Cazamodo
Well-Known Member
Ok, ive decided to brew my homeade cider, and i beleive i have everythign i need, bar a few apples, but would just like some tips, and advice on my current understanding f what i need to do.
I have campden tablets and champagne yeast, as i dont want to risk using teh natural yeast off my apples. I have a 6-7 gallon plastic fermentation barrel, and also 7 demijons. I have stuff to sterelise them, a siphon, and a cider press and all materials for it.
Thsi is teh mix of apples im plannign to use, nto sure on the quatabties yet but here goes.
I will be using, discovery, worceseter, russet and cox. Also i have alot of greenish red apples from trees near me, that arent ripe yet but im not sure what they are.
Do i need any otehr apples such as crab apples, to get the taste right?
I understand they add the much needed tannin to the cider.
Also, how do i test the acidity of my juice?
Now with fermentation, i plan to add campen tablets to the freshhly squeezed juice, then champagne or some equivilent yeast, and let it ferment for around a week in a warm room in the barrel. I will then siphon into demijons with airlocks to ferment for a further 2-3 montsh till fermantation stops. Is ithis right? Also, if i have two fermentaion barrels, one with an airlock, can i instead of splitting the 7 gallons into 7 demijons to ferment, put it in the new barrel to ferment? Or is this not possible.
Also i woudl liek carbonated cider, and i hear if you add caster sugar to re-start fermentation when you rack it. Im confussed as to, when i rack my cider, which will probably be back into a barrel rather than bottles, if i add sugar to carbonate it, do i put an arlock on it, or just seal it?
Any help i can get to clear up this confussion would be greatly appreciated, as i think ive got most of it planned out correctly.
I have campden tablets and champagne yeast, as i dont want to risk using teh natural yeast off my apples. I have a 6-7 gallon plastic fermentation barrel, and also 7 demijons. I have stuff to sterelise them, a siphon, and a cider press and all materials for it.
Thsi is teh mix of apples im plannign to use, nto sure on the quatabties yet but here goes.
I will be using, discovery, worceseter, russet and cox. Also i have alot of greenish red apples from trees near me, that arent ripe yet but im not sure what they are.
Do i need any otehr apples such as crab apples, to get the taste right?
I understand they add the much needed tannin to the cider.
Also, how do i test the acidity of my juice?
Now with fermentation, i plan to add campen tablets to the freshhly squeezed juice, then champagne or some equivilent yeast, and let it ferment for around a week in a warm room in the barrel. I will then siphon into demijons with airlocks to ferment for a further 2-3 montsh till fermantation stops. Is ithis right? Also, if i have two fermentaion barrels, one with an airlock, can i instead of splitting the 7 gallons into 7 demijons to ferment, put it in the new barrel to ferment? Or is this not possible.
Also i woudl liek carbonated cider, and i hear if you add caster sugar to re-start fermentation when you rack it. Im confussed as to, when i rack my cider, which will probably be back into a barrel rather than bottles, if i add sugar to carbonate it, do i put an arlock on it, or just seal it?
Any help i can get to clear up this confussion would be greatly appreciated, as i think ive got most of it planned out correctly.