Buying equipment for first batch of cider. Suggestions?

I would like to begin making my first batch of upstate mike's cider https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/caramel-apple-hard-cider-292770/.

I also like making little batches of hobo wine from store bought juices (fermented within the store bought jug).
Here is my tentative list:

5104D 6.5 gallon bucket

5106LD Bucket lid
(do I need a stopper/bung for a bucket or is it built in?)


CB 5534 Better Bottle carboy 6 gallon
Medium size bung


4874 Siphon kit (curved stem, tubing and shutoff) Will this be enough or should I get an autosiphon or racking cane?

4602 airlock twin bubble lock Quantity: 3

4600 air lock econo lock 3 piece quantity:3
(should I have more of one kind of airlock than the other? I know alot of people only use the twin bubble for secondary, right?)

#6 stopper Quantity:2 This is just for gallon jugs of hobo wine or other small brews. I am hoping a number 6 stopper will fit into the mouth of most store bought juice jugs.


dextrose


notingham ale yeast if they have it


campden capsules

Hydrometer

Does everything look okay? Is there anything else that you would recommend. Thanks.

Bottles? Bottling wand? Bottling bucket? Bottle caps? Bottle capper?

UpstateMike said:

Bottles? Bottling wand? Bottling bucket? Bottle caps? Bottle capper?

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Haha. I knew I forgot something . I think I will just buy some caps and a bottling wand. I will probably just use some old sam adams bottles if that would be okay. Anything else you would suggest?

Also you recommended a bottling bucket... Can I just do that with my siphon or will that be a pain in the arse. If I do need a bottling bucket can I just use this as my fermenter and skip buying the 6.5 gallon bucket?

Also for the siphoning kit it says curved stem, tubing and shutoff. Does that include everything I need? Would it be easier to just buy a racking cane and tubing? Would an auto siphon be a better choice?

Thanks.

Trust me when I say that bottling by siphon is a nightmare. My advice - go to a grocery store bakery, they save food safe buckets they receive cake frosting in and give them away. Wash it good, drill a hole and add a bottling spigot from your LHBS, should only be a couple bucks. Use enough of your tubing to reach the bottom of your bottles (8 inches or so) so you aren't splashing and you should be golden.

I wouldn't be w/o my autosiphons.

Bottling from buckets is easier........easy to make one as stated prior

I like to mount the bottling wand direct to the spigot......easy no mess auto filling.

I prefer the s curve airlocks except that the 3 pc's are handy for converting to a blowoff tube

I've accumulated quite a few carboys......I've found that it makes it much simpler to not rush the process if i'm not wanting the carboy for my next batch.

Autosiphons are well worth the extra few bucks. I echo fizzycist, make or buy a bottling bucket. Really not that much for the added improvement to the process. Don't forget a sterilizing concentrate. Follow the directions on whichever one you buy and sterilize every thing that will come in contact with your juice/cider.

Fizzycist said:

Trust me when I say that bottling by siphon is a nightmare. My advice - go to a grocery store bakery, they save food safe buckets they receive cake frosting in and give them away. Wash it good, drill a hole and add a bottling spigot from your LHBS, should only be a couple bucks. Use enough of your tubing to reach the bottom of your bottles (8 inches or so) so you aren't splashing and you should be golden.

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Got a few buckets from the local bakery, but most are #5 pp. I made a thread about it. I am sure it is fine for a bottling bucket, but can I use it to ferment?

HoboBrewing said:

Got a few buckets from the local bakery, but most are #5 pp. I made a thread about it. I am sure it is fine for a bottling bucket, but can I use it to ferment?

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Yes. Should be fine. There is a lot if argument on whether one should ferment in plastic or not. Buckets are actually oxygen permeable. I have done a few beer batches in buckets. Turned out great. However I wouldn't bulk age my cider in a bucket. As you start getting better with your process, scan craigslist for a carboy.

ColbyJack said:

Yes. Should be fine. There is a lot if argument on whether one should ferment in plastic or not. Buckets are actually oxygen permeable. I have done a few beer batches in buckets. Turned out great. However I wouldn't bulk age my cider in a bucket. As you start getting better with your process, scan craigslist for a carboy.

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Okay thanks. So the only problem is the oxygen permeability? So it should be fine for a primary. I was just worried about poisons leeching into my alcohol. This shouldn't be an issue right? Totally safe ?

Others had confirmed 1 and 2 to be okay, but I honestly can't find any information on fermenting in a #5 pp bucket. I mean I think it had icing in it before, but that might have been wrapped in plastic so I am not sure if I can say it is food quality... Any one else have any experience specifically with #5 pp?

I did exactly what I described in my above post for my own bottling bucket, and I have a smaller one I use as a fermenter for small test batches. I haven't noticed any off flavors like plastic or anything like that.

Fizzycist said:

I did exactly what I described in my above post for my own bottling bucket, and I have a smaller one I use as a fermenter for small test batches. I haven't noticed any off flavors like plastic or anything like that.

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Thanks for your input. I was really hoping I could get some scientific information telling me no plastics would leech into the drink during fermentation with #5 pp and that it was totally safe. I guess this isn't the place to ask about scientific safety info on plastics

Thanks.

You might be surprised, lots of HBTers are in technical fields and have the drive to find out that kinda of thing. But no, I'm a physicist not a chemist or a materials scientist; I don't know jack about plastic.

Fizzycist said:

You might be surprised, lots of HBTers are in technical fields and have the drive to find out that kinda of thing. But no, I'm a physicist not a chemist or a materials scientist; I don't know jack about plastic.

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Thanks for your help Fizzycist. I guess I just need to hunt down the chemists/Material scientists on the forums . With all the recommendations to get buckets from your bakery, I find it hard to believe that there are no definitive answers anywhere online for each type of plastic (for fermenting buckets). I guess maybe I should stop being so cheap (unlikely ) and just buy a few from the LHBS.