First Time Cider

[peds]

Afternoon chaps!

I've done a quick search through the forums but I couldn't find an answer, so I registered to pose this question for you.

I am about to start my first cider brew, after getting a glut of apples from mine and my neighbour's trees. I'm pretty confident about the process and everything, I've spent a merry few days carving up some old bits of door to make my own apple press, and I've sterilised all the demijohns that have been sat ingored and unhappy in the shed for years.

To juice my apples I'll be shredding them in two liquidisers, working in batches, then wrapping the pulp in teatowels and pressing them in my spangly new press.

None of the guides I have read, however, mention anything about the pips of the apples - obviously I'll be leaving the skins on for their luverly natural yeasts, but is it sound practice to leave the pips in or carve them out?

Might seem like a pointless question, but better safe than sorry!

Thanks for any help offered guys,

Pete

[oxford brewer]

As you are straining through a tea towel then dont remove anything..I take it you are not using any other yeast apart from whats on/in the apples?
Any chance you can get a gravity reading of the juice you press and post here?....cheers

[peds]

What bit of kit would I take such a reading with, and would there be one in my dad's old brew kit?

If I've got one, I'd be happy to

And no yeasts added, just the natural ones from the skin. Unless conventional wisdom suggests otherwise?

[oxford brewer]

What bit of kit would I take such a reading with, and would there be one in my dad's old brew kit?

If I've got one, I'd be happy to

Its called a hydrometer and it measures the amount of sugar in the juice.

And no yeasts added, just the natural ones from the skin. Unless conventional wisdom suggests otherwise?

No its best to let nature work its magic on your apple juice peds

[Curious Brew]

The hydrometer looks a bit like an obese thermometer.

[peds]

No its best to let nature work its magic on your apple juice peds

My thoughts exactly dude


Hydrometer...
I seem to remember seeing one of them lying around; sealed glass tube, weighted at one end, gradated along its length...

Will be pressing the pommes as soon as my new 25l barrel arrives - the old one has been used as a water butt for the garden for the last N years, and has a distinctly green flavour to it.
Many thanks for you help man, I'll keep you posted on progress.

[peds]

And begin!



6 hours later...

Well, crikey, that took some doing. Pound after pound of apple hacked apart with my meat cleaver then pulped in the Kenwood Chef, pressed in my shoddy-design squeezamatron, and I now have 2 demijohns and a spare litre jug of the tastiest damn apple juice I've ever had.

Gravity stands at 1044 - after tasting the juice, I wouldn't want to add any more sugar... I like my drinks like my wit - dry.

So, it's just the 2 demijohns, and Dad has suggested I lay them somewhere warmer than usual to get the yeasty boys banging a little quicker... we were thinking airing cupboard?

I'll get some pictures up as soon as possible.

Any comment on the gravity and warmth?


Cheers,
Pete

[Curious Brew]

I wouldn't go for too warm as it can result in rapid fermentation and result in some off flavours.

All of my TC has fermented in the kitchen at about 20 degrees C.

[peds]

Right-o.

I guess I'll just leave them in the outhouse for a couple of weeks and then switch them into the garden shed for maturing over the winter?


Just out of interest - how long for the turbo cider, from start to stomach?

[Curious Brew]

Right-o.

I guess I'll just leave them in the outhouse for a couple of weeks and then switch them into the garden shed for maturing over the winter?


Just out of interest - how long for the turbo cider, from start to stomach?

I've heard you can drink it direct from the demijohn...

[oxford brewer]

Right-o.

I guess I'll just leave them in the outhouse for a couple of weeks and then switch them into the garden shed for maturing over the winter?


Just out of interest - how long for the turbo cider, from start to stomach?

The 20 gallons of freshly pressed AJ that I worked for viewtopic.php?t=8012&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 is sat in my garage on a concrete floor fermenting at a coldish temp(10-13c)and is fermenting well with just the wild yeast.
If you have gone to the bother of crushing those apples then let them ferment as intended.It will take a while(mine will be left until early next year before racking).
Results will be worth it.I had a few bottles of cider given to me recently that had used a champagne yeast and fermented for 2 weeks and they didnt taste that nice.

The cider will be about 6-6.5% if you let it ferment all the way out and it will be nice and dry


As for TC.......10 days-2 weeks.straight from the DJ

[peds]

If you have gone to the bother of crushing those apples then let them ferment as intended.It will take a while(mine will be left until early next year before racking).
Results will be worth it.I had a few bottles of cider given to me recently that had used a champagne yeast and fermented for 2 weeks and they didnt taste that nice.

The cider will be about 6-6.5% if you let it ferment all the way out and it will be nice and dry

Oh, no worries for leaving the proper cider in for the right length of time - in the winters I head off to work in the French Alps, I'll be back at the start of May, just in time for the juice of the fruits of my labours to be ready (Dad will be looking after them when I'm gone)

Was just wondering about the turbo cider timescale, to see if I have time to fit a cheeky one in before I go on Nov 23rd...
It's pushing it, but if I get a gallon on tomorrow, I might have a snifter before I leave... tempting!

As for drinking from the DJ - just bring me a very long straw!

Many thanks for all your help guys, I'll get the pics up after I've done dinner.

[Vossy1]

Was just wondering about the turbo cider timescale, to see if I have time to fit a cheeky one in before I go on Nov 23rd...

Plenty of time to knock one out...maybe 2

[peds]

[oxford brewer]

Quality press peds