A Big Thankyou...and other stuff

[davekermito]

I've done the whole homebrew thing in reverse...

1. Started with AG brews with my brother in law. Lovely beer but I frankly couldn't be arsed.
2. Kit beers. Just don't like 'em - sorry.
3. TCs

After doing a few DJs full of apple juice and yeast, I'm now on to 5 gallon batches thanks to the recipes on here!

The one I'm drinking at the mo is a cracker (IMO!), but still needs a bit of work...

20 litres of cheap as chips AJ
3 bramleys, 2 braeburn, 1 soft sweet pear (don't ask - it seems to work for me, and I get the fruit for free!), cored with some peel left on
3 lb of clear honey - lovely after taste and a great strength booster. Shame about the waste it leaves though!
5 sticks of cinnamon, gently bashed but not powdered
4 mugs of strong tea

And my special ingredient T 58 yeast. (Or on occasion some spare Belgian beer liquid yeast if my brother in law has got too much)

Stabilsed at 1005 with sodium met and pot sorbate, and left to chill for a couple of weeks before it's ready to drink. Bear in mind I like my ciders strong, spicy, cloudy and still (Old Rosie anyone?)

A friend introduced me to using wheat beer style yeasts in TCs and so far I'm impressed. It gives a real peppery after taste to the brew without introducing too many supplimentary ingredients.

But if it wasn't for some of the outlandish recipes here, along with the comical write ups on tasting notes I wouldn't have bothered giving it a go!

[DREADSKIN]

fiar paly mate, sounds class. im a true believer in the addition of honey. its like a right cross!
one question, can you taste the cinemon, is the cinemon overpowering, do you break up the sticks, should i give it a try too?

[davekermito]

The honey is a classy addition - I have to thank you personally for that one!

The cinnamon, in the amount I add, gives a mild spice aftertaste but it's quite gentle IMO. Gives it a touch of zing without straying into mulled wine spicyness! Just give it a gentle bash so it split into big splinters rather than powdering the stuff as it's a ba5tard to clear!!

Using S33 or T58 has been a revelation for me though, well worth giving it a go on a small scale at the very least.

Would love for someone else to try this recipe...

One DJ's worth of Kermito Gold

4 litres of cheap as chips AJ
1 bramley apple, 1 soft sweet pear - leave some skin on but definitely core 'em!
1 lb of clear honey
2 sticks of cinnamon, gently bashed but not powdered
1 mugs of strong tea
Half pack of T 58

[Taf]

I have to say thanks to all the TC trail blazers too. As a fella said before I have been watching this site for a while, but only commenting now. I made cider from pressed apples last year and it turned out brilliant, and thought I would have to wait for this years harvest before I could make more, but after hearing about the great results and happy customers of TC via this site, I have made a lash of TC. In the last couple of months I have made 10 gallons of plain cider with bramley and tea, and a couple gallons of Sour Cherry Angel, nicearse (apple and peach), apple and rasperry and a few other batch's of various. I am now constantly buying juice and various forms of fruit. As I don't see much difference between TC and wine, it also gave me the confidence to do some country wine, so now have 7 gallons of elderflower fermenting away, and it smells gorgeous. I'm spreading the word now over here in Ireland and there's a lot more people having a go off it. I took some of the cider and sour cherry to a Irish Craft Brewer meet up last week, and while it wasn't to everyones taste, it did get quite a few approving nods. I like it dry, but it might be a bit too dry for some.

Well, just wanted to say thanks to all the contributors, you know who you are.
Cheers,
Billy.

[timothio]

While I must also congratulate the TC guru's on this forum, I must also suggest that everyone errs on the side of caution...

For crying out loud, SHHHHH...!!!! Dont tell the world!!!!

You mark my words, come the next budget we'll find that, courtesy of our dear friend Gordon, Asda's cheapo AJ will cost a tenner per litre, and bread yeast will be totally unaffordable to the lower classes...

Yours paranoidly,

Timothiooooo

[DREADSKIN]

timothio, i with you. that bastard gordon will end up making it illegal cus he cant tax us, the bastard.

and billy, good to have you on. i too am from 'Gods Country'. ive been spreading the word 'up north' and now have a wee following of desperite punks learning the way!

[timothio]

ive been spreading the word 'up north' and now have a wee following of desperite punks learning the way!

Hehe, you with your band of psycho punks, and me with my assembly of wierdo hippies, strange how a glug of TC can unify us all!!

Peace & Love!!

[DREADSKIN]

hell yeah brother, hell yeah! oi! oi!

[davekermito]

Dreadskin, you'll be pleased to hear I've got another 5 gallon brew on the go. Tis the original DS recipe and after putting it in the FV just two hours ago it's already tried to climb out!

Perhaps should have left a bit more head room - plus I had to go through the usual BS at Asda when buying 20 cartons of apple juice and 4 tubs of honey!

[DREADSKIN]

good man, and as for the check out... its a right of passage! i was once asked at lidll if the aplle juice was for comercial purposes, then she pointed at a sign saying you cant bulk buy for said purposes... if only they new! lol

[johnston]

Dreadskin, you'll be pleased to hear I've got another 5 gallon brew on the go. Tis the original DS recipe and after putting it in the FV just two hours ago it's already tried to climb out!

Perhaps should have left a bit more head room - plus I had to go through the usual BS at Asda when buying 20 cartons of apple juice and 4 tubs of honey!

Try 20x 3l of veggie oil see the looks you get then and especially when you say its for the car

[davekermito]

I come up with a different comedy reason each time. The one girl at my local Asda, believes I have an illness that can only be sorted with a litre of honey and apple every day!

I'm getting that much interest from my cider from the free samples I've given out, I'm half tempted to either go into small business or take up scrumping for a trade! A friend of mine has just taken my recipe and is trying different liquid yeasts he has in storage for a taste test. Once we have perfected the perfect yeast, we are trying different apple/juice combos.

But the fun is in the experimentation and testing!

[DREADSKIN]

hehe, there are a group of us starting up and old collective called giros again. the idea is to turn it into place like a workin mans club. ive been asked how much cider do i think i can make... im gonna need help!

[Jabberwoc]

Being a mere potential cider maker (it WILL be my next brew when theis Woodforde Wherry is done!) I wondered if any of you more seasoned veterans had figured out a better supply solution for apple juice than the local ASDA? Isn't there anyone who delivers 20 litres of cider at a time? Like a coal-man...only more "apple-y"?!!

Yours hopefully,
Mark (Nottingham).