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12/08/2023 Cider

First batch of cider made in the summer of 2023.
Keyword: alcohol, apple, cider
Servings: 18 l

Equipment

  • Fruit crusher
  • Fruit press
  • Straining bag
  • Fermentation vessel
  • Airlock and bung
  • Hydrometer
  • PBW
  • Sanitiser
  • Large bucket For catching apple pulp
  • Medium container For catching juice
  • Medium funnel
  • Knife
  • Chopping board
  • Priming sugar

Ingredients

  • 45 kg Fresh apples
  • 1 sachet Cider yeast Mangrove Jack's M02 Cider Yeast
  • 4 Campden tablets
  • 4 g Pectolase

Instructions

  • Wash apples to remove dirt
  • Cut apples in half and remove any rot
  • Pulp apples
  • Transfer apple pulp to strainer
  • Press apples, pausing for a few minutes once turning the handle gets difficult
  • Take gravity reading
  • Add campden tablets, then fit airlock
  • Wait 12 hours
  • Add pectolase, then put airlock back
  • Wait 12 hours
  • Pitch yeast, then put airlock back
  • [To do] Wait 2 weeks, rack into secondary with minimal headspace, then put airlock back
  • [To do] Wait 6 months, ensuring airlocks do not dry out
  • [To do] Bottle with priming sugar
  • [To do] Wait 2 weeks (does bottle conditioning need longer?)

Notes

Used a range of apples from three different people, plus some from a local tree.
Fermentation did not commence after pitching yeast. Tried three times over a week. Eventually found out the Campden tablets were 2x strength, but that still didn't fully explain the issues. I was able to get this batch going almost three weeks later by using the lees from a different batch. It may end up OK, but had some off odours during fermentation. Topped up with around 2l Tesco apple juice towards the end of fermentation. Also took place during a very warm week (30C outside), kept fermentation vessel in bath with cooler water, keeping it closer to the low 20s.