Cider making is hard work ;o)

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likesbeer

Cider making is hard work ;o)

Post by likesbeer » Thu Aug 28, 2008 6:50 pm

I put a comment on another post in the kit brew section that I was going to make cider last weekend and it was suggested that I posted my experience and some pics here as others maybe interested? So here goes.

A little background I have only just started with homebrewing in preparation to moving to Bulgaria (4 or 5 years time) as you dont get real ale just variations on larger. I have just put my second kit to brew and the first was great. My brother and I both have apple trees in the garden and he suggested "why dont we make cider" oh dear I said yes...

Although its still a little early the apples had started to drop from his tree and seemed quite ripe, so a little nervous and not wishing to loose the lot we agreed to pick last weekend and make up the cider. Then he buggered off on honeymoon leaving me to do the work.

I got some help and picked on Saturday I had also gather some apples from a few friends to have a good mix, not that its ended up being much of a mix as the one variety out weighed the others vastly. A cautionary note you really cant tell how many apples you can get off one tree its didnt look like a lot but I recon I only took half off and created enough to fill 4 storages boxes and 1.5 garden rubbish bags my poor fiesta was sat on its axel with what I guess might be a 150 litres worth (uncrushed) It took all afternoon.

Next came the washing cutting and pressing again ropping a couple of friends in who were coming for a BBQ they were cut up put in a 25 litre FV bashed with a bit of wood to turn to pulp and then pressed. (there is no way its a 6 litre press its smaller than a demi-john watch out for ebay!!!)
the 25 litres turns to 12 litres of pulp and is about enough for 1 demi john. Not very efficient next time (if there is one) then better pulping will improve the efficiency.

Having turned only half the apples into 7 gallons of cider, eaten the BBQ and had several beers we ran out of steam and gave up.

I'll add how the fermenting has gone so far a little later also the pics I see that they need to be on the tinternet to link to and as I dont have an online picture place they will have to wait till next week until my brother returns and he can add you can then see how many apples we had (and I said there wouldnt be enough Ha!)

CyberPaddy66

Re: Cider making is hard work ;o)

Post by CyberPaddy66 » Fri Aug 29, 2008 3:22 pm

likesbeer wrote:I'll add how the fermenting has gone so far a little later also the pics I see that they need to be on the tinternet to link to and as I dont have an online picture place they will have to wait till next week until my brother returns and he can add you can then see how many apples we had (and I said there wouldnt be enough Ha!)
Try Photobucket.com, it's free and what I use for my picture hosting, alternativly there's Imageshak.us as well.

likesbeer

Post by likesbeer » Sat Aug 30, 2008 12:23 pm

Thanks cyber I've joined photobucket as suggested so as promised some pics of the cider making melarky

To start with an innoscent looking tree
Image

likesbeer

Post by likesbeer » Sat Aug 30, 2008 12:30 pm

Looks like a few apples!! well we started with a net as an idea to catch them

Image

Well as you can see it didnt work very well they hit the floor anyway so we resorted to hand picking a couple of hours later and bored with that we just shook till they fell off and picked up and the result was

Image

Quite a lot in the end and that was only about half off the tree (my brother will be dissapointed when he gets back as he will still have some left to deal with, brew day to follow shortly.

likesbeer

Post by likesbeer » Sat Aug 30, 2008 12:38 pm

So I struggled back to mine with the apples, its amassing how much you can fit in the back of a Fiesta. I did feel a little sorry for it as it was sat on its ar** so that was last Saturday the following day we had invited friends for a BBQ so they promptly got hijacked to wash,

Image

bash the apples to pulp seemed to have missed taking that picture

and press out the lovely juice
Image

which resulted in several jugs of
Image

part way we paused for some light refreshment and the promised BBQ
Image

and in the end had 7 off these full with lovely juice
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and it did taste great

likesbeer

Post by likesbeer » Sat Aug 30, 2008 12:49 pm

I was going to make this completely naturaly but chickened out in the end as it was a lot of work and dont want it going to waste.
The SG measured was at 1.046-50 varyied slightly from bottle to bottle. Should still come out strong enough at that but after several beers and a day of making it, it saounded like a good idea to make it a little sweeter so topped up with brewers suggar to get between 1.055 and 1.060.
Then added a crushed campden tablet to kill off any nasties and put it to bed.

Next night pitched in re-hydrated yeast and waited, then waited then got worried so got some yeast nutrient mixed that in as well and a little more yeast in case it was to soon after the campden tablet last time and waited and then Wednesday evening they turned into rabbid dogs (phew).

Almost a week later today I have cleaned the tops and fitted airlocks they are now gently bubbling away in the spare room (re-named as the cellar by SWMBO). So its now wait for a couple of weeks, they all look a little different and all are bubbling at a different rate from a couple of times a second to once every two or three seconds. So perhaps they'll all come out stightly different as well.

I'll keep you posted and add some pics when I transfer for the second ferment.

CyberPaddy66

Post by CyberPaddy66 » Sat Aug 30, 2008 1:20 pm

Looks like a great day :D

likesbeer

Post by likesbeer » Sat Sep 06, 2008 7:20 pm

:cry: looks like it has all gone wrong I got a pretty bad smell of rotten eggs/mustyness during fermenation this week have been looking today about solutions and it says kill of yeast and re-start fermentation. Problem is its rocketed through the fermentation and its less than 1.000 plus has a pear drop tast caused by to fast a fermentation.

From what I can gather and advice the mix had to many eating apples so nothing else to give it body and somehow got a bad yeast in.

I did sulphite with campden tablet but used a Youngs common wine yeast so perhaps not so good!

Not sure what do do other than turn it into drain cleaner unless anyone has a better sugegstion?

Bongo

Post by Bongo » Sat Sep 06, 2008 8:34 pm

looks a good time,i don't know weather the egg musty smell is bad for you as i know i often get that when making beer and wine and it's perfectly normal in fermentation,how long did it take to get below 1.000 and what was the temp

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Garth
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Post by Garth » Sat Sep 06, 2008 8:56 pm

I've had the sulphury egg smell with cider, kits and TC, so that's not a worry, the pear drops does indicate a fast or hot fermentation, so maybe you're just gonna have to see what it tastes like at the end. good pics btw.

likesbeer

Post by likesbeer » Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:01 pm

It took only about 7 or 8 days or even less to be honest I think it more or less stoppped fermenting a couple of days ago but today is the first chance to look properly. Temp was around 20, it was in the spare room with window open and no heating on current weather is rubbish so I dont think its got too hot.

It taste as bad as it smells which the boss describes as vomit :oops:

It was a great day

likesbeer

Post by likesbeer » Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:22 pm

Just tested the one that has been ferementing the slowest its still at 1.040 and no pear drops but v bad smell, so I might move them all to the shed to slow them down a bit and leave for a couple more weeks and see.
The two pear drop culprits I might rack off and leave as well to see what happens.

What yeast do people usually use for Cider or TC? for future reference

Bryggmester

Post by Bryggmester » Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:47 pm

I have never made "proper cider" but understand from those that have that there is no need to add any yeast. The natural yeasts present in the apples should be going in a few days. As regards TC I would use the White labs yeast or failing that the Youngs cider yeast.

Bongo

Post by Bongo » Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:51 pm

Bryggmester wrote:I have never made "proper cider" but understand from those that have that there is no need to add any yeast. The natural yeasts present in the apples should be going in a few days. As regards TC I would use the White labs yeast or failing that the Youngs cider yeast.
interesting stuff i've never heard that before,natural sounds good to me.

charlie
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Post by charlie » Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:46 pm

likesbeer wrote:Just tested the one that has been ferementing the slowest its still at 1.040 and no pear drops but v bad smell, so I might move them all to the shed to slow them down a bit and leave for a couple more weeks and see.
The two pear drop culprits I might rack off and leave as well to see what happens.

What yeast do people usually use for Cider or TC? for future reference
All the sugar is fermentable so you should let it ferment out to 1.000.

Properly you should leave it all winter and let it have a malo-lactic fermentation in the spring. Whatever that is.
Brewing in the badlands between Arnside and Milnthorpe.
Cumbria

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