Just about to throw on a winter warmer cider

[sbond10]

Here's my recipe
4 litre of tesco valuice spplejuice
1/2 litre sun vally cranberry juice
300ml strong tea
10ml of ground ginger powder ( so about 2 tsp)
Good dollop of honey
100g white sugar
Youngs wine yeast
Gonna heat up 600 ml of the juice to dissolve the sugar honey and ginger then launch it all into the Fv mix and erm think that's about it....

[sbond10]

Starting gravity was around 1.060 so should get a nice 6 abv hopefully. After only 12 hours its was bubbling away with a nice head on it

[Pinto]

I'd think the ginger will dominate all - i made a ginger & birdseye chilli cider a while back - basically came out as crabbies with one hell of a kick

[sbond10]

It doesn't smell overly ginger but I guess I'll only find out once I taste it. Just a quick question will a 14 day ferment be ok, I will check for a steady hydrometer reading before bottling tho, or will 7 days do

[Pinto]

Good yeast with supporting nutrient is usually done in 7-10 days - usually my ciders drop clear when fermenting is done, giving a nice clue

[sbond10]

Okies I can't see anything at the mo thru the foam at the mo

[sbond10]

Rather worryingly the foams disappeared and now it's fizzing like a open can of pop. It had the foam on it when I went past at like 2 pm. Never seen this happen where it starts randomly fizzing... Anyone ?

[Pinto]

Perfectly normal. Most of my ciders look that way once the initial ferment is slowing and unlike a wort, apple juice lacks the chemical composition to hold an easy "foam" so it drops 'smooth' (for want of a better word) once the most vigourous krausen is done.

When the pop fizzing subsides, its probably all over

[sbond10]

Yea I'm use to beer brewing, use to nothing then huge head the all quiete again. Not a head then fizzing like a nutter

[Pinto]

Best way to think about it - when you drink a pint of cider, it doesn't keep a head but its certainly fizzy

[sbond10]

Ah yes this is true never had head on cider but still lovely, at least it's smelling like cider

[sbond10]

Bottled it today erm well my calculations say about 8.5% maybe more start 1.060 finish around 0.996 plus the half a percent for the priming sugar
My elderberry wine started at 1.120 and finished at 1.000 so 16% needless to say I'm gonna be pissed as a fart shortly

[Stufat]

Trying this recipe for my first ever cider.
Hopefully it'll work and keep me interested in making others

[sbond10]

Good it was my first attempt it's sitting carbing. Up in the bottles very dry when I had a sip will try again in a few weeks

[Ian_]

Oooh, not tried cider before. Going to get myself that little list (minus ginger, never been a fan of it).
How much yeast did you use? I'm guessing at a teaspoon?