Cider- Fresh Juice Or Not

[Chookers]

Thanks manticle... My first batch of bottled juice cider turned out nicely, but thought cause I now have access to pretty good juicer thati'd give it a shot. I added nutrient, but didn't do an active starter last time. I'll take on your advice and only do a small batch to start. If i like the results., then I'll do a full size in the future.

The juicer is pretty damn easy to use. Don't have to cut the apples. They just go in whole and spit out juice on one side and the dry solids the other. 500ml took all of about 30secs. Can't imagine it being too hard to make 10L or so.

is it a Breville Juice fountain?? they do whole apples. Got to leave juice for awhile when you use the extractor, as it separates. If I dont drink my juice straight away I end up with a brown layer on top and clear juice underneath (carrot, Orange, Celery and Apple for sweetness. Or Carrot and Celery juice makes a nice shake if you blend it with icecream).

 

[Whiteferret]

I like to allow a crust to form for a day or so before pitching. I rack from this crust then pitch. I don't use campden/sulphites - I compensate for this by making an active starter with my yeast and pitching. Do this inside one of your juice bottles .

Use some yeast nutrient. Ferment cool. Cold condition.

do you leave the crust behind?
I'd think so

I know how sulfites dont agree with you manticle what about starsan to sanitize the apple pieces before I jucie/press them plus I've read on here that it is also a good yeast nutrient after its done its job or do you think it would keep working into the ferment killing off the good beasties too?

I recently did a batch with
15L Berri Apple juice
6L Berri Apple N Pear Juice
Wyeast 4766
a bit of nutrient
18-19c
fermented to 1000 and then CCd and kegged.

Tasted pretty good for my first one even better after 8 weeks but sadly I finished it tonight next one I might try some crushed granny smith apples for an extra bit of bite what do you think about the starsan?

 

[manticle]

do you leave the crust behind?
I'd think so

I know how sulfites dont agree with you manticle what about starsan to sanitize the apple pieces before I jucie/press them plus I've read on here that it is also a good yeast nutrient after its done its job or do you think it would keep working into the ferment killing off the good beasties too?

I recently did a batch with
15L Berri Apple juice
6L Berri Apple N Pear Juice
Wyeast 4766
a bit of nutrient
18-19c
fermented to 1000 and then CCd and kegged.

Tasted pretty good for my first one even better after 8 weeks but sadly I finished it tonight next one I might try some crushed granny smith apples for an extra bit of bite what do you think about the starsan?

Yes, definitely leave the crust behind.

Maybe you could starsan the apples - the main reason for sulphites is to kill/retard the wild yeasts on the skin of the apples. I find by adding an active starter that I get no discernible problem from wild yeast. However I would think it would be pretty hard to make sure you contacted all the surfaces of all the apple s well enough to do an effective job. You could pasteurise - that can change the flavour but most store bought juices you'll buy are probably pasteurised anyway. Myself I just make sure the apples and equipment are clean, and the equipment is sanitised.


I aim to try a spontaneous ferment one day anyway - naturally fermented french ciders are something else (not for everyone though) and probably very difficult to replicate at home..

 

[The Giant]

I did a quick small batch on the weekend.

Got 2 x 3l Apple and Pear Just Juice, preserv free.
Added yeast nutrient
Just a coopers kit yeast
pierced the lids and covered in glad wrap

Sitting in the bar fridge now at 15 degrees, fermenting nicely, getting plenty of action

Will bottle in 2 weeks and let u know how i go

 

[InCider]

I did a quick small batch on the weekend.

Got 2 x 3l Apple and Pear Just Juice, preserv free.
Added yeast nutrient
Just a coopers kit yeast
pierced the lids and covered in glad wrap

Sitting in the bar fridge now at 15 degrees, fermenting nicely, getting plenty of action

Will bottle in 2 weeks and let u know how i go

I'll be really interested to know how it goes TG. You could revolutionise convenient cider making! You'd get a few batches done with a syringe and a smack pack of cider yeast, then reuse the yeast for the next set ciders. 4-6 3 litre bottles at a go!

 

[argon]

What's the model? Might be easier than making myself a press (as much fun and frustration making a press might entail).

is it a Breville Juice fountain?? they do whole apples. Got to leave juice for awhile when you use the extractor, as it separates. If I dont drink my juice straight away I end up with a brown layer on top and clear juice underneath (carrot, Orange, Celery and Apple for sweetness. Or Carrot and Celery juice makes a nice shake if you blend it with icecream).

Yep the juice fountain... model number JE70... does whole apples. Looks like a tidy bit of kit... and looks like'd handle a few kg of apples through it.

 

[manticle]

I did a quick small batch on the weekend.

Will measure gravity in 2 weeks and bottle if it's ready. Otherwise I'll wait a bit longer. let u know how i go

I think you meant to type this.

Good luck with it.

 

[Airgead]

Yep the juice fountain... model number JE70... does whole apples. Looks like a tidy bit of kit... and looks like'd handle a few kg of apples through it.

I use an Oscar 9000 screw press type. Pushed 45kg through it for this year's batch. Took all day but it does a great job. I ended up with around 30l of juice from the 45kg apples. Mind you cutting and feeding through that may apples is something you only want to do once a year. I'm looking seriously at a wine press and crusher for next year. If I do get my hands on one I might do a few hundred kg and make a really big batch.

I'm the same as Manticle technique wise... let the cap form. Rack from under the cap. Active starter. Ferment cool.

Cheers
Dave

 

[stux]

Yep the juice fountain... model number JE70... does whole apples. Looks like a tidy bit of kit... and looks like'd handle a few kg of apples through it.

Yep, I'm planning on using the BJE400 to try the same thing , We've used it to juice a few litres of apple juice in the past with not too much trouble... Can't see why it wouldn't work well

The juice fountains work by finely shredding the fruit and then centrifugally spinning the juice out of the pulp

 

[argon]

Yep, I'm planning on using the BJE400 to try the same thing , We've used it to juice a few litres of apple juice in the past with not too much trouble... Can't see why it wouldn't work well

The juice fountains work by finely shredding the fruit and then centrifugally spinning the juice out of the pulp

yep it's not bad... tried some of the pulp in the waste catcher... it was dry as. The juice came out just like the juice you get at the cafes... I'd assume they'd do a few kg on a Sunday morning over breakfast.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

<snip>

I will be sticking to store bought juice until i have built myself a press (can use my grape crusher for the scratting).

I'll be interested to see how you go with that. Last year was awful for me. Making basket presses that can withstand a bit of pressure is an interesting exercise.

Scratting apples is also a challenge - I wouldn't expect a normal grape crusher to be up to it. Mine will be pedal-powered - but this year I will be hiring equipments to save time...

 

[The Giant]

I think you meant to type this.

Good luck with it.

hahaha yes u r very correct

Dont want to get that far only to have it all over the walls under my stairs!

 

[Airgead]

yep it's not bad... tried some of the pulp in the waste catcher... it was dry as. The juice came out just like the juice you get at the cafes... I'd assume they'd do a few kg on a Sunday morning over breakfast.

Never used one myself but I am told that the centrifugal type leave a lot of very fine pulp suspended in the juice. I'd be leaving it to settle cold for a while before racking off the pulp and fermenting. Maybe even add some pectinase to assist in clarifying. Or you could filter it.

Cheers
Dave

 

[argon]

Never used one myself but I am told that the centrifugal type leave a lot of very fine pulp suspended in the juice. I'd be leaving it to settle cold for a while before racking off the pulp and fermenting. Maybe even add some pectinase to assist in clarifying. Or you could filter it.

Cheers
Dave

Yeah the plan was to filter it... at least afterwards... maybe worth filtering prior to fermenting after some cooling and racking from under the crust? i'd say it'd probably clog my 1 micron filter pretty quickly though, if i did pre-fermentation

 

[manticle]

I'll be interested to see how you go with that. Last year was awful for me. Making basket presses that can withstand a bit of pressure is an interesting exercise.

Scratting apples is also a challenge - I wouldn't expect a normal grape crusher to be up to it. Mine will be pedal-powered - but this year I will be hiring equipments to save time...

I found if I cut apples up a bit first, that the wine crusher gave me what looked like pictures of scratted apples. It's still a pain cutting up the apples but a bit more research and we'll see how we go. Won't be for a while anyway.

 

[Airgead]

I found if I cut apples up a bit first, that the wine crusher gave me what looked like pictures of scratted apples. It's still a pain cutting up the apples but a bit more research and we'll see how we go. Won't be for a while anyway.

Some grape crushers have apple scratting attachments. I think ibrew have them...

Cheers
Dave

 

[manticle]

I'll have a squizz. Cheers.

 

[Airgead]

Yeah the plan was to filter it... at least afterwards... maybe worth filtering prior to fermenting after some cooling and racking from under the crust? i'd say it'd probably clog my 1 micron filter pretty quickly though, if i did pre-fermentation

You could run it through a coarse sediment filter pre-fermentation to get rid of most of the pulp. I find the pulp oxidises very quickly and goes brown and yuck. Not sure what flavours it imparts to the brew in large quantities. If its really fine pulp it won't float and form a cap it will just sit there in suspension and turn the juice brown.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Chookers]

BigW are going to have the Breville Juice Fountain Plus JE95 on for $166 this thursday, and coles are gonna have the 2lt Nudie Juices on for $2.99 (half price) Im gonna go back and get somemore.

 

[The Giant]

I'll be really interested to know how it goes TG. You could revolutionise convenient cider making! You'd get a few batches done with a syringe and a smack pack of cider yeast, then reuse the yeast for the next set ciders. 4-6 3 litre bottles at a go!

Happy to report that this looks like its turned out really well.

2 weeks to the day and have bottled it.

FG rating for the last 3 days has been 1004 so very happy. Used the kit yeast out of the coopers cerveza goo can and had in the bar fridge at 15 for 2 weeks.

Taste from my FG rating is remarkable considering what the juice tasted originally. ALl sweetness has almost gone and the cider if anything is a touch dry. If i had to compare way better than strongbow and 5 seeds. Not quite up to a magners or bulmers standard that i like. For a 50-50 pear/apple juice i'm not getting any pear, but i noticed that before i added the yeast anyway.

Fg readings would indicate around 5-5.5%