My first cider

[ProfessorWoland]

I'm a week into my cider experiment.

After a few beers I poured 4 litres of Aldi 100% apple juice from concentrate into a small demijohn. Then I made a syrup of 1 kilo of granulated sugar and about 250g of brown sugar. There was too much liquid so I couldn't get it all in. Then i added a pack of sparkling wine yeast.

It was too much hassle in my drunken state to take a gravity reading, which I regret now.

I also forgot to add yeast nutrient, which I did the next day. I had to tie the bung onto the carboy after this as it kept blowing off! I should have also used a blow off tube instead of a airlock as the next morning I found my floor around the demijohn had a good coating of yeasty apple juice.

So just over a week in its still bubbling away and looks pretty foul but at least the sulphur smell has died down. I wasn't prepared for that!

I plan, when it's done fermenting, to put a crushed campden tablet in it. When it's cleared a bit I'll add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 250-500g of granulated sugar to sweeten, then force carb it in my mini corney keg.

Does this sound ok? I've not made too many errors?


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[bernardsmith]

MY sense is that this will be less like cider and more like a wine - the gravity at the start will have been way above 1.100 and so you are talking about an ABV of about 13 or 14 percent. If you are planning on sweetening the wine I would wait until all the sugar has fermented out - check with your hydrometer. It should read below 1.000 (possibly .996) and make sure that no sediment is still dropping out. I would then add K-sorbate and the capmden. Campden tabs won't prevent refermentation if you add sugar and there are still some viable yeast cells.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

Thanks! I'll add that too.


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[Texconsinite]

Yes, what the professor said. In my experience, it may take some time to bottle age before its drinkable, so don't expect a tasty beverage right away.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

It's going to get slung in some aluminium drinking bottles and saved for a camping trip in September. I think we'll have had a ton of beer before getting to it so hopefully won't care about taste.


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[RPowell]

my first batches were 10 to 12% abv. out of primary, they were undrinkable. backsweetening and age REALLY REALLY REALLY made a huge difference. i just opened a bottle I put up over a month ago. it's heavenly. and it should only get better.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

The cider/wine is starting to clear. Going to take a gravity reading later.

I've got some stuff that'll end any future fermentation and campden tablets. Do I have to wait for my cider/wine to clear before adding it or can I add it if it has hit FG.

Thanks for all your help with my n00b questions!


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[ProfessorWoland]

I think I'm going to skip the carbonation and have it still.


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