Making cider

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mr_clean

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Well i wanted to make some apple cider for my wife and the guy at my brew store said for a 5 gallon batch is 15 LBS. of corn syrup and nottingham yeast.Is this true?Am i missing something else?If so could one of you post up a recipe.Thanx in advance.
 
+1 of using Ed's recipe as a starting point.

That's alot of corn syrup, you may want to tone that down a little, otherwise you may have to age for a while to get to a drinkable state.
 
Well i wanted to make some apple cider for my wife and the guy at my brew store said for a 5 gallon batch is 15 LBS. of corn syrup and nottingham yeast.Is this true?Am i missing something else?If so could one of you post up a recipe.Thanx in advance.


dude... did you do something to piss off the guy at the Brew store?

I think he's trying to kill you... :drunk:


either do edworts apfelwien as a first try or my "all apple" recipe (you'll find it in the recipe section) as a starting point. both are incredibly simple (easyier to make than kraft macaroni and cheese, if you cant make edworts, you need to put down the applejuice and step away from the carboy:) ) be forewarned that either of those will ferment out pretty dry, and have a respectable ABV. if you prefer a sweeter sparkling drink - you'll need to backsweeten to taste with a non fermentable.
both edworts and my formulas will take about 60 days in primary before bottling - followed by at least 2 weeks to bottle carb. both are drinkable at that point. however, I reccomend a 90 day bottle ageing before you really tear into it. a key thing to cider/apfelwien is - don't rush it, let the brew drop out crystal clear before you even CONSIDER bottling it.
 
Are you sure they were talking about bewing? Could corn syrup be mistakenly substituted for 5 gal apple juice? I think your lhbs is trying to trick you, is their beer recipe something like... 5 pounds sugar, 1 jar peanut butter, some cilantro and yeast? If so I wouldn't trust them.
 
Yes me and the guy at the store dont like each other.Hes the only 1 there though.I think ill try that recipe,it sounds good.thanx guys.
 
Wow. I would avoid that place like the plague. I would write the owner and tell him about it. If that guy is the owner, I would write him a letter describing why he just lost my business.

There are many great cider recipe's here that have gotten great reviews. I make Ed's AW and really like it. I think I will be trying some of the others soon as well.
 
On a side note, there are many fine homebrewing suppliers available online. Don't feel obligated to go to that LHBS just because it is the only one in your area.

As for advice, I'm sure you've seen how helpful these forums are. That guy either doesn't know what he's talking about or is just plain untrustworthy for advice. Either way, get help here or from a local homebrew club if there's one near you and order from one of the online sources! (I'm sure folks here can recommend a good one if you need it.) ;)
 
If you want to make a cider look in the recipe section

Apfelwein is not a cider.

You don't have to age cider a full year before it tastes good.
 
for a very slightly sweet cider:
X gallons of your favourite store bought apple juice (check the label: no preservatives allowed aside from ascorbic acid [vitaminC])
yeast nutrient as per label instructions
Wyeast 1968

Ferment 2 week in primary, switch to secondary until clear. For sparkle you can either bottle condition in the usual fasion or keg.

Given that most apple juice is in the neighborhood of 1.050-1.060 you will wind up with a very refreshing SWMBO friendly 5 ish % ABV beverage that is not too dry.

PS Wyeast 1968 is very flocculent and I find that I have to shake or stir the carboy in the first 2 of weeks to keep the yeast in suspension or the cider winds up too sweet for my taste.
 
Funny, I don't have to age my apfelwein a full year, either.

I agree, my apfelwein was good for my tastes after 6 weeks plus in the bottle. However, I do have "cider" in the bottle that's @ 14.15%...and though it is possible to drink it (it is kind of tasty when it's near frozen), I know it will definitely benifit from some serious aging.
 
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