Turbo Cider

Well this is as easy as it gets!
(called turbo as its so quick and easy)

Ingredients:
4.5L of pure apple juice
1tsp yeast

Method:
1. Place 3L of apple juice into a demijon (assumeing everything is sterile)
2. PLace 1tsp of yeast into the demijon
3. shake
4. leave for 36-48hrs to ferment then top with with the remaining of the juice (cant fill it right up at the start as it will foam quite a bit)
5. leave to ferment out
6. Rack off and drink (or if you like cider fizzy then prime as usual)

i thought i would try this out and i was very impressed with the results.

it is sssooooo easy

i used tesco value apple juice and SG was 1.042 so no sugar was necessary (to get to 5.5%ish) but if you want cider stronger add sugar/honey or whatever.

very good for a beginer and an expert alike!

good for trying out different yeasts also since the recipe is so simple and the ingredients vary so little.

Just wondering if you have tried the same as you did with the Cider but using pure pineapple instead.
Im more in to the Turbo stuff than Wines/beer So my next Demijon is for Turbo Pineapple.

Cheers

This might be a total noob question, but what is a Demijon?

A big bottle that you can brew in.

what kind of yeast did you use for this turbo yeast I'm interested in starting a batch or two myself.Would Mott's Apple juice work in the for the pure apple juice the store I work at sells them in huge 1 gallon jugs which I'm thinking would also work out as a good fermentation vessel of course with the top vented.?

That would work fine. You wouldnt even need much headspace (so no need to drink a glass of the juice first ) because it won't form much foam if you don't shake it.

Bakers yeast, any beer yeast and wine yeast will all work. Considering the low sugar content all will ferment the juice to dryness. Baker's yeast and beer yeast will be fastest.

Blackhawkbrew said:

This might be a total noob question, but what is a Demijon?

Click to expand...

Think of it as a carboy for wine...a nicely shaped carboy that is...

Im 5 days in to my trial of Turbo Pineapple, I used 100% pure pineapple juice from Tescos. After two days i had to decant in to another Demijon due to the Yeast lifting all the bits of pineapple to the top forming quite a thick layer. On day three it was fermenting niceley but settled so i topped up the bottle with a litre of white grape juice so as to not create more pineapple crust. Going well. Dont smell that appealing though at this stage.

D@VID said:

Well this is as easy as it gets!
i used tesco value apple juice and SG was 1.042 so no sugar was necessary (to get to 5.5%ish) but if you want cider stronger add sugar/honey or whatever.

Click to expand...

You say the SG was 1.042 which would give you about 5.5% how would you get this up to say 6.5% i mean how do you know how much more sugar to add.
I ask because i have just started a brew 2 hours ago and my SG was 1.046 and as i have two on the go i thought i might bump it up to 6.5%.
I have used 4 ltrs of apple juice and wine yeast.
So far i have 1 bubble per minute so is it ok to add sugar now or is it to late.

Thanks

Nerro said:

That would work fine. You wouldnt even need much headspace (so no need to drink a glass of the juice first ) because it won't form much foam if you don't shake it.

Bakers yeast, any beer yeast and wine yeast will all work. Considering the low sugar content all will ferment the juice to dryness. Baker's yeast and beer yeast will be fastest.

Click to expand...

noob question, what difference will it make in terms of taste ?
baker's yeast produces alcohol as well?

Yes, baker's yeast will produce alcohol as well. It will not ferment cleanly, and fully. It's unpredictable, and may leave cider sweeter than planned. I would spend the 99 cents and get wine yeast.

Sugar can be added at any point to boost the ABV. It's always best to dissolve it in hot water and then let it cool before adding. Remember to add it to a container with plenty of headspace. (Think volcano!) A pound of sugar will raise SG approx 40 points per gallon.

The issue with raising the ABV is that it does depend on the attenuation of the yeast as well. For example, at 1.046, a cider that finishes at .994 will be approx 7% ABV. So, what yeast are you using?

I am using youngs wine yeast compound.
I have added 1 1/2 tbsp more sugar to the brew and i now have a head space of roughly 3 inches from top of brew to very top of demijohn where air lock is fitted bearing in mind it curves at the top.

I guessed that if i started at 1.046 and say it ends at 0.998 that would be about 6.3%.

I also guessed that by adding another 26 grams of sugar which i think is 1 1/2 tsbp it would be about 7.5% at the end.

I have now moved it to my bedroom where it is 24 degrees celsius and have 4 bubbles per minute.
I started this brew 5 hours ago now.

I have a tray below the demijohn just incase it does go wild .
Any advice on using wine yeast like i have done so.

Cheers

I've never heard of yeast compound, but it seems to be working for you! I usually just use regular wine yeast for most of my fermentations.

I have been watching the bubbles each day on and off and they have come down from 55 per minute to 1 a minute if that.
There is very very little action now in the air lock.
I have noticed that about 1 inch from the top of the cider it looks as if it is starting to become clear and the rest of the cider below this level is still all cloudy.

As this clearing takes place and works its way to the bottom of the demijohn do i then just syphon thecider into bottles then put in a fridge for a little while.
Am i right in thinking that if i do not prime with sugar it will be still and if i add 1tsp per pint bottle it will have some fizz.
Also if i do not add any sugar do i stil leave a 1 inch head space at the top of the bottle.

You sir, are quite right in thinking so.

Sorry forgot this question.

If the cider is clearing and in the next few days all lokks clear and dandy is there any reason why i cant just leave it in the demijohn for another two weeks say.

I mean once the bubbling has stopped and it is now clear will it go flat etc if i dont put it into bottles etc.

Thanks

If you are letting it ferment to completion (you should) then your cider will be still. And it is always a good idea to give it as much time to bulk age as you can stand. If you want to carbonate in the bottle, you will need to add a measured amount of sugar per gallon to your bottling bucket just before you bottle.

I believe i have let this ferment right out as 85% of the demijohn is now clear.
I understand that over time it will be better for clarity,taste etc but i assumed that having had this 1/2 pint i thought it would have had some kind of kick.

As other posts show people drink it straight from the demijohn.

Theres must be strong or nice taste i assume.
This could be down to apples used yeast etc.

I used lager yeast and morrissons apple juice 4ltrs,4 days in the warm then 1 day in a cool place.This is when it started to clear.
I have another nearly finished which i am using wine yeast.
I will see what happens with that one.
I just thought i was going to see double but obviously not.

Odd, when I make my cider it's always the mule-kick-to-the-head type of thing...

I'm just curious I'm thinking of trying two different batches of this one using baker's yeast and one using a wine yeast.I would like to be able to brew a sweet cider rather then a dry cider.I've tried both sweet and dry commercial ciders and I think that sweet is better tasting I cannot really tell that much of a difference between dry and sweet . I guess it's up to each individual to make their own choice as to what they like or don't like but I'm just curious to see what other members opinions on this matter are.Anyway thanks for a good topic.

Today i tasted my second batch and now there is more of a head rush due to the extra sugar i added at the begining.
Even though it was a kick to the head it did not taste all that great.
If i prime some pint bottles that i intend to fill with this batch with some apple juice will that put some kind of flavour back into the drink as it seems to have thinned out somewhat and not realy and taste.

If the answer is yes can you advise how much apple juice i should prime with.
There is no bubbles what so ever now and the demijohn is looking nice and clear so do i assume by adding the apple juice with the cider i will not get any kind of explosion when capped.

Thanks again.

sorry to change the run of the replys but for your tesco value apple juice im guessing it is from cencentrate.. so wouldn't you need to add camdem tablets due to the large amout of water. or not?

warboss100 said:

sorry to change the run of the replys but for your tesco value apple juice im guessing it is from cencentrate.. so wouldn't you need to add camdem tablets due to the large amout of water. or not?

Click to expand...

Having water in a wine or cider has nothing to do with campden tablets. Campden tablets are used in unpasteurized fruit and juices to kill wild yeasts and bacteria. Unless your water is loaded with bacteria, that would not be a reason to add campden. And if your water is loaded with bacteria, you shouldn't be using it to drink!

hey, it's my first time doing this, and I have three batches, two of apple juice and one of pineapple, 3L each in 5L demijohns, how do I know when it's done ?

right now, it's pretty cold out here so it's not fermenting a lot, when I turn the heat on in the room it bubbles alright



oh here's a pic btw

What Tesco's juice did you use?

Ive been into Tesco's today and they have a range of own brand juice ... and something they call apple nectar ??

Awesome recipe. Just for further clarification will "Dry Wine Yeast - Redstar Premier Cuvee " work as turbo yeast? I know the OP said ~48hrs, and i do not want this to become too alcoholic or too sweet, how long should i typically wait? (Sorry for the stupid questions, this is my first official try at brewing anything).

to Bro:
i strongly suggest you buy a hydrometer in a home-brewing supply shop. It's quite cheap and very easy to use. It is used to read the sugar content of a liquid, and give you the data to approximate the % of alcohol. Oh that and a test tube. Oh and a "wine thief", to take samples of your fermenting juice.

if you want a dry (not sweet) finished product, let your juice ferment all the way down, or until the bubbles in your airlock appear at a rate of 1 per minute or less. Then, siphon your juice (but not the bottom cake!) in a new, sanitized container, put an airlock on and rack it somewhere dark and fresh to let it mature and clear itself of all cloudiness. If you have the patience for it, forget your juices for 1, 2 or more months so it gets enjoyable to drink. Just make sure its in a dark and almost cold place, like a basement.

if you want a fast, sweet cider (but still cloudy), stop fermentation before it ends (at a hydrometer reading of 1.020 to 1.010) by transferring your future drink in new containers so you can put them in a fridge to stun the yeasts and effectively stopping fermentation. Wait a little, maybe a week, and see if its good! You may also inspire yourself from the video in that excellent thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/quick-sweet-cider-impatient-70318/ if you want it to be sparkling and fast.

dont take my word for granted tho, im just a beginner! read around the other threads. I recommend this one: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/results-juice-yeast-sugar-experiments-83060/

I made a batch of turbo oj. Any ideas how I can back sweeten it? I want to bottle it and make it fizzy without it exploding everywhere cos i've used a sugar.

What sugars are unfermentable?

I would back sweeten with OJ concentrate, bottle carb, then pasteurize. non fermentable and artificial sweeteners add an off flavor. IMHO

As to the concept of "turbo" anything I believe my signature says it all.