Confessions of a cider making newbie

[Dunkel]

Firstly. a little bit of background. My wonderful wife doesn't drink beer, but she does drink Bulmers. So I've been experimenting a bit with (half a dozen or so) various turbo ciders to produce something to her tastes. This obviously involves a bit of backsweetening to try and emulate Bulmers. Originally it was Tube (or whatever he calls himself nowadays) up at the Hilden Beer Festival convinced me to get into the group buy organised by CH for apple juice.
    I did so. and so this was my first attempt at making cider from something that didn't come from a Tetrapak. All I did was follow the advice of the two Cider Gurus here, CH and Will_D. The steps were :-

1) Collect the apple juice from CH
2) Immediately added 16 Campden tablets to kill off wild yeast - I think it should have been only 10 tablets, but that's what I did. As SWMBO likes a clear cider, I also added 2 teaspoons of Pectolayse to aid clearing of the juice. I realise this takes out flavour, but again, this is what happened.
3) After two days, I added two tsp of Youngs Wine yeast, two tsp of Youngs wine nutrient, and one tsp Marmite (an additional yeast nutrient, but I like Marmite  ).
4) Left the 25l plastic container under the stairs (where it's warmish) for a couple of weeks. No airlock, just had the screwcap on a little loosely. OK guys, I'm just at this stage trying to produce something acceptable for the missus.
5) Fermentation over, hydrometer reading about 0.998
6) I know you're now supposed to transfer to secondary in glass for six months or so. But I don't have any storage like that. So I bottled with my normal 5g/l priming (used Demerara sugar) and 1.5 g/l Sucrose. Remember, this is for my wife.
7) Read a thread from CH imploring people to enter ciders into the National Competition to stop Will having an easy run.
8 ) Talked with Shiny and DaMun (as he was then) at a Capital Brewers meet, and they said go for it.
9) Stuck the cider in as a late entry after my other beers.
10) Won the gold medal for cider at the Dublin half. Absolutely astounded.

Seems simple, but this is actually what happened. Tasting it this evening. it's definitely drier than my usual turbo cider, but very well balanced.

But if I can do this at my first attempt with real juice, then so can you!  So enter every competition you can, beer as well as cider - I only entered this cider for the feedback, and see what happened!

[Damo]

Cool, a new 101

Well done!

[LordEoin]

rotten apples were never so satisfying! 

[Ciderhead]

Love that post.
Were they your very small bottles
I am particularly chuffed it was last years cider, but marmite!

[fishjam45 (Colin)]

Brilliant!!!

[fishjam45 (Colin)]

5) Fermentation over, hydrometer reading about 0.998
6) I know you're now supposed to transfer to secondary in glass for six months or so. But I don't have any storage like that. So I bottled with my normal 5g/l priming (used Demerara sugar) and 1.5 g/l Sucrose. Remember, this is for my wife.

I'd like anyones thoughts or opinions here if they have any - I've just been reading over this thread (and cider101) and am I right to think/presume that:

1- You didnt pasteurise? I thought you needed to pasteurise if bottle conditioning like you did?
2- That after adding the demerara and table sugar that the fermentation would have kicked off again in the bottle and it would have dried right out?  This also wouldnt have added any sweetness as they are both fermentables?

Thanks in advance for any replies 

[Will_D]

I'd like anyones thoughts or opinions here if they have any - I've just been reading over this thread (and cider101) and am I right to think/presume that:

1- You didnt pasteurise? I thought you needed to pasteurise if bottle conditioning like you did?

Answer: You do not pasteurise if bottle conditioninhg. You need to add artifical/unfermentables if you want to sweeten a bottle conditioned cider. All the priming sugar will ferment out so it will be as dry as it was going in.


2- That after adding the demerara and table sugar that the fermentation would have kicked off again in the bottle and it would have dried right out?  This also wouldnt have added any sweetness as they are both fermentables?
Answer: Correct!

If you pasteurise you can sweeten with apple juice or sugars BUT it will be flat - so you have to force carb it in a keg. If wanted you can bottle using a counter pressure bottling machine.

[fishjam45 (Colin)]

Thanks for the reply Will.
I've a few 25ltrs coming and I plan on experimenting with them so I'll definitely bottle condition one batch anyway. I will use lactose as its an unfermentable to sweeten.

Thanks again, no doubt I'll have more questions soon.

[Dunkel]

Oops!    Just rereading this. 6) should read primed with 5g/l demerara sugar and 1.5 g/l SUCRALOSE (Splenda) (for sweetening).

 

[fishjam45 (Colin)]

That makes sense now, cheers Dunkel 

[molc]

Just checking some last minute things here now. Here's how I'm planning to approach the next few days with the juice:
Wednesday:
* Work on Keg group buy and try not to think about apples
Thursday:
* Pickup.
* Make yeast starter with ~1L AJ and dry craft range cider yeast + nutrients.
* Treat AJ with Campden
Friday:
* Pitch yeast

There's no issue withe the juice being left out of the fridge in a cold room for the couple of days? Also is the starter necessary?

[ferg]

wasn't gonna bother with starter but am rethinking my yeast (young's) for something different..