John bull cider finished and deadly

[EYE JAY]

I have had a crack at a john bull cider kit.Never really done a cider kit before so I was unsure how it would turn out.I finally found out last night .
Its a bit dry and it looks like someone has peed in your glass when your back was turned .
It has the characteristics of scrumpy cider but is cyrstal clear.
I decided to make it up on the 32 pints option because I was unsure if I would like it.
It has a bit of a tangy aftertaste but goes down very easy.
But be warned if you go for the 32 pint method be carefull how much you drink!!
I had 3 pints last night and when I went to bed the ceiling was spinning faster than I would like to.
If I would do one again I would add some more sugar to make it slightly sweeter as the missus said it was a bit too tangy for her.
So really as this was my first shot at this cider kit I was pretty impressed
and if you are unsure about trying a cider kit maybe this will shed a little light on the subject of cider kits.

method-:
john bull premium cider kit,
mixed with 1 kg of brewing sugar,
made up with the recomended amount of boiling water,
topped up to 32 pints and add the yeast,
keep warm for 10 days,
prime the barrel or bottles and keep warm for a further 5 days,
leave somewhere cold to clear for three weeks and then enjoy

[tubby_shaw]

As DaaB say's adding more sugar will give the opposite effect of what you are after
Extra sugar will produce more alcohol which will thin out the cider in body as well as taste.
The higher the alcohol content the more "wine like" the cider will become and I am talking cheap wine not good stuff
To reduce the tangy taste a bit, try priming with apple juice, you could always replace some of the water used to make up the kit with "value" apple juice
Nice overview on making up the kit

[Tufty]

Looking back on a previous posting, My JB cider cleared perfectly after a short time and I'm just enjoying my first sample. I made mine up to 32 pints as well

As Eye Jay said, it is a bit on the dry side and it looks like a fresh morning specimin that you would take to the doctor. Having said that, it has a nice, tangy flavour and a slight sparkle - I deliberately didn't add too much sugar for secondary fermentation as I personally don't like fizzy drinks.

I'm not onto my third pint yet but after two pints, I'm a little light-headed.

It does exactly what it's supposed to do

[Tufty]

The higher the alcohol content the more "wine like" the cider will become and I am talking cheap wine not good stuff

I've just spotted this one...yes, very true.

I remember making cider from a kit years ago and thinking to myself, "Lets add more sugar to produce more alcohol" It did work but the end result was so cr*p that even us students wouldn't drink it...and we'd usually drink anything in those days!

I can remember pouring about 3 gallons of it down the sink - and it took all the muck off the sides of the pipes, honestly!

[Immy's Dad]

it looks like a fresh morning specimin that you would take to the doctor. Having said that, it has a nice, tangy flavour and a slight sparkle

I'd be taking that to the doctor's aswell!

[bluezephyr]

I bought this cider kit at the weekend, reading reviews online it isn't the best but I'll still give it a go to top up reserves.

Since 2007 I'm sure it's been improved, any tips please? How much juice should I prime with?

[Pinto]

look at the apple juice carton and it should give you a value for sugars in grams/litre - just treat this as priming sugar and add the relevant liquid quantity to the weight of sugar you want to prime with.

[Haydnexport]

it hasnt its horrible, turbo cider if far far superior and you only need to wait a couple of weeks !