31 gallons of cider

So I just filled my carboys Saturday and decided since I haven't posted in a while now would be a pretty good time. I went out Thursday and Friday and picked over 600lbs of apples from some neighbors' trees and rented a press from Missoula Urban Demonstration Project, our local tool library. Some friends and I spent all Saturday afternoon pressing apples and drinking the remainder of last years cider until we had 31 gals in the glass . I pitched a couple different yeasts, since different batches seem to react differently to the same yeasts each year, and let em go.

This is the third year I have done this and I have to say this: the first year I did cider, I tried all sorts of recipes and none really worked out so great. Last year though I just pressed the cider, pitched the yeast and let it do its thing and all it was the best I ever had. Simplicity seems to be the way to go with cider.

I forgot to grab out the camera as it was an awesome sight to see all of those boxes of apples, and would have been even better in smell-o-vision. I will try to remember to post photos of the brew in progress tomorrow.

Now that sounds like almost enough cider to keep me happy for a year. Really wish I could get fresh and good apples for ciders here, but they don't grow well here so I'm stuck with over priced tree top, etc.
Please post pictures, I can at least dream of it.

Have you thought about trying malolactic fermentation? you might like the change in flavour - softer and less sour. It could be worth trying in one batch.

I made 40 gal in february and its nearly all gone, must make more next year.

Wow, that's a heck of a lot of apples. 20 lbs apples per gallon of cider -- is that a normal yield? Seems awfully low to me.

I didn't press all of it to make that 31gal. I would say that was in the range of 450-500lbs that went into that. We also pressed some into juice to drink now and to can, made a whole bunch of canned apple products and dried a ton as well

damn that sounds like fun
i would love to have that much juice and apples

And here I am sipping on a glass from my little 1-gallon batch I just bottled.... [sigh] I'm such a wimp.... I have a cousin in Missoula; since you obviously have way more than you need I'm sending her to your house. She should be over with a jug in a couple of minutes; in fact that's probably her knocking right now...

I would say there are literally tens of thousands of pounds of good apples that go to waste every fall in this town (people don't spray their trees, and then get turned off by the worm holes and don't realize that they don't matter) so she should go out and get some... I can even make her a map of the good trees! Or send her by in about three months when the cider will be really good

Here's 20 gallons of it:



Some of them turn a very pale color when the yeast is pitched.

That's a beautiful sight. Wish I could have been there for the smells alone!

Love it, I also like your labelling system.
Looks like very active fermentation.

you can write with dry erase pens on the sides of the carboys and just wipe it off when you are done. its about as easy as it gets.

What types of yeast are pitching? I am having some apples pressed in the morning and I plan on pitching Red Star Champagne yeast. First time making Cider for me.

Check out this excellent thread for yeast suggestions (both pro and con). Everything I'd read suggested "champagne yeast" too, but CvilleKevin (and others) have alternate ideas and make persuasive points.

I used Red Star Champagne (which I generally have the best luck with) and Premiere Cuvee, Cote De Blancs, and another which I can't remember right now (I'm on a rig right now so don't have my brew info with me)... Maybe pasteur red?

Champagne yeast will do the job but it will be very dry and not a lot of flavor. Clean, but little character, unless you are starting with really strong tasting vintage cider apples – which are hard to find. I used to use champagne yeast all the time until several years ago when a friend turned me on to ale yeast, which was a Big Improvement. Much more flavor.

I don’t know why the accepted wisdom at most LHBS’s is to use champagne yeast for cider. Heck, champagne makers don’t even use it for their primary fermentation – they use something with more character to develop the wine and then they add the champagne yeast to create the bubbles because it has a high alcohol tolerance (ie, it will ferment every last bit of sugar out of your juice) and neutral taste.

Of course, everyone is entitled to their taste. Of my friends, which includes a lot of brewers and wine makers, I would say maybe 10 percent like it really dry. Most everyone else’s taste range from semi dry to semi sweet.

Kauai_Kahuna said:

Now that sounds like almost enough cider to keep me happy for a year. Really wish I could get fresh and good apples for ciders here, but they don't grow well here so I'm stuck with over priced tree top, etc.
Please post pictures, I can at least dream of it.

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Use your local resources and make some pineapple brew!

Pineapple makes some really good hooch and rocket fuel, I have tried it and it ferments out super dry and just does not taste good. The flavour is totally gone and it's just not right. They do have mountain apples and star apples here, but extremely hard to find.
So how is the 31 gallons coming alone?

Kauai_Kahuna said:

Pineapple makes some really good hooch and rocket fuel, I have tried it and it ferments out super dry and just does not taste good. The flavour is totally gone and it's just not right. They do have mountain apples and star apples here, but extremely hard to find.
So how is the 31 gallons coming alone?

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Good to know! I'm glad you tried it.

So I take it that SO-4 is your favorite?

Never mind I saw your thread