Strongbow Sweet Cider

[Scruffy]

The only thing I saw the OP object to was 'flat and shithouse cider'.

So he's not objecting to it then...

 

[tcraig20]

So he's not objecting to it then...

Huh?

 

[brettprevans]

Hi All
I would like to make a Cider brew as close to the Strongbow Sweet taste.
only made a cider from a Canned mix and it tasted flat and shithouse.
dont want to spend a lot of money making it.
All I want is a Cider that is Sparkling (With Bubbles) and drinkable.

i thinik the OP is self explanatory. I think we've helped.

 

[bum]

We might not have helped all we could, actually...

Max, how long did you leave your first cider in the bottle before drinking? Most ciders take a long time to carb up and can be infamous for tasting awful young. Ciders take much longer than beer to condition. Maybe time was more your problem than your recipe?

 

[brettprevans]

I recon it might have also been the temp it was fermented at. although reports from other AHB's on cider kits is mixed. some recon its horrible and other recon its ok. i recon it probably to do with the freshness of the kit.

edit: strongbow sweet cider by bum. calling jokes thread

 

[Scruffy]

Huh?

Purile attempt at humour... my apologies.

I think I answered his question. He likes Strongbow sweet (hey, I like Mercury sweet if I'm in the mood...), he doesn't like the supermarket(?) kit and wants to make about 23l.
Every one else has gone with the ferment the apple juice route (and a very noble route, steeped in history and tradition it is...) - I pointed out that all apple sugars are fermentable so what he'd be left with couldn't really be described by the words sweet or Strongbow. I presented a method of producing an ethanol beverage flavoured with apples and sugar - though my method might finish on the weak side (2-3%ABV) I believe most manufacturers these days 'make wine' out of fruit (Grape/Apple/Sugar etc) brewed to about 15% then dilute/blend with apple juice to around 6-8%, this gives the hint of apple and the desired sweet taste...

I could have said, squash some apples and leave them in a bucket under a tree for a bit...

The flat and shithouse drink the OP referred to was the concentrate wasn't it?

The trope employed by my - so he's not objecting to it - statement should be taken as a rhetorical explanation of an idea through a juxtaposition of disparate things with similar characteristics, FFS.

 

[max10au]

i thinik the OP is self explanatory. I think we've helped.

I bottled it after 7 days and it was at a temp of about 27degrees and then drank it about 2weeks later as it said in the directions. I never put Apple juice with it, so please where did I go wrong?

 

[tcraig20]

I bottled it after 7 days and it was at a temp of about 27degrees and then drank it about 2weeks later as it said in the directions. I never put Apple juice with it, so please where did I go wrong?

Temperature and time may have caused some problems then. Generally, brewing with ale yeast you want to keep the temps down to about 18. When making a cider, I personally think its OK to let things get up to 20 degrees or a little higher. But 27 is too high, and will produce some unusual flavours.

As for time in the bottle, as others have said cider is notorious for slow carbonation, and needing time in the bottle to sort itself out. Two weeks isnt really enough. I wouldnt expect proper carbonation in under a month. For taste, Ive found it best to treat cider much the same as white wine: dont drink before 6 months in the bottle, best finished before more than 2 years in the bottle. Give it a couple of months in the bottle and try it again - you might end up pleasantly suprised!

 

[bum]

+1

I reckon if you go with a kit (Blackrock if you can spring for the extra $$), as much juice as you can be bothered buying, a bit of lactose and time will get you closest.

Another option, of course, is to make and extremely high alc/dry cider and go half and half cider and apple juice. I imagine that this would take even longer to smooth out in the bottle and would be lower carbed

 

[pdilley]

I've done Blackrock and to date still can not recommend it. I have a good recipe that I can not do in Oz because it uses frozen concentrate of apple-raspberry to sweeten a fermented and sorbated simple cider and keg carbonated. Frozen juice concentrates are more common than flies in every supermarkwt in the Stayes but never found any here yet.

If anyone want the recipe I'll put it up on request.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[bum]

I've done Blackrock and to date still can not recommend it.

How would you compare it to a Strongbow Sweet?

 

[max10au]

Thanks for all your advice, now I am really confused as what to do, as there was so many choices. So I spose I will have to guess as how to make a nice Cider. I will brew as soon as I can afford it and tell you all what it was like. But that could be 6 months away as some of you suggested. Once again thanks for all your feedback

 

[Scruffy]

Purchase Apple Juice.
Purchase Vodka.
Combine.

 

[bum]

He wants it sparkling - maybe Appletise or whatever it is called?

 

[manticle]

Thanks for all your advice, now I am really confused as what to do, as there was so many choices. So I spose I will have to guess as how to make a nice Cider. I will brew as soon as I can afford it and tell you all what it was like. But that could be 6 months away as some of you suggested. Once again thanks for all your feedback

A lot of what's been suggested has similarities.

Use juice, use lactose to sweeten, use a kit if you want and be patient. You'll have to tweak it to your own tastes and it may take a while to get right as there are many paths to the same goal.

If you want to keep it really simple just use a kit but use half the amount of water and use apple juice for the rest. Chuck in 200g lactose, ferment at 20 deg, prime, bottle and wait 6 weeks.

Good luck

 

[bum]

+1 to everything you just said except the lactose. I don't reckon 200g is gonna get near Strongbow. I'd up it some.

 

[manticle]

+1 to everything you just said except the lactose. I don't reckon 200g is gonna get near Strongbow. I'd up it some.

Kits have some artificial sweeteners in them. I guess my hesitation with lactose (even though I use it) is the idea of too much milk product mixed with apples. It's not based on anything more than a tic in the back of my brain saying 'don't add too much'.

Also I haven't drunk strongbow for at least 11 years.

 

[bum]

I'm currently drinking a kit based cider (well, not for breakfast, you know what I mean) that has been in the bottle for 3 months. The recipe is basically the same as the one I suggested above - minus the lactose. The artificial sweeteners are detectable but it is still dry. I think it has turned out a very decent cider. It punches Gaymers in it's stupid, arse-tasting face and stands up remarkably well against Bulmers (pips it, IMO) - but Strongbow Sweet it ain't.

Yeah, milk and apple juice doesn't sound great. Lactose is just a non-fermentable sugar extracted from milk isn't it? It's not like there is any residue milk powder, is there?