Fruity TC

[Robbie02]

Hi All
I am new quite to home brewing.
But after reading quite a few posts on here towards the end of last year,I decided to try a few different things and so far I have successfully brewed a kit lager from wilko's, a Cantina Rose wine, a Coopers Cerveza and a Really Really cheap TC.
I have another wine kit on the go at the minute and am just waiting for my Woodfords Nelsons Revenge to clear. But as I do with all me brews I taste at different stages, just to check and it tastes great.
My question is this.
I got some 100% juice from ASDA a couple of weeks back. Grape Apple and Rasberry. I chucked 5ltrs in a demi and stuck a teaspoon of champagne yeast in. It bubbled like mad for 7-8 Days. I gave it a couple of days to see if fermentation had ceased and bottled it.
my question is any ideas as to what all the gunge was that I found floating above the sediment? and secondly what is the best way to sweeten as it tasted Very dry prior to bottling.
Thanks
Rob

[second2none]

I use alot of raspberries and find that the dead yeast falls to the bottom of the demi but the bits of raspberry /apple clump together and are lifted to the top of the DJ by the gas bubbles and
I sieve these out about half way throu fermentation and the rest will fall to the bottom a few days after fermantion has finished alowing you to rack nicely.

You shouldnt worry too much about "gunge" I did a guava TC and the top of the DJ looked like a human brain throbbing away!

As for sweetening.. to get cider like from the supermarket the only real way is to kill the yeasties with a tablet, add sugar, then carbonate by injecting CO2 into ur keg but that can be expensive and not in the true spirt of TC and anyway after a few pints of stupidly dry cider you start to enjoy it (or have no taste buds left anyway)

CAN I JUST ASK U A QUICK SIDE QUESTION: How did your coopers cerveza turn out??

[Robbie02]

CAN I JUST ASK U A QUICK SIDE QUESTION: How did your coopers cerveza turn out??[/quote]


Hi
Like the idea of a throbbing brain. made me laugh when I read that.
The Coopers Ceveza was so good I have put another batch on last night. everyone who has tasted it said " you never made that it's too good"
I made it using 1Kg of brewing sugar and 0.5 Kg extra light spray malt to add to the body and It has worked a treat.
Mexican ceveza can be quite bland tasting with not too much body but I personally think the extra sugar/ malt has helped recreate a genuine ceveza.
I only have 2 Ltr bottles left which I am trying my best not to drink. I like to let my brews age to see if there are improvements to be made.
I will be making another batch as soon as this one is bottled but I intend to make it with granulated sugar to see if there really is a difference.
But to answer your question. get yourself one. It's bloody lovely.

[danbrew]

In order to sweeten you have two options depending on if you like your TC fizzy or still.

Fizzy = Bottle as normal with the priming sugar in the bottle but use unfermentable sugars to sweeten. You could either buy wine sweetening compound from LHBS or even use those sweetener tablets for tea/ coffee - doseage is a bit of an issue with these though and some complain that they taste artificial.
Still = Stop any further fermentation with a combination of campden tablets and potassium sorbate then sweeten with sugar.