1st TC

[Deebee]

I made my first one a short while back.

For me it turned out a little thin but i will be altering the recipe slightly next time.

AT first it tasted like wine and was at the 8 % mark i would imagine. After i bottled it ( in coke bottles) i left it to carbonise for a week then moved to the storeage fride( taking up all the space i hade left).

I went on holiday for a 5 week period and when i came back the cider is crystal clear if a little pale, still rather tart, and still wine like but not too bad.

I understand it from the gurus here that this stuff can be drunk straight from the FV so i would imagine a week or so and your good to go. That said it appears the stuff gets better after about 4 weeks

[brewses like a peach]

I just tasted my cider - bloody hell! Currently it tastes very strong and tart and is coming in at roughly 8%. To mellow it out slightly, I was planning on adding about a third of a litre of apple juice into each of my 2l water bottles whilst it is conditioning. I was also planning to continue with my plan of adding 3 tsp of sugar per bottle. Does that sound like an ok plan?

[Philipek]

The ye

, I was planning on adding about a third of a litre of apple juice into each of my 2l water bottles whilst it is conditioning. I was also planning to continue with my plan of adding 3 tsp of sugar per bottle. Does that sound like an ok plan?

The yeast will ferment any sugar it finds in the bottle creating CO2 for condition. By adding apple juice as well as sugar you're giving the yeast a lot of sugar to chew on, so the bottles may well explode. It's better to add the apple juice just as you're drinking it. I think there are some products you can buy that will stop the yeast from fermenting the sugars, or you can throw in some unfermentable sugar like lactose, but it's easier to just add apple juice when you're drinking it.

[brewses like a peach]

wow, glad I read that before bottling the cider! Thanks for the tip.

[Philipek]

I'm hoping someone with more knowledge and experience gets in on this thread.

I followed your thread hoping that your cider wouldn't come out so dry seeing as you used bread yeast. I used champagne yeast which, apparently, is very high attentuating.

I've got my first TC bubbling away and read threads and posts of cider coming out really dry. I seem to remember someone on here bottled the cider at 1.020, which, if my understanding serves me correctly, works out at the equivalent of over 50 grams unfermented sugar per litre. That person said that it tasted very nice, he or she didn't mention it exploding or frothing like a maniac.

I was theorizing that perhaps one could mix the cider with apple juice, leave it to condition for a week then put the yeast to sleep by throwing the bottles in the fridge. Voila! less dry cider, no bottle bomb! It's a theory though, and one thought up by an inexperienced brewer with a penchant for overlooking the obvious.

[Invalid Stout]

The yeast will continue to ferment any sugars it can, even at low temperatures (just more slowly), so be very careful. I wouldn't use this method. You have the risk of overpressurisiing the bottles and the mixture won't stay sweet forever.