Cider recipe please - juice and apples

[Waywood]

This is my first time attempt at making cider. I have the following ingredients:

3 - 5kg mixed apples
25l apple juice
360ml Apple juice concerntrate
Sugar / Golden syrup
Lemons
Citric Acid
Honey
Tannin
Pectolase
Youngs Cider yeast
5l Spring water.
Saccharin tablets
Campden tablets

I would ideally like 25 - 30l of a medium sweet cider with an ABV of not more than 7%

My plan is to juice the apples, retaining the pulp in a muslin cloth or fine grain bag and place in the bottom of fermenting bin. Add all apple juice, concentrate, water and sugar (in solution) as needed to an SG of around 1060(?). Will add 6tsp of pectolase and tannin as directed.

Not sure if I need campden tablets or honey.

Ferment in bin for 7 days and transfer to closed vessel under airlock. Discard pulp and ferment until bubbles stop. Add saccherrin to taste and bottle.

Any recipe ideasand advice gratefully received.

Cheers.

[fatbloke]

Well if you're adding some apples for flavour etc, then you can mash/crush/mill them, mix with some water and add campden tablet (crushed) for a day or so before you're planning to pitch the yeast, that should kill off/stun any wild yeasts that might get in from the fruit.

Plus, as you've quoted using apples, concentrate, and 25 litres of AJ + 5gal of spring water, you're likely to get closer to 10 gallons total.

For back sweetening, I'd use something like lactose, as it's a non-fermentable sweetener that is less likely to leave any saccharin/chemical sweet taste in the end product.

You should be able to get this done as a sparkling batch if you wanted as well as there's usually enough "oomph" left in the yeast cells, especially if you don't "stabilise" it when it's fermented out.

[Waywood]

Thanks for the advice. We put this down last Monday. We used 3.5kg apples through a a juicer. I didn't leave the pulp in the brew - too complicated for a first time effort. I added the concerntrate, 24L apple juice and 454gms of Golden Syrup in hot water. Added the pectolase, tannin, a tsp of citric acid plus 5 crushed campden tablets. Left it for 24 hours and added a yeast starter culture. OG 1058. Volume 30L.

I'll be out to get some lactose shortly. I also have glyscerine.