Primitive cider

Zambi

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I don't have most of my equipment at hand, but I want to do some cider again. Very easy, from applejuice.
It's actually how I started.
So, it's going to be apple juice (preserved with vitamin C, so no fermenting problems), some sugar and yeast.
I have used baker's yeast before, but want to try some "proper" cider yeast now.
And I want to add some hop.
So thinking of bpiling water, adfing the sugar to it and some hop, letting it cool and add to the apple juice.
Would that work?
I can measure the temperature more or less with an instant read thermometer. But my hydrometers, pH meters and everything else is in a box.
Got a bucket and waterlock.
I want to put the lot in a coolbox with a wet towel on top.
Current low temp 14 oC, high 39 oC.

Will it work or should I be patient, drink the apple juice and wait till full solar power systrm is installed and I have found my box with brewing stuff?
As an aside, my fly fishing rod is in the brew box, so it's a priority box ;)
 
Safcider yeast has a recommended range of 10-30 C. So if you can keep the fermenter cooled a bit, you should get a drinkable cider.

Are you wanting to hop the cider for bitterness or aroma? For some flavor and aroma, the easiest thing would be to dry hop. For bitterness, you could make a hop tea and boil the hops around 30 minutes. I don’t add hops to my cider, but that’s a personal taste preference.

I say go for it on making cider. You should be able to get something decent.
 
Thanks Bubba.
I just checked and I got safale yeast and mangrove jack. Looks like the MJ needs higher and more consistant temperatures so will go for the Safale.

We used to have a cider here that was called Hunters Edge. Took a bit of getting used to, was less sweet tgan the other commercial ciders and tasted a bit "beery".
I develooed a taste for it, hence the hop-idea.
I've made cider before by adding applejuice to the left over trub after bottling beer and that was quite tasty.
I think I am more after a slight aroma than real bitterness, but my taste buds are not that developed.
They now: great/OK/mmm/don't like ;)
 
Nothing ventured nothing gained eh;)?
I saw some South African Pineapple brews on YouTube Covid 19 novice hombrew style in a plastic storage box recently that really made me proud:).

You know you could actually pour out some apple juice from the Apple juice bottle and do it all in there for simplicity same.

My very first DIY hombrew was some rough ginger beer brew in a 2lt coke bottle that I left in the hot Aussie Sun whilst living down the back of a ginger farm lol.
It was rocket fuel I would beef it up every now and again with cane sugar and burp the nearly exploding coke bottle after every days toil digging in the dirt looking for ginger.

All I can add is maybe squeeze some lemon juice in there for a bit of acid will make the cider pop a bit more... Just like adding lactic to beer. Hey you can prob find citric or tartic acid in the baking isle at the super market.
Cheers
 
Thanks Ben
I have been brewing directly in the bottle, but that was applejuice preserved with sodium benzoate and it didn't work that well.
This juice is in 2 ltr tetra packs....
Bit of extra acid sounds great.
Or maybe I should go wild and add some kaffir lime leaves to the juice....
(No extra acid, but lot of flavour)
 
Thanks Ben
I have been brewing directly in the bottle, but that was applejuice preserved with sodium benzoate and it didn't work that well.
This juice is in 2 ltr tetra packs....
Bit of extra acid sounds great.
Or maybe I should go wild and add some kaffir lime leaves to the juice....
(No extra acid, but lot of flavour)
Yeah should be good the thing about lemon juice pineapple juice ect is it will drop PH a bit unsure on the kafir lime though
I've got one growing in the garden here and use it in Currys and when roasting chook.
I know a little goes a long way be careful adding in brewing I'd go one leaf max myself.
 
Nothing ventured nothing gained eh;)?

My very first DIY hombrew was some rough ginger beer brew in a 2lt coke bottle that I left in the hot Aussie Sun whilst living down the back of a ginger farm lol.
It was rocket fuel I would beef it up every now and again with cane sugar and burp the nearly exploding coke bottle after every days toil digging in the dirt looking for ginger.

That's brilliant; when life gives you ginger then make ginger beer. Full creativity marks :)
 
The cider I make is very light and dry. I use pasteurized cider with no preservatives. Some preservatives don’t play well with yeast. I don’t use any additional sugar or try to backsweeten.

I like the idea of adding a spot of ginger to the finished cider. Good idea.
 
As you do sir as you do.

Prob why I grow the stuff now myself.
If ever you want a good ginger beer recipie I've got one up my sleeve ;)

In the market for a good ginger beer recipe !
Back to the cider, going to see if I have some citric acid as I have no access to lemons or lime at the moment (I'll actually read the juice pack first. Maybe pH is stated).
No kaffir lime leaves this time, but will put a little sugar and hop.
Cleaning will have to be with water and chlorine.
Bottling is going to be interesting as well, but I'll have about 2 weeks to make a plan ;)
 
In the market for a good ginger beer recipe !
Back to the cider, going to see if I have some citric acid as I have no access to lemons or lime at the moment (I'll actually read the juice pack first. Maybe pH is stated).
No kaffir lime leaves this time, but will put a little sugar and hop.
Cleaning will have to be with water and chlorine.
Bottling is going to be interesting as well, but I'll have about 2 weeks to make a plan ;)
Here's my ginger recipie
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/828285/ginger-ninger
If you find Ascorbic acid it acts as an anti oxidant too....
Just rinse them with fairly hot water and let air dry maybe upside down to stop any infectious dust settling in container a pre rinse with phosphoric acid would help.
You don't need to worry about the fermentation side of thing seeing as your fermenting in the store bought bottle.
You could brew still apple wine and just not worry about bottling just treat it like mead.

Just checked recipie you can use rolled oats in place of the flaked stuff and Loki is Voss Kviek a clean fermenting ale yeast will suffice for sure.
 
Thanks for the ginger recipe Ben.

I'm fermenting in my bottling bucket. The apple juice came in tetra packs.
I'm not a fan of non-bubbly cider. I'll bottle in 500 ml sprite bottles (pet bottles). Eady to cap. Will just have to drink it fairly quick ;)
 
I'
Hot weather? Primitive?? Would Kveik do the job??
I am quite sure it would and am planming on getting some in the post-Corona era (when I can travel again).
For now, I decided to keep things as simple as possible and just used apple juice and yeast.
After all, I have never used a cider juice before, so best to check what it does on its own and then make adjustments
 
So....
I didn't see any krausen in my bucket, neither any bubbles through the airlock.
Not to worry, this has happened before and otherwiss I still have apple juice ;)
With that in mind, I tasted a little bit yesterday (can't measure so all I have are my taste buds). Definitely no apple juice!.
A lot drier and a slight tintle from little bubbles. A bit sour as well.
Going to wait another week and then I'll bottle
 
Bottled the first lot (by caregully filling the bottles via the tap) and poured a new batch on the trub. This one with extra sugar and with some hop.

How many times can I use the same yeast/trub? Can I do a third batch?

As for the bottled lot, They are in the coolbox with the fermenter. Going to cool down 1 bottle in the freezer for an hour or 2 for tasting today.
Got no fridge, otherwise I could cool for a bit longer.
Looking forward to my taste test ;)
 
Bottled the first lot (by caregully filling the bottles via the tap) and poured a new batch on the trub. This one with extra sugar and with some hop.

How many times can I use the same yeast/trub? Can I do a third batch?

As for the bottled lot, They are in the coolbox with the fermenter. Going to cool down 1 bottle in the freezer for an hour or 2 for tasting today.
Got no fridge, otherwise I could cool for a bit longer.
Looking forward to my taste test ;)
Short answer: Use it until it no longer produces the results you want. Without tasting your results, I'd say a third generation should work. Pros generally use yeast more generations than that but they operate under more controlled conditions.
 
Right.
Going to do another batch once the 2nd is finished and if there is apple juice in the shops again.
Tasted my first one. Very dry. I added a little sugar and I don't have a sweet tooth.
Lightly carbonated. I hope that improoves as it has only been a week since bottling.
Also a slight sherry-flavour.
Not sure what that is, but I've had it before with homemade cider and it seems to disappear over time. Would that be acetaldehyde?
 
Right.
Going to do another batch once the 2nd is finished and if there is apple juice in the shops again.
Tasted my first one. Very dry. I added a little sugar and I don't have a sweet tooth.
Lightly carbonated. I hope that improoves as it has only been a week since bottling.
Also a slight sherry-flavour.
Not sure what that is, but I've had it before with homemade cider and it seems to disappear over time. Would that be acetaldehyde?
Most likely a fermentation pby product.
Pretty hard to avoid dry cider when bottling I know ive tried lactose previously.
Sounds like a success to me though .
 
Thanks
Not too disappointed considering the equipment/facilities I got at the moment.
I'll just add some table sugar to the glass for now.
One day I'll find my sorbitol (which means I have then found all my equipment and my fly fishing rpd ;) )
 

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