home brew cider recommendation

home brew cider recommendation

Author
Discussion

addey

Original Poster:

1,038 posts

167 months

Monday 15th December 2014
quotequote all
Just wondering if anyone can recommend a home-brew cider kit? Seems to be quite a lot of choice with a fair variation in price and i know nothing about cider or home brewing....

Martin4x4

6,506 posts

132 months

Sunday 21st December 2014
quotequote all
Do you prefer bright cider or scrumpy?

Given your lack of experience a very easy way to get started is making a bright still cider from regular supermarket apple juice.

Cleanliness is the most import skill to cultivate when getting started, sterilise everything thoroughly.

Add 3 litres of Apple juice into a demijohn with a packet of wine yeast, keep in warm room for two weeks then move to a cool place until settled, usually 3-5 days. Decant into a new container. Very easy and simple.

Once you've developed the bug you can elaborate by:

  • Bottle and prime with a flat table spoon of sugar to make it sparkling.
  • Measure the initial and final gravity to measure strength and control sweetness.
  • Develop an awareness of the sugar content of the apple juice, add sugar for sweet cider.
  • Try rough apply juice to make scrumpy, expect it to take longer to settle and remain somewhat cloudy.
  • Try other fruit juices, berries work well, but I could never get citrus to work, think the acid killed the yeast.
  • Try making mead, 3 jars of honey to 3 litres of water in a demijohn.


Edited by 4x4Tyke on Monday 29th January 18:45

Tony Angelino

1,972 posts

113 months

Monday 29th January 2018
quotequote all
Martin4x4 said:
Do you prefer bright cider or scrumpy?

Given your lack of experience a very easy way to get started is making a bright still cider from regular supermarket apple juice.

Add 3 litres of Apple juice into a demijohn with a packet of wine yeast, keep in warm room for two weeks then move to a cool place until settled, usually 3-5 days. Decant into a new container. Very easy and simple.

Cleanliness is the most import skill to cultivate when getting started, sterilise everything thoroughly.

Once you've developed the bug you can elaborate by:

Bottle and prime with a flat table spoon of sugar to make it sparkling.
Measure the initial and final gravity to control sweetness and strength.
Develop an awareness of the sugar content of the apple juice,
Try rough apply juice to make scrumpy, expect it to take longer to settle and remain somewhat cloudy.
Try other fruit juices, berries work well, but I could never get citrus to work, think the acid killed the yeast.
Try making mead, 3 jars to 3 litres of water.

I did this regularly in my younger days and didn't use kits, even for beer.


Edited by Martin4x4 on Sunday 21st December 12:47
Thread ressurection.

I am about to start this, I have the followijng ready to roll:

Demijohn
Airlock
4L apple juice
Wine yeast

Wish me luck!

C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

145 months

Monday 29th January 2018
quotequote all
Ah yes, the old "Turbo" cider. Been meaning to give this a go myself, brew loads of other stuff (beer/wine) but never ventured into cider.

4x4Tyke

6,506 posts

132 months

Monday 29th January 2018
quotequote all

That will be come out quite dry. There is another thread with more details.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...

Murph7355

37,708 posts

256 months

Tuesday 30th January 2018
quotequote all
I have some that was bottled a little while back. I attempted to open one bottle only to find that it could be used by terrorists to cause carnage! Out of a 500ml bottle I think I managed to drink about 1ml, but at least know that home brewed cider is not an effective shower replacement nor kitchen cleaner.

Haven't dared open the rest.