cider making

[Cathy]

Hi I have loads of applies, bramleys and eaters and want to make cider. I dont have a press or anything mechanical to use. I have read that if you freeze the apples that this is a good way of pulping them. Has anyone been successful. Any recipes. Does the nearly finished product improve with age.

[4 french hens]

It would take time, but cut the apples up skins, pips flesh and bruises, then liquidize them. Put into a sterile bin, add some bakers yeast, some sugar, about one kilo per 5 gallons of brew, and cover with muslin. Keep it warm and when it's stopped bubbling GENTLY pour the cider off the sediment. Then bottle. DO NOT USE PLASTIC DRINK BOTTLES, as they will not stand the pressure build up inside them. Nor the ones that they sell cider in as the product contained therin is different, it's been killed by pasturisation which yours will not have had.

To stertilize use milton fluid, BUT rinse at least twice before brewing.

You can use all types of apples for brewing cider, the more cookers you use, the drier the end product.

Please treat the finnished product with all due respect.

Mike

[Mo]

If you've sterilised using Milton then need to rinse, I assume you'd have to use boiled water.

[4 french hens]

Hi Mo,
cannot remember, but there are full instructions on the bottles.
Mike

[Stig]

Hi Cathy,

I had a glut of apples this year as well, but it's incredibly difficult to get the juice out. Liquidiser will pulp the fruit, but it still needs to be pressed.

I'm told (but can't confirm from experience) that you can mix the pulp with water, leave overnight, strain it & use that as apple juice. I'm not sure what fruit/water ratio is, maybe worth a google.

I did try to make a press from wood, using a car jack to apply pressure. It wasn't very good, SLOW progress, & then broke under the pressure after a few hours. I got just over a litre in that time, probably sweated more than that in the process.

I was determined to make something, so I've tried this recipe:

6 litres apple juice (t3sco el cheapo), 3kg cane sugar, 1 tsp brewers yeast. Mix it all up & make up to 40 pints with water. Leave to ferment 1-2 weeks until bubbling stops. That's it. You can then bottle it (plastic bottles) with 1/2 tsp sugar in each bottle for secondary fermentation. I'm at that stage now. It works, makes VERY strong cider. It is, however, very sweet. It needs some cooking or crab apple juice in there to balance it, but tescs don't stock that!

We used it as a base for mulling, & that was lovely. Though we used enough spice to make vinegar paletable, so it is a bit of a cheat..

Sterilise everything - my hard-come-by pressed juice was left to ferment naturally in a jar & within a week had a layer of mould on it. Not sure whether it came from the press or the jar, but it ended up down the drain, sorry to say.

Best of luck with the brewing.

[smallholderwannabe]

We made this recipe last year and it kept well and tasted good. There is some on the go at the moment. I got the original recipe off the A Country Life forum. I gave the recipe to a friend and they made it last year and also have more on the go this autumn.


Cottage Cider

Ingredients & Method - to make one gallon of cider:

Chop up about 8 - 10 lbs of apples - any will do, and it's a good way of using up windfalls.

Discard any really bad bits, but a few brown soft bits don't hurt the finished product.

Put in the peel and cores as well. Chop into a large fermenting bin or similar.

Pour over 1 gallon slightly warm water, and add 2 large handfuls of sultans, raisins, or other dried fruit. (this is not essential, but helps to give a bit of "body" to it; works equally well with or without the dried fruit).

Set one tablespoon dried yeast (I use ordinary bread yeast) with one tablespoon sugar and warm water in a jug, and leave to froth.

Meanwhile add 1 1/2 - 2lbs sugar to the bucket of apples and water; stir to dissolve.

When the yeast is working, add to the bucket, stir well, cover with tablecloth or large towel and leave for about 10 days or so.
Press down the fruit and stir well every day.

When ready, remove apple and fruit, strain the liquid and put into demi-johns; ferment out like wine, then bottle or barrel.
Ready to drink in about 4 - 6 weeks

From the ACL webby: http://www.acountrylife.com/page.php?id=43

[Babycakes]

I used milton fluid to sterilise Grace's bottle when she was little. You put one capful per 5 litres of cold water, then summerge whatever it is you want to sterilise. Make sure there are no air bubbles inside bottles or jars. I think it only takes 15 minutes, then you take them out and use them straight away. It says on the bottle that you dont need to rinse. I always just gave the bottle a good skake to get rid of any excess water then used it straight away.