First batch of cider

[craigmarshall]

Sorry - I must have said that wrong - I won't be adding any sweetener, I will be adding only apple juice to the bottle before pouring, this will hopefully just sweeten the first bottles I drink (not the goal), and the latter bottles, will hopefully produce some nice fizz.

I've read that you should add 1/2 tsp sugar to 500ml bottles of beer while bottling, what's a reasonable amount of apple juice to add to 500ml of cider for some fizz?

Cheers,
Craig

[timothio]

Hey there,

I just bottled my first TC... Started off as 4 litres AJ plus a few added extras (grated apple, strong cuppa, so was a bit over 4 litres in volume), racked off once and 1 ltre AJ added, racked off again, nothing added, then racked off a final time just before bottling. There was a bit of sludge left after each racking as you would expect, so after the last one there was some space left in my 5 litre bottle. I added approx 150 - 200 mls extra AJ to bring it up to the 5 litre mark, then bottled straight away. Got 9 full 500 ml bottles out of it, and 1 almost full bottle, which I am drinking now... Slightly sweet due to the AJ added before bottling. Must say, fcuking lovely stuff!! I'm gobsmacked when I think its basically just AJ and yeast...

I primed by bottles with... wait for it... approx. 9 gms suger per 500 ml bottle, same as I use for my lager. I use one of those plastic "spoons" you get with bread making machines, gives a nice measured dose every time, 2 "teaspoons" per 500 ml bottle. Just did a little weigh in on my scales, 1 bread making teaspoon = 4.5 gms approx, 1 normal teaspoon (heaped-ish) = 5.5 gms approx.

So could well be that I'll end up with 9 crazy bottle bombs (I'll store them in a spare FV, just in case...), either that or I'll have lovely dry ultra fizzy TC! Hoping for the latter of course...

Ladies and gentlemen, charge your glasses and drink to the phenomenom that is the glorious substance known as TC!!!!

[craigmarshall]

Well - I haven't bottled yet, the cider is sat in my fermentation bucket, waiting to be bottled. I can't decide whether to add sugar to it and have dry, carbonated cider, or to add sugar and fermentation stopper to have sweeter (not sickly sweet), but non-sparkling cider. Any advice?

Cheers,
Craig

[Pronay]

My TC made with honey is delectible, i'd recommend it

[DREADSKIN]

craig, you could bottle have with a 1/2 teaspoon of suar for fizz. then with the other half you could put some fermentation stopper in, wait a day, then bottle with sugar to sweeten. best of both worlds. then in futur you can decide what you prefare

[craigmarshall]

craig, you could bottle have with a 1/2 teaspoon of suar for fizz. then with the other half you could put some fermentation stopper in, wait a day, then bottle with sugar to sweeten. best of both worlds. then in futur you can decide what you prefare

Hi,

Well - it's done. I didn't do any fermentation stopper'd bottles, just all 20 bottles pre-primed with 25ml apple juice. I made some nifty labels with inkscape and openoffice (free computer programs), and stuck them on with milk.

When will this stuff be good enough to open? I don't want to get rat-arsed, or drink foul-tasting stuff , how long should I wait to properly appreciate it at it's best?

Cheers,
Craig

[Manx Guy]

Hi Guys,

Just a quick update....
I racked my TC off for the second time and added some Pectolayse (?) to help get rid of some of the cloudyness from the grated apples I added...
When I sampled some from my trial jat it tasted pretty good and was quite fizzy!

I plan to bottle the cider on saturday into 500ml PET bottles (old sparkling water bottles) Someone on this thread added 25ml of AJ to their bottles to prime, so I'm gonna give that a go and see how it turns out...

Once secondary fermentaion has taken place in the bottle when will can I try some?
lol

Slainte!/Cheers!
Guy

[Mitchamitri]

drink it right away
"Real" cider improves massively in the first 6 weeks and turbo improves but not as much so just as well just drink it!!!

[Manx Guy]

Cool!

suits me bro'!!
lol

I have raved about this stuff to (too)many friends, that I better get another batch on asap!
If the final product 'only' tastes as good as my last sample then it wil be popular!


Slainte!/Cheers!

[craigmarshall]

Hi there,

It was me that put 25ml of fresh juice in each bottle for priming (I worked out the sugar content of the apple juice and weighed 1/2 a tsp sugar, as other people were using to come up with the 25ml). I kept it in the house for a few days to prime, and then moved to the garage, but there is not enough fizz, after a week and a half or so. I would add 30-35 OR leave in the house for a few extra days. The plastic bottles felt fairly firm, but they really need to be hard, I can now say from experience...

I am trying to keep mine and drink it very slowly, my stuff definitely tastes better (less yeasty) after a week than on the first day. Also tastes better with about 2 tsp sugar added to the glass, but add this when you've only added 1/2 a glass of cider, it erupts somewhat. Then top up with more cider.

I think next time, I will rack an extra time and leave it to try and clear for a couple of weeks. Mine is very cloudy, but the strength is there, and plenty of flavour, but quite dry and slightly un-fizzy.

I currently have a still red grape juice wine on the go, and a still clear apple juice wine. Both have potentials of about 10.5% at the minute, still need to add 200-300g sugar in solution to each.

Cheers,
Craig

[Manx Guy]

Hi!

an update on my first TC...
Its bottled and I'm hoping its gonna be ready in a few weeks...
That said as the ambient temp has dropped not much appears to be happening....
Hopefully next time I check the bottles they will feel firm and full of CO2



Slainte!

[Manx Guy]

RESULT!

I tried 2 bottles on sunday at a BBQ! its great served over ice... tastes good (not too dry) and is about 6-7%....

I'm going to pop another batch on and then try some Banana wine... (see the seperate thread) post there if you can recomend any recipies...

Slainte!

[paulbrrtt]

they sound great chaps, I have a TC that has just stopped fermenting earlier today, I do have a question though, when I add the sugar to the bottles do i keep it warm for a few days and then put somewhere cooler at the moment its still in the DJ looking good

[pauljmuk]

Yep - keep the bottled cider somewhere at a similar fermenting temp as it was in the first stage, and leave it there, in the dark, for about a week. Then move it somewhere cold for maturation.

I find that alongside bottling mainly to glass, I bottle into at least one plastic bottle - excellent indicator of secondary fermentation working - the bottle goes firm!