Cloudy Apple Cider

[jbowers]

Hey,

I'm having a bit of a foray in to cider making at the moment. Been putting down a couple of test small batches using various pear and apple juices and s-04 at a low temp with the hope of some residual sweetness.

Wondering if, since cloudy apple juice is always meant to be kept cold, this means it has the potential for spontaneous fermentation? My favourite ciders are all fermented with the natural yeast from the apple skins, so would love to replicate this if possible. Anyone know about this or tried it personally?

If not, no worries. On a slight side note, if anyone has worked out a fairly cheap/easy way to get in to pressing your own apples (and a good way to source some for cheap), please let me know.

Cheers

 

[Greg.L]

The natural yeast doesn't really come from the apple skins, just spores from the air. Any juice without preservative will ferment naturally left exposed to the air. Generally places where a lot of fermentation happens will have a lot of yeast floating around.
Making a press just requires some sturdy timber and basic carpentry skills, bottle jacks can be got fairly cheap these days. There are lots of plans on the internet, and on youtube you can see demonstrations of pressing. The main difficulty is milling the apples, people use kitchen disposal units, or garden shredders. Getting the apples is a local thing, growing your own is easiest but takes time, people try to scout out local trees with fruit going to waste, crabapples are good for adding body.

 

[J Grimmer]

I reckon local growers would be the way to go to get fresh fruit have had the oppotunity to visit some in Qld and they have been very hospitable and some have even let you pick your own apples. As for the price i found the more you buy the cheaper it gets. Last time i got about 12- 15 kg apple for $15 and they were fantastic. My olny concern i feel how much juice do you get from the apples.

I have seen some presses at Grain & Grape but you may be able to get a juicer cheaper.

Jan.