Cider Recipe

[RoBBo71]

Hi All,

My next project is something of a departure for me.

I want to try making 4 to 5 litres of medium, sparkling, cider / perry with a hint of ginger and chilli to about 5% abv. I've done a bit of research and I'm finding info specific to what I intend a little hard to come by. I've compiled a basic recipe and realise that the ultimate answer is "suck it and see" but I'd appreciate some feedback from someone with a little experience to make sure I'm on the right track.

Ingredients : 2.5l Apple Juice
2.5l Pear Juice
100g Fresh Root Ginger
1 Red Bird's Eye Chili
5g Young's Cider Yeast
1/2tsp Young's Super Wine Yeast Compound

I'm not 100% sure of my method yet. Unless I'm advised to the contrary I'll think I'll go with the following . . .

Add all the juice to a 10l plastic fermentation bucket.

Blend the ginger and chilli with 100ml water and add to the juice.

Add the yeast compound.

Give it a good stir to ensure everything is mixed and to oxygenate.

Take temperature and hydrometer readings.

Pitch the yeast dry.

Seal and leave to ferment at 22ish degrees.

So here are my questions . . .

I'm using pear juice because it contains unfermentable sugars that I'm hoping will result in a medium cider,

- - - Is the 50:50 ratio of apple to pear correct for this end?

- - - Do I need any additional sugar given I want an abv of about 5%?

I want the ginger and the chilli to be distinctive but quite subtle,

- - - Are the quantities of ginger and chilli about right?

Finally,

- - - Any suggestions regarding the method?

WOW, this topic kinda got away from me. Hope this all makes sense, any help much appreciated!

Cheers,

RoB.

 

[Gop]

To me this looks basically ok, but you may need to add sugar to get more alcohol. Typically apple juice seems to come out about 4%ish depending on the juice. If you're feeling adventurous add a kilo of white sugar. I personally add 1-2 kilos of white and maybe 1/2 of brown but it depends on the final flavour you're after. Good luck with it!

 

[mikec]

He's only making 5 litres - a KG of sugar would be a tad over the top.

I've found pear juice can get quite dry so I think most of the sugar would get used.
I've tried a few apple/pear combos but I can never seem to get it right, and just fall back to apple. So interested to see how this turns out?
What type/brand juice have you got?

 

[RoBBo71]

Once I've done it at least once and established that the theory is sound,
I'll look to refine the process and source farm fresh or organic or home pressed.

For this first try however, I'll look to my local supermarket for some cheap and cheerful,
as long as it's tasty and contains no preservatives it should be fine.

If the end product is any good, I'll probably post again for anyone interested.
Don't hold your breath though, I'll want to condition it for a couple of months.

Regarding the sugar / alcohol . . . I'll look for an OG of approx 1.04 and add sugar as needed.