the next month, whilst the next one's get put on. Summer is going to be a cidery one I reckon. Especially as I just got 16glass djs for £20

 

[Derekmr]

Sounds good
Did you boil pears and kiwi or add to hot water?

 

[Nicks90]

Just added them to a pan and poured over some boiled water from the kettle and left them overnight.
One thing I didn't put in my ingredients list was a quartered lemon

 

[Derekmr]

How many pears and kiwi?

 

[Nicks90]

Can't remember exactly, but it was probably about 6 pears and 8 kiwis

 

[Nicks90]

I just discovered 3 bottles of the kiwi and strawberry TC in the cellar from April and thought .... Oh, wonder how thats developed over time?

Jeeeeeesus wept.
The kiwi has faded a bit, but it is soooooo smooth.
Absolutely no roughness, almost wine like in its depth and a much higher strawberry hit, as it's not being overpowered by the kiwi.
Why oh why must I keep drinking all my TC so quickly? This stuff is epic if left alone for a few months at a cool temp in the dark.

 

[DanielB]

Suitably inspired, I have just made up 5 litres of tc using a friends freshly pressed apple juice and 1/2 bottle (200ml) Lowicz raspberry...and yeast. That's it!

Took longer to prep the equipment than to make!

Starting SG is 1052...

Out of interest...what does tannin and pectolase and citric acid bring to a brew, and is it detrimental to have left these out? The original poster seems happy without?

Thank you!

 

[DanielB]

Apologies...is that priming each 500ml bottle with 5ml of Lowizc, or the DJ?

 

[Graz]

Apologies...is that priming each 500ml bottle with 5ml of Lowizc, or the DJ?

Each bottle. I use slightly more than that ~7-8ml seems to give a good fizz.

 

[DanielB]

Thank you Graz.

Just to explore this a little further; do you add campden tablet and/potassium sorbate?

Does the 7-8ml produce fizz and sweetness? If so, why doesn't the yeast ferment out the sugar so it becomes fizzy but dry? aunsure....

 

[Graz]

Thank you Graz.

Just to explore this a little further; do you add campden tablet and/potassium sorbate?

Does the 7-8ml produce fizz and sweetness? If so, why doesn't the yeast ferment out the sugar so it becomes fizzy but dry? aunsure....

Definitely no camden or sorbate, this would stop all further fermentation and you'd get no fizz from secondary fermentation. The additional Lowicz unfortunately won't add any sweetness as the sugar will ferment out to make the fizz. If you want it sweeter there's two options, either add an unfermentable (artificial) sweetener at bottling time i.e. stuff like Canderel that you'd put in your tea if you were on a diet or do what I do a put a little more Lowicz or sugar syrup in the glass to taste when you serve it.

 

[DanielB]

Thank you Graz!

I think I'm just about there with all this sweetening malarkey!

About to make another TC...cherry this time!

After this I'll be in for "the long wait"...whilst I patiently wait for something to be ready!!!