Lidl / Aldi Cloudy Cider

[Dunkel]

I'll be making this next weekend, so I just want to make sure I have this correct. You put the raisins and teabags into a pan, cover with boiling water and let sit for 15 mins. Then the water, raisins and teabags go into the fermenter? It just seems odd to stick the teabags in.

[montofk]

Just flung this together, flung being the word for it! I scaled back to a 5l demi john. Sitting back now and worried about those raisins... I don't think they will have been sterilized with just that 100ml of tea in a cup for 10mins.... I should have put them on a rolling boil for while shouldn't I?!.   Will know soon enough I guess. Wondering whether to remove them altogether and minimize any damage that might not have been done yet...? Put the airlock on about 30mins ago... Seems so obvious now. Dumbass.  : .... They were raisins that had been sitting in the cooking cupboard, mightn't have been so bad if I'd have bought a new pack.    Leave it and see? Any rescue plan?... It might even be fine, just doesn't seem like a good idea now its done.

[onesoma]

I put two 4l batches on at the weekend and now have the same worries. Didn't even think about it at the time... Fingers crossed.

[montofk]

I put two 4l batches on at the weekend and now have the same worries. Didn't even think about it at the time... Fingers crossed.

Lol.... Sorry to have put that into your mind now! Any dodgy smells coming from the airlock? You're what.. on day 5 now?

[Danny(00833827)]

when i put mine together, i just had the boiling water sitting for 15 mins with the raisins, rhubarb(that i used), the tea bags and sugar. Then strained the lot and into the FV - so i didnt have my raisins in there, they had been removed at that stage, Im thinking i did this wrong now :-(

might try a bottle this weekend to see what kind of thing it is at all.

[montofk]

when i put mine together, i just had the boiling water sitting for 15 mins with the raisins, rhubarb(that i used), the tea bags and sugar. Then strained the lot and into the FV - so i didnt have my raisins in there, they had been removed at that stage, Im thinking i did this wrong now :-(

might try a bottle this weekend to see what kind of thing it is at all.

well if nothing else it's a bit of craic to get everyone else worried about their brew!
I don't know if I should have left the raisins in or out really! I left them in just from the point of view of them being a yeast nutrient... Don't know if a nutrient is particularly required, but no harm in adding I thought, also I couldn't see the raisins introducing a bad flavour... Unless of course the shaggin things bring on an infection!
We'll know soon enough I suppose..
Let me know how your sampling goes!

[onesoma]

Ha! No dodgy smells, looks fine. Dunno what it should look/smell like though!!

Ghetto fermenting: using lidl 5l water bottles (it is lidl cider after all) and tin foil over the top instead of an air lock. Plenty of scope for error!

[kgarr]

Made a 30l batch of this recipe, its really good!!

[Blueshed]

Lidl have 1lt of Apple, Pear and raspberry not from concentrate at €1.59. picked up 5 and going to try them out, also got apple, raspberry and blackcurrant.

[Blueshed]

made up a few 5lt brews over the last few weeks with either the Aldi/Lidl cloudy AJ

4lts AJ with 1lt of peach juice, ok if a bit sweet.

4lts AJ with 1lt of pear juice, very nice.

4.5lts AJ with frozen raspberries, added the fruit at the start and still turned out nice.

4.5lts of apple nectar juice from concentrate and same mix of raspberries and ok, not as nice as the cloudy AJ.

4.5lts AJ with cinnamon and cloves, steeped the spices in 300ml of boiling water for 15mins then added the water to the aj. turned out ok with just a little hint of the spices, next time will add the spices to the aj.

4.5lts AJ with frozen rhubarb, only 2 weeks in the btl and had 1 last night. very nice imo and reminds me of the rhubarb and custard sweets.
rbubarb was added 1 week after fermentation started and left almost 2 more weeks before I bottled.

[onesoma]

When waiting the two - five - however many weeks for this to be drinkable, should it be refrigerated? After a first week or two to get the carbonation up? Or just leave it at room temp for the duration?

[montofk]

Well it's 2.5 weeks since mine was put on. Gravity now 1002, big time cloudy, but tastes ok... bit of a citrussy smack of it (more so than might be considered pleasant), might mellow out after a bit of time in bottles.  A very subtle taste of the tea off it too I think, I'd possibly not make such a stewy tea next time!

[Cory]

I made a small batch of cider with the Aldi cloudy stuff.  Is the cloudiness from unfiltered apple solids?  I am wondering if it ever clears out with age.  I am fine drinking it cloudy but some of my non-brewing friends might be scared off by something that doesn't look like it came from the store.

Thanks!

[mrtickel]

I made this about 3 years ago 1 gallon batch with just the cloudy AJ from lidl. cider yeast . water and a tsp of neturient and i had it bottled for year i checked a bottle every 4 months and after a year the cloudyness settled and the cider didnt taste as sour it had actully became more drinkable after a year maturing.
I also made the wine from lidl grape juice a 1 gallon batch and within 3 to 4 months i tasted and gave a bottle to the neighboures and got there views on it ( wine connoisseur  ) they loved it they say it was like a rose wine so every now then they ask me to make more and was just asked yesterday to make some for them again, i will make a big batch this time 4 or 5 gallon batch and they will have it for xmas and the new year. and there even holding on to there wine bottles for me