hazboticus
Member
Hi Everyone!
I was hoping to get some advise on a first time cider brew, having read through the starter thread I started brewing with some decent know how I just wanted to sense check some steps with you lovely people before I go and ruin something.
I started brewing a couple years ago for fun and understand most of the basics however I have never produced anything that I would say is 'good' so I am approaching this with a bit more science and planning but I am a bit stumped.
Firstly the process so far so you have some idea of what's going on
Recipie is;
25 litres Apple Juice (coles Home brand - no sulphates)
2 Litres Pear Nectar
1kg Brown Sugar (dissolved in water)
7 grams Cider Yeast (from Daves Home Brew Sydney)
All ingredients were combined into a 30 litre vessel (properly sterilized with Isophor) shaken and left to ferment.
First day had very little activity that progressively increased to a constant bubbling and even a bit of foaming at the top (enough headroom so there were no issues).
The brew has been going for about 10 days and seems to have finished off the sugars - temperatures have been fluctuating between mid 20's and 30's over the period as it has been kept in the shed.
Last night I went out to try a bit and it came out quite watery and dry and tasted almost entirely non-alcoholic - we were aiming for a solid 7-12% (I haven't taken my readings properly so that's a bit of an issue but will get a gravity reading tonight).
Has any one had experience with this flavour issue? Is this normal? I have read that cider requires serious conditioning (3 weeks or more) before it has any hint of flavour however Im still not convinced.
We are looking to back sweeten half the batch at bottling with a Lactose sugar syrup - aiming to hit a standard store bought level of sweetness (not that Swedish pear level) at a rate of 30 grams per litre. Has anyone had experience with this and can recommend a good amount of sugar to use?
Many thanks,
H
I was hoping to get some advise on a first time cider brew, having read through the starter thread I started brewing with some decent know how I just wanted to sense check some steps with you lovely people before I go and ruin something.
I started brewing a couple years ago for fun and understand most of the basics however I have never produced anything that I would say is 'good' so I am approaching this with a bit more science and planning but I am a bit stumped.
Firstly the process so far so you have some idea of what's going on
Recipie is;
25 litres Apple Juice (coles Home brand - no sulphates)
2 Litres Pear Nectar
1kg Brown Sugar (dissolved in water)
7 grams Cider Yeast (from Daves Home Brew Sydney)
All ingredients were combined into a 30 litre vessel (properly sterilized with Isophor) shaken and left to ferment.
First day had very little activity that progressively increased to a constant bubbling and even a bit of foaming at the top (enough headroom so there were no issues).
The brew has been going for about 10 days and seems to have finished off the sugars - temperatures have been fluctuating between mid 20's and 30's over the period as it has been kept in the shed.
Last night I went out to try a bit and it came out quite watery and dry and tasted almost entirely non-alcoholic - we were aiming for a solid 7-12% (I haven't taken my readings properly so that's a bit of an issue but will get a gravity reading tonight).
Has any one had experience with this flavour issue? Is this normal? I have read that cider requires serious conditioning (3 weeks or more) before it has any hint of flavour however Im still not convinced.
We are looking to back sweeten half the batch at bottling with a Lactose sugar syrup - aiming to hit a standard store bought level of sweetness (not that Swedish pear level) at a rate of 30 grams per litre. Has anyone had experience with this and can recommend a good amount of sugar to use?
Many thanks,
H