Homemade Hard Apple Cider
10-16-2008, 01:14 PM
#11
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Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,967
Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
Originally Posted by rsmith2786
If i were you i would boil the cider before fermenting. There are all sorts of bacteria and wild yeasts on the apples. You want your yeast to do the fermenting not the other things. By boiling you kill them and then add your yeast. The wild strains may give it a more sour, lambic style flavor. Since the apples have lots of sugar and you added even more you might want to consider a champaign yeast that can survive at higher alcohol contents. I think you might end up killing the yeast due to the high alcohol content before all of the sugars are converted. Finally, plastic is a great start but if you plan to do it again you should spend $20 on a glass carboy. They are easier to clean and sanitize. Some people also say plastic leaves and aftertaste but i have never noticed it. Are you planning on bottling? If so, you should clean and sanitize all of the bottles then add a small amount of sugar right before bottling. That way the leftover yeast will ferment the sugar and naturally carbonate it for you. As TorganFM pointed out natural fermentation will leave yeast in the bottom of the bottle. It isn't an issue of filtering as that yeast is a product of the second phase of fermentation for natural carbonation.
I have been homebrewing for a while and am finally set up with a C02 setup so i can artificially carbonate and keg my beer. I will have to post some pictures of my kegerator. I just finished brewing an Oktoberfest and have a Brown Ale on tap.
It looks great! It must be nice to have access to that much natural fruit. Oh, and that press is ****.
I have been homebrewing for a while and am finally set up with a C02 setup so i can artificially carbonate and keg my beer. I will have to post some pictures of my kegerator. I just finished brewing an Oktoberfest and have a Brown Ale on tap.
It looks great! It must be nice to have access to that much natural fruit. Oh, and that press is ****.
10-16-2008, 09:05 PM
#14
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Join Date: Apr 2006
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Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
make sure your filter tube has a one-way valve or some way of keeping a vacuum from sucking back in, oxygen will ---- up the fermentation hardcorely.
how much yeast/sugar did you add?
oh, and we have the same stove. ge hotpoint? i ------- love how the front left burner takes 10 minutes to get boiling a small pot, and the right will boil one in 3
how much yeast/sugar did you add?
oh, and we have the same stove. ge hotpoint? i ------- love how the front left burner takes 10 minutes to get boiling a small pot, and the right will boil one in 3
10-16-2008, 09:14 PM
#15
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Westminster,MD
Posts: 1,032
Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
Keep it airlocked to you don't get contamination. If you just pressed the apples and didn't sanitize you will probably get some very off flavors due to wild yeast and bacteria. None of them will kill you though...just taste weird. You shouldn't need to "filter" it. As it ferments all the nastys will settle to the bottom. When you siphon off for bottling just don't suck up the last few inches. Also, you will need to add some more sugar when you bottle in order for it to bottle condition (carbonate). Corn sugar works just fine, or some concentrated juice. Lastly, keep the temps around 65-75* F, that should be suitable for your bread yest. Good luck.
10-16-2008, 09:18 PM
#16
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,505
Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
I work with a guy that makes homemade wine. Puts grapes and sugar in a jug, tapes it up real good, and then buries that ----. I been harassing him for a long time to bring me some, but he still hasn't. That ---- must be pretty good.
10-16-2008, 11:28 PM
#18
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 0
Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
Originally Posted by CspecRun
I work with a guy that makes homemade wine. Puts grapes and sugar in a jug, tapes it up real good, and then buries that ----. I been harassing him for a long time to bring me some, but he still hasn't. That ---- must be pretty good.
Around here, everybody like you and your coworker died off ~15 years back. I miss down and dirty rednecks.
10-18-2008, 01:26 PM
#19
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Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,967
Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
Originally Posted by c0mpl3x
make sure your filter tube has a one-way valve or some way of keeping a vacuum from sucking back in, oxygen will ---- up the fermentation hardcorely.
how much yeast/sugar did you add?
oh, and we have the same stove. ge hotpoint? i ------- love how the front left burner takes 10 minutes to get boiling a small pot, and the right will boil one in 3
how much yeast/sugar did you add?
oh, and we have the same stove. ge hotpoint? i ------- love how the front left burner takes 10 minutes to get boiling a small pot, and the right will boil one in 3
There's roughly 3.75 gallons of cider and I added about 5 cups normal sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar, and one packet of bread yeast.
