Beginner cider questions

[Sadu]

Hi everyone, I'm an experienced beer brewer, and are looking to try brewing my first cider on the weekend.

I have a cider kit (can of concentrate) and a bucket of delicious ripe dark plums off the tree. And a pack of Mangrove Jacks M2 cider yeast (which included nutrient). I was wondering what the basic process was from here?

I figured a 1.7kg (3.5lb) can of concentrate plus I guess 4kg (8lb) of fresh plums would be enough for 23L / 6G into the fermentor? Or would I need some sugar/dextrose also?

I was told to simmer the plums in a pot for several mins to kill any bugs. Then strain the plums through a sieve then add to the fermentor along with the cider kit.

Is fermentation pretty much the same as beer? ie Ferment at the lower end of the yeast temp range for a week or 2 until it's at FG then rack to keg to carbonate and serve? I actually have a pressure conical so I'll likely carbonate the cider in primary.

Anything else I need to be mindful of? Cheers.

 

[S-Met]

Hi and welcome to cider. Its just about that easy.

I wouldn't boil the plums,but thats just me. I would put the whole plums in the freezer in a Ziploc for 2-3 days, then let them thaw completely. This doesn't technically sanitize, but you are pitching a strong yeast. Strongest will survive.

On cider day, just pluck them from the bag with a clean hand and fist-squeeze them into a sanitized hop bag separating the pit. This will make it easier to separate pulp. Mixed suggestions, but I would leave the plums for 7 to no morethan 10 days, though some say 3-5. Longer skin contact will extract bitter and sharp flavor tannins addinf to complexity and also color.

Sugar additions: check the gravity, but I'm guessing that you will have about 1.050-1.060 fermented dry @ 6.5-8% abv, not including any extra sugar from the plums.

Yeast, I agree with lower end its not a race, but there are many mixed feelings just like in brewing.

 

[Sadu]

Thanks for the reply. What is your reasoning behind not boiling the plums, if you don't mind me asking?

I had a bit of a bad experience with the last fruit beer I made, a peach saison. I did the freeze method followed by heating the fruit to 170f / 70c for a couple of mins. Ended up getting an infection and the fallout continued into the next batch (in the same plastic bucket) before I realised there was a problem.

Good call on the hop bag. Makes sense to me to throw everything in there then remove the bag when I'm ready. I'll be fermenting in a conical so can remove any loose bits of skin that might fall out of the bag along with the lees.

1.050 was about what I was aiming for, but I'm flexi here since I have no idea how much sugar is in the fruit. Don't really want a 9% booze bomb on my first try, something smaller and easier drinking is always good.

Thanks again.

 

[S-Met]

Two points, maybe three.

Cider is more like wine - no boiling necessary. The freezing at slow temperature (home freezer) creates ice crystals as it freezes rupturing cell walls and allowing better access to the juice.

Boiling sets or releases pectin, I forget which but makes things cloudy.

Ever taste cooked fruit vs fresh fruit? You lose all that good fruit goodness. The heat converts that sour sharp punch from the skins and tastes like stewed fruit.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

don't cook the fruit. If you are really worried about infection, then add some Campden (1 tab per gal) for 24 hrs. Then add yeast to must. Cooking the fruit will really change the taste, in ways I don't like.

 

[z-bob]

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques12.asp I would follow Jack's procedure for processing the plums. But you don't want all that sugar; maybe a little sugar.