Some questions about first Turbo Cider Brew

[mattlucas1]

Ok im having a few problems finding a really basic guide to this so thought id ask

i have neve brewed anything before so dont really understand the terminology but get the idea

I have made a 20 ltr batch of cider using

20 litres sainsbury juice
2 340g jars honey
6 peeled pink lady apples
200g sugar granulated
6 teabags

put the sugar,honey,teabags and 2 ltrs of juice in a pan and heated till dark (from tea) and everything dissolved, added the remaining 18 ltrs to brewing barrell along with blended apples then added the heated mix minus teabags

took a reading, got 1.060

gave it a stir then put the whole sachet of ritchies champagne yeast in and stirred again

its been 24 hours and the airlocks bubbling every few minutes its in a blanket at about 20 degrees

and heres where my questions start..........

1) im planning on taking readings in about a week to see if the fermenting has stopped, if it has i have been informed to "rack off" now with the equipment i bought (not a brewing kit just an equipment kit) i got another 23 ltr barrell with a tap on it, do i rack into this? because im worried all the sedement and crap floating on top will go in too if i use the supplied syphon or do i need to actually strain it into the other barrell

2) once in the barrell with tap, do i add sugar at that point to make it fizzy? if not then whats the point of the second barrell?

3) can the brew go out in the cold after its been racked into the second barrell as the missis getting the arse lol

thanks in advance!!

[simco999]

Hi - I can only go off my limited TC experience.

1. If you intend to drink it from the barrel I would certainly use a sieve or similar as any big bits may block the barrel tap. Personally I bottle all my stuff.
2. The point of adding sugar for the secondary fermentation is to create CO2 in the barrel which is then absorbed by the TC and makes it fizzy. You need some barrel guys to help you there.
3. Not if you want the secondary fermentation to take place as the cold will stop the yeasties working. Keep it indoors for a week then put it outside.

I'm sure you'll get more help in a bit.

BTW - nice looking recipe - let us know how it goes.

[trucker5774]

If you want the normal commercial carbonation in your cider don't use a barrel. It is not suitable for that sort of pressure. I bottle all mine for that reason. I add 150 g of sugar to a 5 gallon brew. There are many recipes and many methods, but you are on track for your first brew.

[mattlucas1]

great thanks for the replies, its really odd feeling not knowing how its gonna end up, i can see why people get addicted to brewing, its bubbling away nicely now and smell pretty good so fingers crossed!! gonna put it in some 2 ltr fizzy water bottles i think, is that a good idea its just glass bottles seem a little expensive!

ok so my next steps are, hydrometer readings, then syphon (with a sieve under the flow into the new barrel), then do i leave it again before bottling?

sorry feel really dumb just cant seem to find an idiots guide to this! lol

[mattlucas1]

anyone?

[GrowlingDogBeer]

Any plastic bottles designed for fizzy drinks will be fine.

Once you have transferred to the bottling barrel you can bottle straight away. Add the priming sugars(dissolved) to the bottling barrel and mix in there rather than adding them individually to the bottles.

[simco999]

Also you can pick up 2 litre PET bottles cheap at Tescos - value fizzy water 17p ish each.

[mattlucas1]

thanks again very good info! just gotta work out how much sugar to whack in now!! lol

once bottled shall i leave in the house to get fizzy before chilling?

[gti1x]

I think I used 1tsp per 500 mls (I like my cider very fizzy).

Keep in the house (20 C) for 10 days or so then out into the cold. This works for me.

GTI

[mattlucas1]

cool sounds good i like mine lightly sparkling so i might do a lil less, i like the idea of adding juice to prime but keep reading how inconsistent it can be and people not getting fizz, i just thought if i primed with copella juice or something expensive i might get a little more flavour and priming all in one? does it work like that or does the juice literraly just prime?