I may have created a monster.

[Billythegypsy]

Yesterday I decided to try my hand with an  Apple Juice Cider. I may have taken things a little too far

8 litres of cloudy apple juice from aldi.
1kg of castor sugar.
500g of honey.
1 strong cup of tea.
2 grated apples from the garden.
1 Yeast starter of whatever yeast Woodfordes Head Cracker comes with.

I dissolved the sugar and honey with two litres of the juice warmed in a pot.

I split the shredded apples evenly into two 5 litre water bottles.
I split the apple, sugar and honey mixture in the same manner.
Then I topped up to ~4 liters into each bottle and pitched.

I got an OG of 1.085 in one and 1.075 in the other, but the shredded apple has surly made this inaccurate.

As of this morning they're both going like the dickens!

[Eoin]

That'll have a kick. My advice would be don't touch it for three months at least.

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[Dunkel]

And no more than two pints at a time.

[Eoin]

And no more than two pints at a time.

He'll ignore that once.... Probably the first time :-)

Sent using a complex system of semaphore and ninjas.

[Eoin]

I use small Stella half pint goblets for stronger stuff. Pints can be too much

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[Billythegypsy]

This is still fermenting away. Three weeks in and SG is ~1.035

[brenmurph]

keep it goin, some will go for yonks, did u use a yeast nutrients at all, maybe that will speed up the yeast (yeast on speed )

[Eoin]

keep it goin, some will go for yonks, did u use a yeast nutrients at all, maybe that will speed up the yeast (yeast on speed )

Nutrient can ferment a cider out a bit too dry.

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[brenmurph]

Agree eoin but if its still .35 after a month maybe the yeast is not well? 

[Eoin]

Agree eoin but if its still .35 after a month maybe the yeast is not well?

I'd imagine that's the honey still hanging about.

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[Billythegypsy]

No yeast nutrients used.

I took a sample at 3 weeks, while still very sweet it was much better than the sample at two weeks.

At two weeks all I could taste was honey. That's now starting to move out.

[brenmurph]

If ya nee ;Dd ant helpers to taste we will help ya out

[Billythegypsy]

I'll put your name on a bottle!

ETA? That's out of my hands now... :

[Billythegypsy]

Four weeks in and SG 1.030.

No more trace of honey. Still sweet but can taste the apple again.

Received a small compliment from SWIMBO 

[Billythegypsy]

Added 1/4 teaspoon of yeast nutrient at 6 weeks with the gravity at 1.030


Now at week 7.5 and gravity is reading 1.015 this puts the stronger batch at 9.3%

keep it goin, some will go for yonks, did u use a yeast nutrients at all, maybe that will speed up the yeast (yeast on speed )

Nutrient can ferment a cider out a bit too dry.

It's a lot drier now, actually tastes like pineapple.


Needles to say, it's strong stuff.