I have made beer and mead before but I have never tried cider. Do you have to boil it like you do everything else to kill off bacteria to an acceptable level? Is there any good sites to read up on making it? The reason I ask is I have been wanting to make a bulk batch of something and cider seems to be fairly cheap to make because I would be able to buy large amounts from Amish country. I know some mead recipes call for no boiling, but obviously this increases the chance of contamination. (got my last batch) Boiling around 50 gallons of cider would be next to impossible to me because of the huge cost of stainless steel containers. I plan on fermenting it in a modified plastic garbage can with a homemade airlock. Thanks for any help.
Cider Questions
- Thread starter Crabmeat
- Start date
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cider is simple . . .
sanatize like normal
pour in your 100% juice (pasturized with NO preservatives)
add yeast
let time do it's thing
Check out the wiki should be able to get good info there as well as a link or 2
sanatize like normal
pour in your 100% juice (pasturized with NO preservatives)
add yeast
let time do it's thing
Check out the wiki should be able to get good info there as well as a link or 2
It's going to be a ***** finding a way to pasturize around 25-50 gallons of cider. You think a plastic garbage can would function as a carboy? There would probably be alot of air in there and I'm worried about contamination.
i spose that could work if it was properly sanitised, but i wouldnt risk it personally, better bottles dont cost all that muchim followin this recipe for some apple wine
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14860
and i dont think my apple juice was pasturised
its nice an simple anyhow
.
Georgian Novice
Well-Known Member
Howdy! Your cider is going to turn out fine. Really one of the more easier things to make. As long as your trash can is sanitized and air tight then you should be fine. I have no idea what type of liner (or any) that you should use because I don't have any experience with anything but regular fermenting vessels, but it should be ok.
Frankly I would do it all in smaller batches so you can control it better. Putting 50 gallons in a trash can would worry me about the contamination because you are using something that it wasn't designed to be, so I would do it all in regular 5 gallon fermenters. It really wouldn't take all that much extra time plus you can control the whole process so much better, a lot easier to carry, etc. Think about your back, man!!
As far as pasturizing the batch - you could heat up individual smaller batches to 140F or so and hold it there for about 20 minutes per batch at that temp, but I don't really think it is normally necessary. However since this is straight natural cider from the Amish, you might want to consider heating it up 3 gallons or so at a time. Obviously you can't do 50 gallons if you don't have the vessel, so improvise.
Here are some other quotes from threads I have found about this to hopefully help you out:
""Next, don't boil anything! Do not boil the juice (or if you do make sure you add some pectic enzymes or it will never clear). Second, do not boil the honey! Warm the juice and add the honey to dissolve by all means but there is no reason to boil! 120 degrees is fine to pasturize (I don't bother, honey is highly resistent to bacteria and the juice is pasturized if you get it from the store, if not, campden it 24 hours in advance).
Lastly, nutrients are not needed but I have found they still help with fermentation. For cysers I really like Lalvin 71B or Nottinghams (if you want to use an ale yeast). It is going to ferment dry no matter what you use (most likely) and you may need to backsweeten to get that apple flavor.
Basically, it should go like this. Apple juice to 5 gallons + yeast of your choice + honey (I would go with 6-7 pounds) + sugar to an OG of 1.12 or so. Ferment till primary is done (about 2-3 weeks). Transfer to secondary for 2-3 months. Then either keg it or age it (if you can wait, worth it) for six months to a year. Voila . . . Cyser!""
And another thread - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2727&highlight=cider+pasturize
Hope those are helpful.
Frankly I would do it all in smaller batches so you can control it better. Putting 50 gallons in a trash can would worry me about the contamination because you are using something that it wasn't designed to be, so I would do it all in regular 5 gallon fermenters. It really wouldn't take all that much extra time plus you can control the whole process so much better, a lot easier to carry, etc. Think about your back, man!!
As far as pasturizing the batch - you could heat up individual smaller batches to 140F or so and hold it there for about 20 minutes per batch at that temp, but I don't really think it is normally necessary. However since this is straight natural cider from the Amish, you might want to consider heating it up 3 gallons or so at a time. Obviously you can't do 50 gallons if you don't have the vessel, so improvise.
Here are some other quotes from threads I have found about this to hopefully help you out:
""Next, don't boil anything! Do not boil the juice (or if you do make sure you add some pectic enzymes or it will never clear). Second, do not boil the honey! Warm the juice and add the honey to dissolve by all means but there is no reason to boil! 120 degrees is fine to pasturize (I don't bother, honey is highly resistent to bacteria and the juice is pasturized if you get it from the store, if not, campden it 24 hours in advance).
Lastly, nutrients are not needed but I have found they still help with fermentation. For cysers I really like Lalvin 71B or Nottinghams (if you want to use an ale yeast). It is going to ferment dry no matter what you use (most likely) and you may need to backsweeten to get that apple flavor.
Basically, it should go like this. Apple juice to 5 gallons + yeast of your choice + honey (I would go with 6-7 pounds) + sugar to an OG of 1.12 or so. Ferment till primary is done (about 2-3 weeks). Transfer to secondary for 2-3 months. Then either keg it or age it (if you can wait, worth it) for six months to a year. Voila . . . Cyser!""
And another thread - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2727&highlight=cider+pasturize
Hope those are helpful.
in all honesty the pasturization isnt even neccessary. What you really need to avoid is the preservatives. Traditionally cider is made with the natural yeast on the apples and pasturization kills that yeast, again check the wiki pretty sure it covers that fairly well
I had my friends home made cider and I got the only hangover I have ever had in my life. I think this is due to the high levels of methanol in it. Anyone way to remove the methanol without pot distilling it and pitching out the first 100 mL or so? If not I'm down to build a little science project ...
Crabmeat,
I read a thread on a different forum recently where a guy bought a food grade plastic barrel and used it for his primary fermentor. There are sevaral companies who make that type barrel, just do a web search for food grade plastic barrels. Keep in mind there is a difference in food grade plastic containers and those like trash barrels which are not safe or intended for that application. Check into it before you use that plastic trash barrel. If you cant locate a site to order a barrel from PM me and I will try to find the link for you.
I read a thread on a different forum recently where a guy bought a food grade plastic barrel and used it for his primary fermentor. There are sevaral companies who make that type barrel, just do a web search for food grade plastic barrels. Keep in mind there is a difference in food grade plastic containers and those like trash barrels which are not safe or intended for that application. Check into it before you use that plastic trash barrel. If you cant locate a site to order a barrel from PM me and I will try to find the link for you.
that would be illegal and a lot of work to do it just the get rid of the methanol
Copperhed
Well-Known Member
Crabmeat said:
Try here:
http://homedistiller.org/
Its not legal in the USA, and we like our site.
Get me?
Copper
heh, I'm familiar with the website. However it may not be illegal because you technically are NOT making a distilled beverage. You are simply distilling out a dangerous substance and throwing it out, you would not run the entire batch of cider through the still. I'll have to check into the legality before I produce or post anything else.
