Turbo cider begginer Q's

[tomplum]

Hi guys just a few beginner turbo cider questions. I am wanting to make some TC but I have a 23ltr vessel if I make say 10 ltr of TC do I use half a sachet of cider yeast?? Secondly I am wanting to add some peach syrup to the mix wot kind of ration to AJ would benefit me for a nice taste but not overpowering. Any starts advice would be appreciated first time TC making

 

[tomplum]

anyone?

 

[jak1010]

Hi guys just a few beginner turbo cider questions. I am wanting to make some TC but I have a 23ltr vessel if I make say 10 ltr of TC do I use half a sachet of cider yeast?? Secondly I am wanting to add some peach syrup to the mix wot kind of ration to AJ would benefit me for a nice taste but not overpowering. Any starts advice would be appreciated first time TC making

Hey there, I'm not certain but it sounds like you'd be filling your 23ltr vessel only half way. The concern I'd have is too much head space.

As for the yeast, it would depend on a few things. The first is what type of yeast and how much is in a sachet? Some packets of yeast such as a 5 gram or 8 gram packet can contain enough for 5 gallons of brew. There may be directions on the pack itself or, if you know what it is, you can look it up. Making a starter is also a good idea if you're completely unsure.

As for the addition of peach syrup, that depends on how concentrated it is. I've seen other recipes that use 3/4 apple juice and 1/4 of another juice (not concentrate) to get a good balance.

4 weeks primary followed by 2-3 in the secondary would be a timeframe that allows you to taste and then see if it needs to be back sweetened.

Hope it helps and not too late. Either way, send us an update of what you do/did.

 

[tomplum]

Hi. I've finished up and bottled 2 batches.. The first one was 3ltr of AJ and 1ltr of cranberry & raspberry juice. That batch was perfect I back sweetened with wine sweetner and carbonated.

Now the second batch was abit of a disaster I followed a recipe on here and it failed. I attempted the toffee apple which was water,brown sugar & cinammon to create a syrup which I added to the bottles before secondary. I left to carbonate and now when I open a bottle it's like a a firework haha.. It just foams up and it's uncontrollable. I wonder what I did wrong?

Can I ask a question why do you use not from concentrate juice to add to the fermentation???
I'm still new to all this, thanks

 

[jak1010]

Sounds like success. Good for you. The second batch sounds like a classic case of too much carbonation. I've had a few of my earlier batches of cider do this.

About the concentrate, I just prefer to use regular juice for fermentation and the concentrate for back sweetening. No real reason but more of a preference.

BTW, what bottles are you using?

 

[tomplum]

Oh that would explain it then. Mabye the brown sugar in the syrup plus priming sugar has gone over board. Anyway of salvaging them?

The bottles are just normal plastic 1ltr screw tops they've worked perfect past few times.

The secondary juice you add to back sweeten when ideally do you add this if you don't mind me asking and what's your favourite recipe. I want a few ideas for next time

 

[jak1010]

That's a tough one. Maybe try to release some pressure without letting the bottle erupt like a volcano. Easier said than done.

Favorite cider recipe? I've got a few. Not enough time tonight to get into the details but I'll post tomorrow.

 

[jak1010]

One of my favorite cider recipes is one gallon and goes like this.

*Just under 1/2 gallon of apple cider
*Just under 1/2 gallon of apple juice
*1/2 cup brown sugar
*1/2 cup of white sugar
*3 cinnamon sticks
*1 clove
*Lalvin 71b

Not all of the juice will fit in a gallon container because of the sugar addition so I put "just under" as a measurement but, you want equal parts juice and cider.

Mix all ingredients and shake thoroughly to dissolve sugars and oxygenate the must. Add the yeast and let it ferment for 3 weeks.

Once primary fermentation is complete, transfer to a secondary. Stabilize and add 2 vanilla beans (you can add extract if you can't find whole beans but it's not as good) and top off with apple juice concentrate.

Leave it in the secondary for 2 weeks and then bottle.

It tastes good at the time of bottling and gets really good with some age. At about 3 months in the bottle, the apple flavor comes out and the cinnamon flavors blend better.

Taste like a baked apple in a glass.

I'm not sure if this recipe is posted anywhere. I came up with it about 6 years ago while experimenting. I'm certain there are many variations of it as well.

It's been 3-4 years since I made a batch so I'm not sure of gravity readings and ABV numbers.

As I sit here and write this, I'm getting a strong urge to make some. I see this becoming part of my brew plans this weekend along with the Unicorn Blood.

If you try it, let me know your thoughts.

 

[tomplum]

Sounds good if I back sweeten with another juice a you said earlier would I need to still use normal amount of priming sugar to carbonate? Thanks

 

[jak1010]

That's a difficult question for me to answer. Maybe someone else reading has experience with this.

Backsweetening, stabilizing and carbing the same batch is not one of my better skills. I've only had a few successful tries at it.

It's better if you're aware of your yeasts tolerance to alcohol before you start the batch and then make your brew with a specific starting gravity and final gravity in mind. With is information you can monitor the gravity through multiple readings then stabilize and bottle carb at just the right point.

Do you have a hydrometer?