# Apple cider from fresh apple



## joel0395 (13/12/13)

Hello, is it worth attempting to make a cider from fresh apples? If so how do i go about doing it? Thanks


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## punkin (13/12/13)

Yes, absolutely.

Extract the juice from the apples and add yeast. Bottle or keg when fermentation is complete.


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## Airgead (13/12/13)

Yep. You want a blend of apples. Granny Smith are good to add to the mix as they provide a little acidity. I use 80% eating apples and 20% granny smith. Just juice and add yeast. 

You are a few months early though. Apple season is Feb-mar so anything you get now will have been in cold store for a year and won't have much flavour left. Fresh juice cider is a very seasonal thing.

Cheers
dave


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## punkin (13/12/13)

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/73275-juice-and-strain-homefarmer-magazine-uk-%E2%80%93-%E2%80%9Ceasy-cider%E2%80%9D-a-photographic-%E2%80%9Chow-to%E2%80%9D-article/

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/61282-its-apple-season/

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/70750-roadside-apple-cider/

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/61260-yeast-selection-for-cider/

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/62877-looking-at-buying-a-juicer/

Just to save you the effort of looking.


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## O'Henry (13/12/13)

punkin said:


> Yes, absolutely.
> 
> Extract the juice from the apples and add yeast. Bottle or keg when fermentation is complete.


OT: This is one of the best replies I have seen.

As for making it, check out the UKciderwiki. It helped me a lot. For yeast I used the Wyeast Cider and Chablis strains, did two separate ferments.

Edit: I used almost 100% granny smith, as they were collected from the ground in a commercial orchard, and were free. We were limited with what we could get due to some of the orchard having been sprayed, so the windfalls were no good to use in those areas.


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## Steven @ Home Make It (14/12/13)

You can do some much with cider
Straight cider,sparkling cider
even distilled cider or vinegar
oh some many projects so little time
I'll post a recipe once i dig it out of the computer
as for yeasts there are plenty of choice out there
Go forth and make cider
my friend


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## simchop84 (17/12/13)

What does everyone find the best way to juice apples?


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## Airgead (17/12/13)

I have a screw press juicer that does a good hob but is very slow. Takes a full day to do 40kg.

I'm trying to get a proper press together for next harvest.

Cheers
dave


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## Not For Horses (17/12/13)

Did 90l in a breville juice fountain last year. Took 3 hours with lunch and beer in between.


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## maxim0200 (17/12/13)

Hot tip: Aldi have their version of the brevile on sale tomorrow for $40.
I intend to get one to try make cider myself.


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## O'Henry (17/12/13)

I built a press using local hard wood, was a bit small, only did 6kg/hr. Used cheeses rather than a basket.


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## Airgead (17/12/13)

I'm looking at making a press that uses 10-12 cheeses of around 5kg each. The plan is to press 400l next year as a test batch...

Probably get it welded up out of steel rather than using wood...

Cheers
dave


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## Greg.L (17/12/13)

There is a new book on cider out, " the new cider maker's handbook" by Claude Jolicoeur. It has a lot of good information on different ways to juice apples, though a lot of the stuff about fermenting is for cool northern climates.


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## punkin (18/12/13)

Takes me and the missus about two and a half hours to chop inspect and juice about 70 kg with a juicer from memory.

The trouble with a press is that it's only doing the juicing, you then need some kind of scratter as well to chop the apples. Using real data the yield seems to be close enough to the same despite some claims on the internet.


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## Salt (18/12/13)

Me and few mates will be looking at making Cider from Apples next year in harvest - my mate manages a number of orchards, so sourcing fruit wont be an issue. We plan to make a proper hydraulic press (plenty of plans on the interweb).

My question to those that have gone before me, once we have collected all the juice we require and have it blended (different varieties) to taste, are there any steps taken prior to pitching yeast to avoid any issues from wild bacteria/yeasts that may have been on the skins etc? Do people recommend camden tablets? Also, what sort of gravities are you pitching into? I assume that if the gravity is too high from the juice obtained, you water down with sterile water? Or bump up if required with some sort of sugar?

One last thing, do people pasterize to stop fermentation to keep some residual sugar/sweetness (i.e bottle at desired FG and pasterize to stop further fermentation), or back sweeten with an unfermentable sugar when FG is reached?

Cheers
Mark!


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## Not For Horses (18/12/13)

Just another thought I had that is quite important really - make sure that you get your apples from an orchard and not a supermarket. The freshness of the apples is vital to a quality finished product.
I have a friend who runs an orchard and I can usually get them the week they were picked. If you can't get to the orchard, make sure you really trust your green grocer. Good green grocers will source you a large quantity if given some notice.


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## Airgead (18/12/13)

punkin said:


> Takes me and the missus about two and a half hours to chop inspect and juice about 70 kg with a juicer from memory.
> 
> The trouble with a press is that it's only doing the juicing, you then need some kind of scratter as well to chop the apples. Using real data the yield seems to be close enough to the same despite some claims on the internet.


Yep. A scratter is included in the plan as well.


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## punkin (18/12/13)

I probably would have gone the press and scratter way if i had room to store them for 51 weeks a year.

I don't and cop a lot of pressure about the spillover from my sheds already. The juicer just goes in the laundry cupboard till march each year.


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## Airgead (18/12/13)

Yeah.... One of the reasons I'm going for a cheese style press rather than a basket type (apart from apparently better yield) is that I can design it to break down into pieces that I can store under the house. A basket would be too big to do that.

If my 400l test batch goes well, the year after I'll be trying to do 1-2000l.

Cheers
Dave


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## punkin (18/12/13)

Sounds excellent. That sort of thing would be great as a community asset. I'd love to live in apple country and have friends and neighbours for a BBQ and apple pressing weekend.


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## Airgead (18/12/13)

We know a guy in bilpin (which is about an hour and a half away from me) who runs a pick your own orchard. He gives me all his windfalls free for cider. At the moment he just ploughs them under.

He has heaps of fruit that goes to waste each year so we are going to turn it into cider and split the profits from it. Starting small then ramping up if we can. If it goes really well we could take all the waste fruit from the dozens of orchards up there and use that. Make it a community thing.They lost their only way to use seconds fruit when bilpin apple juice was sold to investors who now buy in concentrate from china. The only bilpin thing about it now is the name.

We will try to turn pressing day(s) into a bit of an event at the orchard to drive more pick your own sales.

Cheers
Dave


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (18/12/13)

Not For Horses said:


> Just another thought I had that is quite important really - make sure that you get your apples from an orchard and not a supermarket. The freshness of the apples is vital to a quality finished product.
> I have a friend who runs an orchard and I can usually get them the week they were picked. If you can't get to the orchard, make sure you really trust your green grocer. Good green grocers will source you a large quantity if given some notice.


When I was in Brisbane, occasionally Patton's (the big butcher and F&V seconds mob) would have specials on apples for like 19c a kg. SWMBO would ring them up and ask if they had 20 or 30 kg and go grab them (with help from the shop people).

Last time they were Pink Ladies (which were really nice). Obviously seconds, but still juicy enough and cheap.

This year I plan on being better organised. I had the juicer toward the back end of apple season here in Tas. As is typical of Tas, if you try to buy direct, they'll charge you more than they get from mainlanders. But I've seen where a few more apple trees are now on the side of the road, and they are flowering, so I'll hit them up.

I think I'm going to need a better sieve than the juicer has.


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## Not For Horses (18/12/13)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> When I was in Brisbane, occasionally Patton's (the big butcher and F&V seconds mob) would have specials on apples for like 19c a kg. SWMBO would ring them up and ask if they had 20 or 30 kg and go grab them (with help from the shop people).
> 
> Last time they were Pink Ladies (which were really nice). Obviously seconds, but still juicy enough and cheap.
> 
> ...


You're more than welcome to join me for a cider making day next season. That goes for anyone else from tas reading this as well.


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## Greg.L (18/12/13)

Salt said:


> Me and few mates will be looking at making Cider from Apples next year in harvest - my mate manages a number of orchards, so sourcing fruit wont be an issue. We plan to make a proper hydraulic press (plenty of plans on the interweb).
> 
> My question to those that have gone before me, once we have collected all the juice we require and have it blended (different varieties) to taste, are there any steps taken prior to pitching yeast to avoid any issues from wild bacteria/yeasts that may have been on the skins etc? Do people recommend camden tablets? Also, what sort of gravities are you pitching into? I assume that if the gravity is too high from the juice obtained, you water down with sterile water? Or bump up if required with some sort of sugar?
> 
> ...


You should just take the gravity of the juice, let that decide your abv. If you water down or add sugar you will affect the flavour adversely. Normally you get 6-7.5% abv.
If you are pitching yeast you probably don't need to add campden (so2), rehydrate the yeast to make sure it gets off to a good start.
Pasteurising is one way to get sweetness, I think 65C for 10 min.

If you are getting the apples from a mate try to convince him to leave a tree unpicked so it can ripen longer. Orchards pick them earlier so they will store better, you want them as ripe as possible for cider. Its better to leave them longer so long as the birds don't get them.


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## punkin (19/12/13)

And then keep them stored for a week or two to let the sugars develop in the fruit before juicing.


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## Steven @ Home Make It (20/12/13)

Equipment is where you can save yourself time and make better quality
cider as well
as apples are prone to oxidation quick processing is a must

check out this for a mulcher for apples
800kg per hr and turns it into a puree






if you are not so hardcore there are plenty of bits of equipment to suit
don't know how long the bench food processor will last but there are purpose built of equipment for cider

Enough rambling

*where's the cider*


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## Steven @ Home Make It (20/12/13)

Steven @ Home Make It said:


> You can do some much with cider
> Straight cider,sparkling cider
> even distilled cider or vinegar
> oh some many projects so little time
> ...


Finally dug the recipe out of the archives



[SIZE=12pt]Step 1 Sterilise all equipment to be used for making cider.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Step 2 Wash and cut apples to be used for making cider. Be sure to cut out bruised parts from apples and discard any diseased or mouldy fruit.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Step 3 Crush apples with a crusher or apple mulcher into a container that you can scoop out of later or directly into the press of the crusher if it will fit on the top, [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Step 4 .Press the pulp that you now have with your press. If you don't have a fine mesh screen on your press then line the press with cheesecloth this will help hold the pulp in during the pressing process . The juice should be collected in sterilised containers[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Step 5 Taste the juice and measure it sugar level with a hydrometer . We recommend the following additions to improve juice quality[/SIZE]



test


Action required


Dosage rate


PH


If the ph of the juice is higher than 3.8 then tartaric acid needs to be added


As per packet instructions





If the ph of the juice is lower than 3.2 then bring in juice for assessment





Sugar level


If the sugar level is less than 5 % (s.g 1.045 then dextrose or apple juice concentrate will need to be added


Rough guide is 30g per litre of juice extracted will raise the SG by 10 point or 1 %. Always measure with hydrometer I once dextrose is dissolved to get an accurate reading


Malic


If the juice lacks bite then a bit of malic acid can be added. This provides a more bitter aftertaste to your cider


It should be added at a rate of 1 gram per litre of juice made till a balance is achieved between acid or bitter juice. If unsure bring juice for testing



Tannin


If you want to add some dryness and complexity to you cider tannin can be added in small amounts


It is best guided by instructions on the packet and some bench trials if unsure
Bring you cider for a test


Preservative


This should be added to stop any infections from the fruit


As per packet instructions


Pectinase


Pectolitic enzymes are need for breaking down fruit and increased juice yield. This also stops certain bacterial problems from occurring


As per packet instructions



[SIZE=12pt]Step 6 [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]Once the juice has been adjusted it then time to add yeast and nutrient as per packet instructions. We do not recommend a brewing or bakers yeast strain to be used as good results can not be guaranteed. Ask for a cider yeast[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Step 7 [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]Leave some room in the container for frothing but the fermentation should be checked every couple of days.if above 30 degrees days are present when [/SIZE]you [SIZE=12pt] are doing the ferment we do recommend trying to cool ferments where possible . Be it fans in room ,bags of ice around containers or moving container to cooler rooms.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt] After day 5 of the fermentation or if you notice the bubbling really starting to slow down then you need to start measuring you sugar levels with your hydrometer.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Step 8 [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]Keep measuring every couple of days till you get to a specific gravity of 1.005[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt] If your ferment stop at a higher level than this then bring in cider for assessment.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Once the level of 1.005 has been achieved, it is time to rack the juice of the sediment. At maximum less than 2 weeks is recommend for a fully fermented cider to be left on the sediment .Some adjustment to you cider in terms of structure can be made at this time .Bring cider for a test if you wish before proceeding to Step 9[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Step 9 [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]Once the cider is racked the preservative at the correct level should be added to stop oxidation. The containers should now be full before adding the airlock and bung to the top. Over the next weeks and months a second load of deposits will be seen at bottom of you container. Once the cider is clear and sediment is set at the bottom you should again rack the cider from the lees.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Step 10 [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]Once the cider is racked the preservative at the correct level should be added to stop oxidation. The containers should now be full before adding the airlock and bung to the top. From now it can be matured up to a few months to smooth out the flavour profile of the cider. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt] Once happy with the maturity level of the cider a last dose of preservatives is added at a recommended dose before proceeding to step 11(.see in store for details.)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Step 11 [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]For bottling the following rules should be applied[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Make sure that cider is below 3.7 ph and the S.G of the cider is at 1.000 or.990[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt] before bottling[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]That cider doesn't fizz or produce smoke when left in half filled plastic bottle for half an hour[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt] That cider doesn't taste bitter, acidic, and medicinal or taste of vinegar. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt] If all conditions are met you are ready to bottle the cider. [/SIZE]

once bottled
let it mature for a while then enjoy

Cheers


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## Greg.L (20/12/13)

Folks on this forum are not into spending the big bucks like that apple mill. $1600 is a lot of bottles of cider. Mind you those juicers aren't cheap either. I have 4 steps to good cider.

1- Get some good ripe apples.

2- juice the apples

3- ferment the juice - keep the air out.

4- Bottle or keg the cider.

Step number 1 is the most important, you won't get good cider without good apples. If your SG is below 1.045 you should drink it as juice rather than making cider. Adding sugar won't help. I don't think anyone ever improved their cider by adding powdered tannin either.


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## Ducatiboy stu (20/12/13)

How would adding malt go. Or would it basically be the same as adding sugar.


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## manticle (20/12/13)

There are recipes for graff (malted cider)


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## Steven @ Home Make It (21/12/13)

Tannins add an extra dimension to fruit based wines and help protect the cider or wine
the trick is using the right one
so if you do a trail first on a small batch then the result can be applied to the bulk product
an with at least 20 different tannins to choose from
I'm sure that there is one that will help you cider or fruit wine
balance of flavor is the key

*now where did i leave that cider*


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