Cider- Fresh Juice Or Not

[pk.sax]

http://www.braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?t...st_Ferment_Test

^ that. I got 1010 with abt 30% pear but you have lactose AND pear 50%. :S

 

[dave_h]

Great link, thanks mate,

I kind of think its done but will do the test to make sure. (also got an ale that has stopped a bit higher than expected, will do that as well).

Shame i did not know that pear did not ferment as much, only got 3% cider, well that means the misses wont get drunk so quick......


Cheers

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I use the Preshafruit juice to adjust the balance in my ciders once kegged. It is clear and has no nasties in it.

(Snipped to conserve electrons.)

There was an article on the ABC's LandLine program a few months ago about this juice. They use absolutely insane amounts of pressure to kill off any biological nasties in the juice while preserving the taste of the fruit. The manufacturers waffle about it here.

I've never tried it because I'm a tight-arse and when not using apples from the orchard, buy juice solely on price.

 

[manticle]

I just put down a simple cider with 50% el cheapo safeway longlife (no preservatives so I guess it's pasteurised, 2.79 for 3 L) and 50 % blend of various expensive juices - Berri, some organic stuff, some tassie stuff and some preshafruit.

Made up to 24 L with recultured 4766 and a few hundred grams of lactose.

Last simple one I did was 100% el cheapo and worked well. Let's see what extra dimension this one gets.

 

[stux]

I kegged a cider a few weeks ago,

It's really lovely.

At first it had a hint of bitterness, but now it has developed a subtle sweetness and is really clear and crisp.

I used 20L of fresh bilpin fruit juice (3L bottles) from a local fruit store

Boiled up a tablespoon of bakers yeast and added that and basic yeast nutrient to the juice in a fermenter, then added White Labs 720 Sweet Mead Yeast (low attenuation, high flocculation, crisp flavour)

OG circa 1.050
FG 0.998!!

Fermented at 22C exactly for about 6 weeks, then crash chilled to 4C for a day (the yeast had flocculated a lot, but id knocked the yeast right out), then kegged and carbonated.

It was dropping about a point per week in the end, but the final week there was no change (hence legging time)

In the last 4 weeks i was taking weekly hydrometer/taste samples. In the latter stages of the fermentation (conditioning) the cider really improved and lost any scrumpy type flavours

I've now washed the remaining yeast and separated it 4 ways, planning on using it in a mulberry wine, and later on another cider, this time we'll grab some whole apples from bilpin and juice them ourselves

 

[manticle]

What have you got to juice them with? Personal experience but without a press, apples can be hard to get good extraction from.

 

[Phoney]

I've now washed the remaining yeast and separated it 4 ways, planning on using it in a mulberry wine, and later on another cider, this time we'll grab some whole apples from bilpin and juice them ourselves

Bugger that. Look up Cedar Creek orchard at Thirlmere. They regularly press apples to bottle & sell the juice.. you've probably seen their juices at fruit shops etc. Give them a call and find out which day they're pressing. THen you just turn up with a cube/drum and they'll fill it up with fresh pressed unpasteurized juice for $1.20 a litre. They can Keep it in a coolroom for up to a week for you to come and collect.

 

[stux]

What have you got to juice them with? Personal experience but without a press, apples can be hard to get good extraction from.

I have a fairly powerful juicer, it's not a press but makes a nice apple juice

 

[stux]

Bugger that. Look up Cedar Creek orchard at Thirlmere. They regularly press apples to bottle & sell the juice.. you've probably seen their juices at fruit shops etc. Give them a call and find out which day they're pressing. THen you just turn up with a cube/drum and they'll fill it up with fresh pressed unpasteurized juice for $1.20 a litre. They can Keep it in a coolroom for up to a week for you to come and collect.

I might look into that, the difference is thirlmere is twice as far away as bilpin for me

 

[pk.sax]

So far I've used white wine yeast to ferment my ciders. While very nice and fresh, the ciders have been heavily affected by the taste the yeast gives it. The more flavoursome juice like cloudy apple produced a really tasty drop but with a simple supermarket juice it comes out tasting partially like goon. It is still tasty, but the wine like taste is almost too dominant. As I said, that went beautifully with the cloudy juice. Next up is using the wyeast cider yeast, when I get to it at least. Anybody ever done a comparison of ciders brewed with different yeasts? My cider pours with a thick head like champagne and a little stays with it almost till the end, probably a result of enthusiastic carbonation (never a gusher yet). The carbon bite might actually be contributing a bit to the sharpness.

I remember Fasty used some brigalow ale yeast and reported it tasting a bit like beer. Interested in knowing some more actual experimental results. I'll post when I get around to doing another cider.

 

[manticle]

I usually use white wine yeast but was given a slant of 4766 which I'm usinmg for the second time around now. All different juices used in each though so comparison is hard. To my palate the 4766 leaves a bit of sweetness which the wine yeast doesn't.

 

[bum]

There was an article on the ABC's LandLine program a few months ago about this juice. They use absolutely insane amounts of pressure to kill off any biological nasties in the juice while preserving the taste of the fruit. The manufacturers waffle about it here.

I've never tried it because I'm a tight-arse and when not using apples from the orchard, buy juice solely on price.

I recently did a 2L test batch with Preshafruit Pink Lady juice and it is pretty great. It is easily the most "apple-y" cider I've done. If the wind is blowing in the right direction and you're facing true north (not magnetic north) you can taste the difference between the skin and the flesh of the apple in this cider. Almost impressed enough to do a full batch (but, uh, I might need a grant in order to get the ball rolling).

 

[Reindeer]

Hi guys,

First post after loads of reading and I've just realised how much more there is to this whole home brewing business

I brewed my first cider batch form a can of Brigalow I brought from Coles. I replaced some of the water with 6l of Apple & Pear juice and added the yest and nutrients as supplied with the can. Fermentation was insane (compared to my first stout that showed no/little signs of fermenting) and after 3 weeks, I bottled it. I've been pretty impressed with the result. It's not Magners or Bulmers, but a very drinkable, slightly dry cider, with a fruity taste.

I've read somewhere that you can add Apple or Pear Schnapps top enhance the taste. Has anyone tried it?

I going to try Somerset Gold by msheridan69 this weekend, but was planning on using the packet Brigalow Yeast I has left over from a previous brew/shopping trip. Is it better to use US-05, over the Brigalow yeast?

 

[The Giant]

If you didnt want to make a full batch, would it be possible to just buy a couple of 3l jugs of apple, juice add some more sugar and yeast and let it ferment?

Wouldnt be great, but my fermenter is full and was keen just to see how real juice would turn out. Someone suggested it to me in another post.

3l just add maybe 100g sugar, 1/3 packet of yeast and ferment away.
Then just bottle as normal for carbonation??

 

[Airgead]

If you didnt want to make a full batch, would it be possible to just buy a couple of 3l jugs of apple, juice add some more sugar and yeast and let it ferment?

Wouldnt be great, but my fermenter is full and was keen just to see how real juice would turn out. Someone suggested it to me in another post.

3l just add maybe 100g sugar, 1/3 packet of yeast and ferment away.
Then just bottle as normal for carbonation??

That's definitely possible. You don't even need the extra sugar. Most juices have enough in them to give you a 5-6% cider without anything added.

Cheers
Dave

 

[pk.sax]

If you didnt want to make a full batch, would it be possible to just buy a couple of 3l jugs of apple, juice add some more sugar and yeast and let it ferment?

Wouldnt be great, but my fermenter is full and was keen just to see how real juice would turn out. Someone suggested it to me in another post.

3l just add maybe 100g sugar, 1/3 packet of yeast and ferment away.
Then just bottle as normal for carbonation??

do this:
1) Pour out a cup's worth of juice, two if you want
2) tip in a little (a few grams does it) yeast nutrient and 4-5 grams of dry yeast
3) cap and put in 15-18C place.
4) check and release pressure everyday (or alternatively, you can glad wrap the mouth of the bottle/bung and airlock it/oztop it)
5) Check gravity in 5-6 days

No need for extra sugar, juice should take you clear of 1040 SG. Use preservative free juice.

 

[The Giant]

Excellent, thanks guys
I'm assuming the yeast nutrient can bet bought at ur local brew shop as well

Should i bottle with sugar as per normal for 3 weeks for carbonation?

 

[Airgead]

Excellent, thanks guys
I'm assuming the yeast nutrient can bet bought at ur local brew shop as well

Should i bottle with sugar as per normal for 3 weeks for carbonation?

Yes and Yes. Nutrient comes in many types. Most LHBS's keep the most basic which is Diamonium Phosphate (DAP). You can also take a few pinches of bakers yeast and boil it for a few minutes in a little water to kill it and break the cells open. That makes a good nutrient but you have to make sure you kill all the cells.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Phoney]

I usually use white wine yeast but was given a slant of 4766 which I'm usinmg for the second time around now. All different juices used in each though so comparison is hard. To my palate the 4766 leaves a bit of sweetness which the wine yeast doesn't.

I disagree, I made two identical ciders (Franko's recipe) one with 4766 and one with WW yeast. The 4766 was much more drier and tart and in my (and everyone else who tasted it) opinions it was far superior than the WW - which turned out a bit sweeter.

 

[Airgead]

I disagree, I made two identical ciders (Franko's recipe) one with 4766 and one with WW yeast. The 4766 was much more drier and tart and in my (and everyone else who tasted it) opinions it was far superior than the WW - which turned out a bit sweeter.

I find the 4766 also gives a dry and tart cider. It does depend a lot on the apples you use though as I have also had 4766 ciders that were slightly sweet.

It may enhance the tartness present in the juice so if you use all sweet apples it comes out with no tartness and therefore tastes sweeter and if you use tart apples (I used 40% granny smith) it comes out tart.

The 4766 certainly enhances the fruitiness of the cider - much more apple and fruit nose and flavour over wine yeasts.

The sweeter ciders I tested also used a percentage of pear which may have made the difference as well.

Cheers
Dave