Just about to make my first investments, want some checking over everything.

[Fomorii]

So i'm brand new to the whole world of brewing, aside from tea that is. I watched some craft beer documentaries, read some stuff online and decided i'd like to get into homebrewing. From what I can tell brewing cider seems to be a bit cheaper with some room for a few interesting recipes. I'm more interested in mixed fruit ciders, i'd rather go with apple + other fruit fermentations rather back-sweetening with juices before bottling.

Basically, i'd like to outline what I don't know, what I do know, what my initial plans are, the equipment i'd like to buy for the first batch. Then if people can point me in the right direction, make any corrections (however pedantic it may seem) I plan on ordering most of the equipment tomorrow.

One thing i'm definitely not clear on is how SG/FG reading refers to abv and the sweetness/dryness. I can gather that low FG reading translates to sweeter ciders and the inverse being true. But how sweet is a cider that reads 1.000 will be compared to 1.010 compared to 1.020? If anyone can describe the curve of FG readings against the tasting of the cider that'd be really fantastic.

Also i've seen it mentioned either here or on reddit that the SG reading can be used to work out the amount of sugars to be added during primary fermentation? How does that work?

I'm aware of the bottle-bombs and I do plan to ferment quite dry to hit a high abv ~10% then back-sweeten with apple juice to 8%. I'm going to stove-top pasteurise but i'll use an additional plastic bottle and put some towels in the bottom of the pressure cooker (which is broken, it's the largest pot in the house so that's what i'm going to use).

Can I use beer bottles that have been used? Left over from some drinks with friends? As long as I sterilise it all?

So for the actual recipe itself the plan is to make something similar to a Rekorderlig, don't know if you guys have it in the states but it's widely available in the UK. Though i'm aiming for a cider that's not as sweet and a higher abv. I read on reddit that using a pasteurised fruit mash in the primary will impart a deeper flavour with flavour tones from the fruits used (i'm going for raspberries and blackberries). I may add it in the second fermentation after racking to impart a red tone to the drink itself, according to a thread on reddit it said that it should still ferment clear if given a fortnight. Does anyone have any experience with this? I know just getting some organic juices will save a lot of time and be easier but as I won't be pressing or pasteurising my own juices I thought I may as well do this to add a bit of authenticity to the cider.

I'm going to use a starter just in case the juice contains potassium sorbate (I will be using organic not-from-concentrate juice). Can I make the raspberry/blackberry mix a starter or should I just use a couple good organic apples for the starter instead?

Equipment i'm going to order tomorrow: (if anyone knows of any homebrew stores in Norfolk, UK that'd be great otherwise it's all coming from amazon).
Nottingham Ale Yeast
Yeast Nutrient
Pectolase - not sure if I'll need this? It was recommended to be used with fruit mashes, i'm assuming this is to help it clear
Bottle Capper
Bottle Caps
Airlocks with rubber bung

I already have a refractometer from when I used to keep marine fish, can I also use for taking specific gravity measurements? I also have a digital thermometer that i'll be using when pasteurising. I'll buy organic juices/fruit once all the other equipment has arrived/been bought.

As for carboys/demijohns, on amazon it's £10 for a pack of two plastic 1 gallon (which is what this first batch will be) carboys. They look exactly the same as the large 5L plastic water containers that are available in supermarkets. Can I just use those because they're about £1.60 in the supermarkets so that's obviously a pretty big saving for this. My original budget was £40 and the first brew should clock in at just about £45 after juices and fruit so i'm pretty pleased (assuming this is all the right equipment).

What do you all think? Sorry for the wall of text! I know this is a lot to ask, but I think being as explicit as possible will avoid any unwanted mistakes. Is there anything i'm missing? Am I making this overly complicated for a first time?

 

[Maylar]

A couple of things I'll suggest -

Start simple. Don't be crushing berries and shooting for high ABV until you've made a couple batches of plain old apple cider. There's a learning curve here, and mistakes taste like vinegar. One gallon is a good size to begin with.

Stay away from plastic bottles unless they're specifically made for brewing. Glass 1 gallon jugs are the ticket, and you'll need 2 of them. You'll also need cleaning and sterilizing chemicals, and some assorted tubing, bungs, airlocks, a siphon, bottling wand, hydrometer and beaker.

Reusable bottles, yes indeed. Only the pry-off cap style though, no screw cap bottles. Guiness and Smithwicks bottles are great because the labels come off with just a soak.

You don't need a starter with cider. And you cannot ferment anything that has preservatives.

I highly recommend that you read this web site from start to end:

http://www.howtomakehardcider.com/index.html

 

[Fomorii]

Thanks for the reply, just made the first order. I found glass demijohns, airlocks, aquarium tubing, and bottle caps in town today so I will be buying those next week.
Off amazon I bought a racking cane, pectolase, yeast nutrients, nottingham ale yeast, bottle capper, and Cider, Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own. I ordered the book for some contextual information on cider production, thought it'd be a nice, light read.
I'll keep this thread going as I start to brew! Looking to start before August, really can't wait for it all to arrive now.

I'll take your advice on starting simple, i'll make an apple only for the first and until I get it at a decent level I won't start to experiment further. I'm thinking about stacking productions, so after the first brew I might get a second pair of demijohns so i've got one set in primary and another in secondary to keep the ball rolling.

 

[Maylar]

A siphon is also highly recommended. Just make sure you get the "mini" size so it fits into the mouth of a 1 gallon jug.

That link I gave you is what got me started. And this forum is a great resource.

Have fun!

 

[_bygolly]

I'm also new to home brewing but I have learned a lot from simple mistakes I've made and I'm hoping what I tell you will help prevent you from making those mistakes as well.

First off, do not use plastic, I know there is the risk of bottle bombs but the quality will be much better. as well as other reasons, glass is the way to go. I agree with the other guys when they say start small. I did the same. Just two 1 gallon carboys. (You can always get the other later, after all it takes at least 4 weeks to ferment so you won't be moving it until then, but having an extra on hand is always good, in case you end up making a bad mistake.)

Next, regarding airlocks: you're going to want to get some tubing to fit those airlocks. 1/2 inch tubing fits to most airlocks and are very inexpensive. Just a good thing to invest in, and here's why. I came home one night roughly 5 or 6 hours after making a batch, and foam had made it's way through the airlock and out the top through the holes on the cap. This can create quite a mess, and you'll be changing airlocks frequently. The tubes are for what's called a blow off, just google it it's very simple to make. It's a safer way to let the pressure escape from the Carboy.

Another thing that went wrong for me, just cause I wasn't thinking, is when I hydrated my yeast ( I used Nottingham too) I put the water on the stove rather than just using warm tap. Duh, I don't know why I did that but heating the yeast to much to fast will thermal shock it. So I'm sure you won't do that but, just in case, when you hydrate, use warm tap water.

Next I'll also say that an auto siphon is a good investment as well. It makes racking much easier.

All the extra stuff I've told you to buy is pretty inexpensive. Trust me, I'm a broke college age dude that's in debt so if I can afford it you probably can too haha. But seriously, this stuff will make your cider journey much better. And like I said, I'm new to this too, probably only a few steps ahead, but if I know anything is that this is the Same advice I've gotten from people on here, and at my local brew store. And like I said I want to help prevent you from making my mistakes.

Glad to see I'm not the only noob to this and hope this saves you from some mess-ups in the future

 

[Sovaka]

Reusable bottles, yes indeed. Only the pry-off cap style though, no screw cap bottles. Guiness and Smithwicks bottles are great because the labels come off with just a soak.

Hey, I am new here (as you can tell from the post count), but why do you say not to use the twist caps?

I've recycled some clear twist bottles and their caps and have reused them without issue?

 

[Maylar]

Hey, I am new here (as you can tell from the post count), but why do you say not to use the twist caps?

I've recycled some clear twist bottles and their caps and have reused them without issue?

The general consensus is that reusing twist caps won't give a good enough seal. And the bottles are thinner glass and can crack if you try to cap them normally. Some people report that they've had success, and I think it depends on the source of the bottles.

 

[Sovaka]

Ok, thanks for the reply

 

[Dudest]

You have any temp regulation?