Cheap Bulk Cider

Hi!

I just got my hands on an old 50 litre glass Carboy! WOO! Very cheap at an auction.

Gonna give it a good old clean and get rid of all the dust and other crap thats inside it.

I had a thought that i would try to make a quick and cheap cider for the summer while i had this - so how does this recipe sound?

45 Litres apple juice (buying cheap stuff - 65p/Litre)
1kg Dried Fruit (mix of Sultanas, Raisins and Candied Peel)
1 jar Honey
1KG sugar.

Basically I'd take a litre of the apple juice and the mixed fruit, and pop them in a blender together - then throw in a pan with 4 more litres of juice, the honey and the sugar and boil for 15 mins.

Then, add the boiled mix, the rest of the juice, and a teaspoon of Pectolase to the FV.

After a few hours, I'd add some Yeast nutrient and a sachet of Champagne yeast.

After a week, I'd bottle into sugar primed bottles, and have cider the following week!

Does this sound good or have i made several ungodly mistakes?

DO. NOT. BOIL. CIDER.

How big of a jar of honey will you be using, in pounds or kilograms?

Fruit is typically added in secondary, as yeast (and particularly champagne yeast) will strip it of all the sugars and flavor.

Does the dried fruit contain any preservatives? If so that could be a problem for the yeast.

Are you looking for a dry or sweet cider? What ABV do you want?

1 week sounds quick to me but I have heard it done before. If you are looking for a fast cider, I'd keep the ABV low, maybe 5% - 6%.

its a pound jar of honey
the dried fruit just says 99% dried mixed fruit, and vegetable oil to stop them sticking together
And i'm just looking for a refreshing summer cider - not too sweet but enough that you can drink it by the pint - so also only about 5-6% as you say.

So i should just mix the apple juice and sugar till it dissolves on its own? No heating?

Xzarfna said:

its a pound jar of honey
the dried fruit just says 99% dried mixed fruit, and vegetable oil to stop them sticking together
And i'm just looking for a refreshing summer cider - not too sweet but enough that you can drink it by the pint - so also only about 5-6% as you say.

So i should just mix the apple juice and sugar till it dissolves on its own? No heating?

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You should be able to boil a little water and dissolve the sugar that way. But don't boil the juice.

I would warm the jar of honey in a pot of hot water, perhaps a double boiler. Then when it is runny enough pour it into the carboy and mix with room temperature cider.

The sugar will mix in at room temperature, just use the sanitized handle end of a brewing paddle or spoon in the carboy.

A random question from a cider newbie... Why is it that you don't boil the apple juice used in cider?

Boiling the cider will set the pectin, pectin = bad.