Best ciders

[Memnoch]

Hey guys, if your making a cider which one do you go time and time again and why? I have tried a couple but been ho hum, done mangrove jacks turned ok and Williams warn which tasted like butterscotch which I think was because it stopped and I had give it a good stir to get it going again

 

[timmi9191]

IMO, Forget the kits. get apple juice from coles and either wyeast or white labs cider yeast

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

IMO, Forget the kits. get presservative free apple juice from coles and either wyeast or white labs cider yeast

Or
get some Oztops. They have a 2 different yeasts and work rather well. You just ferment in the apple juice bottle

They are a good way to get into it easly

 

[timmi9191]

yes correct, thank you stu - preservative free apple juice.

You can also play with a ratio of pear juice to add some sweetness if you prefer a sweet rather than dry cider.

 

[indica86]

blackrock is good.
Apple juice only in them

 

[MickGC]

i use 4 parts apple juice, coles/woolies/aldi and one part bickfords cloudy pear juice
ferment at 18c with US05

comes out a treat

 

[Tropico]

Only ever tried it once but Mangrove Jacks M02 Cider yeast didn't seem quite as dry as the Black Rock yeast that came with the can. But then again, maybe I was just getting used to dry cider.

 

[burrster]

I use Mangrove Jacks kits with a little extra juice. Easy and reliable.

 

[Hpal]

could someone please link to an appropriate apple juice to use? Thanks

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

could someone please link to an appropriate apple juice to use? Thanks

Any of the supermarket pure apple juice preservative free ones

 

[manticle]

Best success I've had with supermarket juice based cider has been using a blend of high quality juices like berri and preshafruit, fermented cool with some malic and tannic acid added back in post fermentation. Reasonably expensive but still way better than kits or most australian commercials (and cheaper than commercial). About time I did another.

If you just want something dry, alcoholic, refreshing that isn't beer, you can use cheap juice for around $1/L. Or base of cheap, tricked up with a few quality ones.

If you just want a kit, black rock is the best I've tried (limited experience though) and using at least a portion of juice instead of water and sugar will help.

 

[technobabble66]

I've done one using Golden circle apple juice. Preservative free. Sits on a shelf and doesn't need refrigerating. So you can buy it on special then store it until you're ready to go. I think they even use malic acid as their food acid. Done using White Labs cider strain. 775?
Worked out surprisingly well for a cider with 2nd rate juice.

 

[MickGC]

The Aldi stuff i use is "westcliff" brand, it is aldi's own brand.
Woolworths is home brand.
both are $1 per litre
The pear is bickfords cloudy pear, it was on special at woolies a couple of weeks ago, i bought the last 8 litres they had at my local lol....got some funny looks. it seems it is no longer on woolies website, but coles have it for $5.49 a litre.

the cider i make with this juice is a nice tart, medium dry to dry, Mrs loves it, mates love it i love it.
its super easy,
16L apple
4L pear
mix/shake it up
1 pack of US05 beer yeast.

I have a fermenting fridge so 18 degrees, if you dont have one just try to keep it cool
i dont have the OG and FG readings here as i am away, but it normally finishes at around 1.08

My understanding is the more pear you use, the higher your FG and less dry/ tart it will be.

https://www.woolworths.com.au/Shop/Search/Products/confectionery-snacks-drinks/juice?searchTerm=apple%20juice&name=homebrand-apple-juice&productId=176796

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

The Aldi stuff i use is "westcliff" brand, it is aldi's own brand.

Made by Berri in Australia. Its even stamped Berri Juices on the cardboard box the bottles com in.

One thing about Aldi, they dont hide anything

 

[timmi9191]

I repitch onto the yeast 3 times. Works out cost effective that way. I find on each repitch the cider is drier. Also extended lagering greatly improves the flavour. Only add acids depending on the ph which I find is variable across brands and seasons.

 

[decr]

My current cheapo one is 20l coles apple (no aldi here) and 4l cranberry, prime with cranberry when bottling. Works out great with high fizz that's refreshing and stays sparkly in a pint glass with ice. Total cost maybe $35 for 24l, cranberry is expensive. Used EC-1118 so far. Actually, might have to put another one down over the weekend!