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polarbear17

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Last year for my birthday my wife bought me a Mr Beer hard cider Kit.I made two batch's and wasn't satisfied with the taste,(not even close to Woodchuck amber ) even though it was drinkable.
So this This time around i decided to try a home brew after finding this web site.
Recipe that i found interesting was Newell's Groundhog cider.
Using the Mr Beer 2.5 gallon keg:
This is what i have done so far , not sure what to do from this point.
a little confused with instructions as to when to bottle and how to carbonate.

Ingredients for Primary Fermentation:
2.5 gallons of apple juice containing no preservatives other than ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
(I made mine from concentrate because that was what was on sale at the time.)
Light brown sugar (enough to boost OG to desired ABV) 1.06
Safale us-05 Yeast

It seems to be fermenting well in the basement at a temp of 72F its only been a week now.
Confused about when to bottle and how to carbonate this brew. What should my next steps bee.
I Plan on putting the brew into 16oz glass bottles .
 
It depends what you want. Of you wan a dry flat cider, which is good, then just ferment to dryness an bottle. Make sure gravity is the same 3 readings in a row 3 days apart each.
If you want it carbed, then do as above and bottle prime as for beer.
If you want sweet and carbed, then See: PLS READ: "I want a sweet, carbonated cider". It's a great forum!
(full disclosure: I wrote it)
 
Hi Polar and happy thanksgiving. If you want Woodchuck-esque cider, that means you want it be semi-dry (with sweetness), not dry (no sweetness). With any cider, if you leave it alone, it will ferment out all the way, eat up all the apple sugars and leave you with a dry cider. Plus, you want to carbonate it, in the bottle I assume (not with a keg), which just adds another layer of complication.

Two ideas for you:

1) Look through EASY RECIPE: How to make Homemade Hard Apple Cider - Make your own Hard Apple Cider This is a great resource for new cider makers. Her basic method is to let it ferment until done (dry), add apple flavoring and backsweeten with a non-fermentable sugar, prime with sugar and bottle.

2) Take a look at the sticky thread at the top of the cider subforum on pastuerizing cider. In summary, I let the fermentation slow down until the gravity is about 1.010 and then bottle. Wait a few days until the bottles are carbonated and then pasteurize on the stove top. Its simple, but you do need to be cautious because you are dealing with heat, beverages under pressure, and glass.

Skål!
 
These are two good articles from BYO magazine on cider brewing.

Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Story Index - Cider - Make Your Own Cider

Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Story Index - Cider - Making Cider: TIps from the Pros
 
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