Basic Apple/pear & Pomegranate Cider

[brettprevans]

crap. i better boil up some kit yeasts and add them to my brew quickly then. cheap yeast suppliments.

 

[bum]

If backed into a corner, would boiled baker's yeast work as well as brewer's yeast as a nutrient? I know neither is ideal, just wondering is all?

 

[chappo1970]

Either or will do from what I have read.

Cheers

Chappo

 

[brettprevans]

yeah sorry thats what i meant. i always keep any kit yeast i end up wiyth and make bread ffrom it or boil it up and use as nutrient.

kit or bakers yeast is full of gooedies, so dead yeast gives up its goodies,.

 

[brettprevans]

didnt know ross sold the moncheriertrt yeast(sp). wasnt really worried. crap s[elling i know but bit buzzed and fell like going like carol's charcter likethis

 

[pdilley]

He does, and cheap as bloody chips too! at $1.70 a sachet its worth buying some and doing German Apfelwein if thats something you want to try your hand at

Red Star Montrachet yeast

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[bum]

Thanks, Chappo and CM! Something to file away for later.

 

[brettprevans]

dediced to treat this like a lady and give it some attention.

boiled up 3 packs of kit yeast i had in the fridge to use as nutrient. dissolved about 1/2cup (total) of brown and white sugar into the mix and chucked it into the fermentor. gave it a good stir with a ss spoon to get the yeast and 'lees' up from the bottom and gave it a little heat with the heat belt.

for anyone wanting a reason
- boiled yeast: boiling kills yeast, dead yeast acts as a nutrient for live yeast. thus nice happy healthly live yeast
- sugar: a bit of simple sugar to get any lazy yeast back to work. its a method used in making high alc beers, esp belgians. not really needed but decided it coudltn hurt.
- stirring up 'lees': decided I wanted to accentuate any 'champaigne' bready flavours I could get from the yeast. doesnt wquite work cause im not using champaigne yeast. but it wont hurt to get some more chaartacter out of the belgian yeast
- heat: wanted to rbing it back up to around 16-18C. It was a little cool. actually I recon its about time i really gave it a blast of heat and bought it up to 24C for some nice belgian characteristics from the yeast, then coll it back down.

almost 2 weeks down and another 4 to go.

 

[brettprevans]

well went to take a hydro reading last night.... cant find the $#^$# thing. so I had to do with drinking a sample instead and I'll buy a hydro on the weekend.

the taste wasnt at all what I was expecting. slight fruit, character, very white wine in character, slightly dry finish. no alc taste, very much like a reisling I decided. My wife had a taste and thought it tasted salty. I asked her if she meant dry and that she agreed that was probably more accurate. Its still cloudy but then again it was the first sample from the tap so there was some yeast suspended.

so I have no idea about this, given that its my first cider. Im not sure whether the yeast has given up and its only partially fermented? is it meant to taste like that? I know the belgian yeast I used will make it taste slightly differant but it was very much like wine and tasted nothing like commercial ciders ive tasted (which is probably a good thing!).

any comments, thought?

 

[Supra-Jim]

Hmmm.. need samples and taste tests to comment properly

Plus to state the obvious, a hydro sample would really give an idea of the yeast progress.

Cheers SJ

 

[brettprevans]

yeah gee thanks SJ. I didnt realise that! nah its ok I know the bloody hydro reading is probably key here. stupid missing hydro. I'll know about the yeast on the weekend when I purchase a new hydro and take a sample.

if your down my way on the weekend, drop by for a sample.

 

[Wardhog]

You'll be bringing along a sampler of this to the case swap, won't you? You've got me intrigued now.

 

[captaincleanoff]

i'm wanting to give this cider a go.. should I use 05 (which I have), or be patient and order the Wyeast 4766 cider yeast?

Also when making the starter, should I use juice, or malt extract as normal?

 

[brettprevans]

well as for the yeast, either will do. my 4766 hadnt arrived and I was out of S04 and 1056, so I used a belgian yeast (T58).

As for the starter I used straight juice. I figured that bc the OG for juice is about 1048 its ideal for starters and Im pitching into juice so it just made sense to me.


edit: yes Wardy I'll bring a sample. hopefully all will be done by then an I fill a couple bottles straight out of the keg and bring along.

 

[Supra-Jim]

Hmm, from memory your not that far from me. Temptin....

BTW, let me know if you're planning to drop into the Melb Brewers meeting this wed night for the mead presentation. Will make sure to say hi.

Cheers SJ

( h34r: I have a nasty 1.000 - 1.040 Briglow hydro lying around if you want that!!!!

 

[brettprevans]

id love to come. i was planning on coming. then my wife advised me that she's having her once a month dinner with her girlfriends tomorrow night.

I was dead keen on coming. oh well..

re briglow...I was thinking of buying a cheapy like that and then I used the line with my missus that a new hydro would cost $30 and a new refractomteter would cost $50 and Id never loose that..... talk about laying the ground work! thanks for the offer mate. ill let you know if something changes and I can come.

 

[Supra-Jim]

Bugger about the meeting. Well if you still need a hydro this weekend, I'd be happy to drop by with my proper one (the uber nasty brigalow one can come too, and stay, if you want it!!).

Cheers SJ

 

[bum]

the taste wasnt at all what I was expecting. slight fruit, character, very white wine in character, slightly dry finish. no alc taste, very much like a reisling I decided. My wife had a taste and thought it tasted salty. I asked her if she meant dry and that she agreed that was probably more accurate. Its still cloudy but then again it was the first sample from the tap so there was some yeast suspended.

so I have no idea about this, given that its my first cider. Im not sure whether the yeast has given up and its only partially fermented? is it meant to taste like that? I know the belgian yeast I used will make it taste slightly differant but it was very much like wine and tasted nothing like commercial ciders ive tasted (which is probably a good thing!).

My ciders (both kit and juice) have all bottled very much like (bad) white wine. This does dissipate but never goes away completely (well, "never" = as long as they last). Having said that I do get more of that effect from Bulmers than I do from mine. I've come to the conclusion that the best solution is to ferment out very dry and backsweeten with juice when serving - yeah, it is cheating but you get a tastier drop this way.

 

[brettprevans]

mine wasnt a bad wine taste. it was actually qute pleasent after a little getting used to. thats what made me think it was only partially fermented and I needed to kick the lazy yeast in the arse.

 

[bum]

Not a huge fan of wine in general, that's why the "bad" went in brackets - more of a value judgement that a qualitative one. For what it is worth, I reckon that my cider at its winey-est is better (less harsh) than the Brown Brothers Moscato the missus usually drinks.

[edit: Why! What big teeth you have, grammar!]