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Ok, so.. This is my first time brewing anything. I had a strange urge, read a few things, thought I had my head wrapped around this and then found these forums and feel I may be getting into something before fully understanding it.
Here's my plan right now (would commence today, but I realize now I might not be fully prepared)
I am a noob, so I pieced together an inexpensive starter kit containing:
- 6 gallon "ale pail" with Junior Airlock
- Red Star Cote des Blancs yeast
- Organic bucket sanitizer
I have 5 gallons of freshly pressed, raw cider.
I was going to simmer the cider, add about 1.5lbs of pure brown sugar during the simmer, bring down to room temperature to add yeast, then seal it up in my fermenting bucket.
I was hoping for a dry, clear cider.. So the plan was to allow to ferment (when exactly do I know when this process is done? I do not have a quality hydrometer and would prefer not to spend much more $$ until I feel I have a handle on this.)
I was told about 3 weeks, at which point it would be racked into a glass carboy for another week before bottling. During bottling I was going to add perhaps a half gallon of purified water and another 1/4lb of brown sugar.
Does this seem like a feasible plan? Am I missing or over simplifying anything? I'd like to move toward more complex recipes but for now I just want to see some simple success and a tasty cider. How long should I leave in bottles and can someone please give me some suggestions on bottling techniques? (ie bottle types, cork/lid types, etc.)
I know I'm just being demanding here, but remember I'm a noob and some terminology/processes will need to be explained to me.
Thanks!
Here's my plan right now (would commence today, but I realize now I might not be fully prepared)
I am a noob, so I pieced together an inexpensive starter kit containing:
- 6 gallon "ale pail" with Junior Airlock
- Red Star Cote des Blancs yeast
- Organic bucket sanitizer
I have 5 gallons of freshly pressed, raw cider.
I was going to simmer the cider, add about 1.5lbs of pure brown sugar during the simmer, bring down to room temperature to add yeast, then seal it up in my fermenting bucket.
I was hoping for a dry, clear cider.. So the plan was to allow to ferment (when exactly do I know when this process is done? I do not have a quality hydrometer and would prefer not to spend much more $$ until I feel I have a handle on this.)
I was told about 3 weeks, at which point it would be racked into a glass carboy for another week before bottling. During bottling I was going to add perhaps a half gallon of purified water and another 1/4lb of brown sugar.
Does this seem like a feasible plan? Am I missing or over simplifying anything? I'd like to move toward more complex recipes but for now I just want to see some simple success and a tasty cider. How long should I leave in bottles and can someone please give me some suggestions on bottling techniques? (ie bottle types, cork/lid types, etc.)
I know I'm just being demanding here, but remember I'm a noob and some terminology/processes will need to be explained to me.
Thanks!
