uh oh - too much cider!

Gurgeh · Post by **Gurgeh** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:12 pm

so that's the first orchard hammered, 16 gallons from there, 25 in total.

slight hitch though... my hands have stained BLACK. just as if i'd been playing in coal dust but it's not coming off.

well i don't suppose it'll get any worse after tomorrows orchard

subsub · Post by **subsub** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 12:26 am

I'll be making scrumpy from the russets in my orchard and a strain of eating apple I don't even know the name of in the coming weeks. I will be sharing the joy at the village winter festival

likesbeer · Post by **likesbeer** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:36 pm

Got to say Gurgeh top brewing (does it still cover cider

I guess so)
And would also agree just mention your going to make the stuff and they come flooding in.
Made a small mistake and underestimated how much you can get off one tree. Said to my brother "I dont think that's be enough"

8 gallons later still only half the tree gone, also he says to one of his mates we'll have your apples.....apparently he has 3 trees as big as my brothers so I'm a little concerned could end up with

being conservative another 30 gallons, currently only got something to put another 15 in...... have to sneak a few more FV's in.

I hope you dont mind but I would also like to chip in with a question, the first lot of apples (first timer) I pressed I followed book and tinternet advice....quite paranoid about it actually.....so pitched in crushed campden tablet, waited 24 hours, pitched in wine yeast with vit supplement stuff, it fermented like a rocket, one lot tasting of pears the others stink like a dead rat, but taste OK. The last couple I just pitched in a cider yeast did nothing else smells better gentle fermentation and looking better.
To get to the end of this very long winded question, what do you do with your cider as it sounds from your post you've done this before....

thanks

Gurgeh · Post by **Gurgeh** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:37 am

likesbeer wrote:what do you do with your cider as it sounds from your post you've done this before.... thanks

a few days before i collected any apples, i made a starter from a litre of apple juice and one sachet of cider yeast. pitched that into first 9 gallons.

then i racked it off the next morning (krausen evidently had built up overnight to a couple of inches and had dropped back to about 1/2") and used the sediment and a gallon of that ferment as a starter for the next 16 gallons.

process to be repeated for the last 10 gallons or so tomorrow...

I was given 5x 4gallon water containers by a neighbour as soon as I said I was going to have difficulty storing it all...

jonnyv · Post by **jonnyv** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:50 pm

Nice work Gurgeh

. My brother and I are doing similar. He only has three apple trees though.

Last year we produced 20 gallons, this year we're aiming for at least 1BBL (36 gallons).

We're pressing in batches and will blend the season's worth of cider when we're done.

Here's some pics of our cider making on a small scale.

Our hands are also stained black - I haven no idea why but it doesn't shift!

Gurgeh · Post by **Gurgeh** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:43 pm

you're telling me you intend to use the chipper for 1 BBL? that'll take a while!

jonnyv · Post by **jonnyv** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:51 pm

It's worked so far

Last year we had a couple of kitchen knives! Now that was hard work.

Our last batch we pressed 17 gallons in about five hours. Which, given our equipment wasn't a bad effort between the two of us!

What equipment are you using? We're thinking of upgrading for next year

Gurgeh · Post by **Gurgeh** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 3:04 pm

i bought a second hand shredder to make the pommace - that make sshort work of it and is equivalent to grating the apples. good extraction from that i can tell you!

then i have a nice 1 gallon press, which will reduce the volume of pommace by about a half.

the 10 gallons i'm making tomorrow night (on my own) will take me a couple of hours, no more.

jonnyv · Post by **jonnyv** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 3:06 pm

Ah I see - I figured we've been making hard work of it!

Still, I guess the output is the same - we might be a bit behind you on the efficiency of our pressing, but we have more apples than we can press so it's not too much of a problem.

Any chance of some pics of the shredder?

Gurgeh · Post by **Gurgeh** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 3:34 pm

this isn't my actual shredder, just found a pic on google

i don't have the black bucket at the bottom, which is a shame. have to use a washing up bowl.

jonnyv · Post by **jonnyv** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 3:45 pm

Ahh I see - it's a garden shredder! Are there any precautions needed to use one of these to make cider?

Gurgeh · Post by **Gurgeh** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:27 pm

make sure the bit of broomstick you use as a 'dolly' isn't too long

likesbeer · Post by **likesbeer** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 7:08 pm

Cheers Gurgeh and excellent pics and use of chipper jonnyv
Getting ideas for kit improvement to reduce the work as I can see we are definatly making it more hard work than necessary.
Chop with knife, bash with 2" x 1" to make pulp, then press in silly little clarke 6 litre (6 my ar** smaller than that) juice and said vomit looking pulp is the result. Think I need to persuade brother he needs a garden shredder

I've been donated 3 5 gallon old sherry barrells which will convert to FV's (there plastic) so will hunt for more donations.

So a kind of rolling starter for the yeast, one batch used to start the next. Excellent idea if one is fermenting well and looking good. Think thats how I'll get the next starte thanks.

So I've lost track how much cider have you produced?

Do you condition it still or fizzy in the end?

DREADSKIN · Post by **DREADSKIN** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:17 am

I am in the preparation stages for this too.

at a festival this year (with a car boot full of homebru) i meet another guy who makes his own cider too. he actually has a video instruction on u tube of how to do it( i would post it here but the compu nazis at work have banned u tube.) have a look. the guy has a beard and speaked with a galway accent.

anyway, he suggested using a drum (ie from a drum kit) and a bottle jack in combination with a 2x4 frame. cheap, scroungable, and with a massife capacity depending on what drum you can get. i got a floor tom. which is huge.

next up, the gardern shredder...

TC2642 · Post by **TC2642** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:33 am

DREADSKIN wrote:I am in the preparation stages for this too.

at a festival this year (with a car boot full of homebru) i meet another guy who makes his own cider too. he actually has a video instruction on u tube of how to do it( i would post it here but the compu nazis at work have banned u tube.) have a look. the guy has a beard and speaked with a galway accent.

anyway, he suggested using a drum (ie from a drum kit) and a bottle jack in combination with a 2x4 frame. cheap, scroungable, and with a massife capacity depending on what drum you can get. i got a floor tom. which is huge.

next up, the gardern shredder...

I think your going on about this vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0fvkiSH ... re=related

Very good introduction.

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uh oh - too much cider!