Cider Help!!!

[jonlovesbeer1203]

I'm fairly new to home brewing (3 5gallon brews deep) and I want a cider for St Patty's day. One of my buddy's said all I need is the following:

5gallons apple juice
1lb dextrose
1 Safale s-04 yeast
2tsp of yeast nutrients

Well he apparently dropped off the face of the earth and I need some help! I have everything ready to go, I just need to know what to do and the times? Do I just throw everything in my fermenter then bottle after a week like a normal brew? I searched around for about an hour and couldn't find an exact answer. Thanks and happy brewing!

 

[Protistman]

To keep things clean you can boil some of the juice and toss the dextrose and nutrient in that to sanitize it. To give your yeast the best start rehydrate before pitching. If your juice is already bottled and pasteurized there is no need to boil all the juice.

This is the method I have use for making cider from apple juice.

As for fermentation it's taken a bit longer than a week for a batch like this in my experience. Personally I'd give it two to three weeks to fully finish fermentation before priming and bottling.

 

[jonlovesbeer1203]

To keep things clean you can boil some of the juice and toss the dextrose and nutrient in that to sanitize it. To give your yeast the best start rehydrate before pitching. If your juice is already bottled and pasteurized there is no need to boil all the juice.

This is the method I have use for making cider from apple juice.

As for fermentation it's taken a bit longer than a week for a batch like this in my experience. Personally I'd give it two to three weeks to fully finish fermentation before priming and bottling.

Thanks! So if I have unpasteurized I need to boil and add the dextrose and nutrients to the boil? How long should I boil?

When I bottle it do I need to add any priming sugar or just bottle it as is?

Sorry for the questions, just want to get it right!

 

[DWavs]

Thanks! So if I have unpasteurized I need to boil and add the dextrose and nutrients to the boil? How long should I boil?

When I bottle it do I need to add any priming sugar or just bottle it as is?

Sorry for the questions, just want to get it right!

If it is fully fermented to dry (around 1.000ish), you would need to prime in order to carbonate.

Also keep it mind, that it will be a dry cider so you will need to determine if you want to back sweeten or not.

 

[LeBreton]

DO NOT BOIL your cider. The heat will cause the pectins in the juice to set and make it near impossible to clear.

 

[jonlovesbeer1203]

If it is fully fermented to dry (around 1.000ish), you would need to prime in order to carbonate.

Also keep it mind, that it will be a dry cider so you will need to determine if you want to back sweeten or not.

Thanks dwavs... My goal is to get a strongbox style cider... So with what I originally posted for my ingredients, do you suggest boiling the cider, adding the dextrose, nutrients, and yeast... Fermenting for 2 weeks or so... Then priming and bottling? How much priming sugar would you suggest?

 

[jonlovesbeer1203]

DO NOT BOIL your cider. The heat will cause the pectins in the juice to set and make it near impossible to clear.

Don't boil. Got it. Thanks!

 

[motobrewer]

throw out sugar

add yeast to apple juice. when gravity is around 1.010 - 1.015 (6-10 days), rack it off, put somewhere cold (<40), wait a month, keg it, carb it.

 

[jonlovesbeer1203]

If I just wanted to use the ingredients I originally posted... Could anyone post a rundown of how I would do it?

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

throw out sugar

add yeast to apple juice. when gravity is around 1.010 - 1.015 (6-10 days), rack it off, put somewhere cold (<40), wait a month, keg it, carb it.

+100!

Get rid of the extra sugar. It will take too long to mellow. Just pitch the yeast asap into the juice. You only have 4 weeks to St Paddy's, and I think bottle carbonating might be out of the question. Rack it around 1.012 or so like moto said and that will slow it down, (S-04 should crash like Nottingham) but you still need it to bulk age for as long as possible. Just bottle the 'still' cider a few days before the holiday and drink as quick as possible.

There are other ways to achieve this and you can work out those options between now and then...for now...I'd ditch the sugar and get it fermenting.

 

[DWavs]

If I just wanted to use the ingredients I originally posted... Could anyone post a rundown of how I would do it?

1. Let juice sit until it is room temp
2. Add half gallon of juice to carboy
3. Mix some dextrose into the container with half juice left and shake like hell then pour into carboy
4. Repeat until all dextrose is mixed and juice is in carboy
5. Add yeast nutrient and yeast
6. Let sit for 6 weeks or so
7. Rack to bottling bucket
8. Decide if you want to prime for carbonation and back sweeten to taste. Be careful with the back sweetening...you will need to use a non fermentable sweetener so you don't kick start the fermentation and have bottle bombs.

 

[DWavs]

+100!

Get rid of the extra sugar. It will take too long to mellow. Just pitch the yeast asap into the juice. You only have 4 weeks to St Paddy's, and I think bottle carbonating might be out of the question. Rack it around 1.012 or so like moto said and that will slow it down, (S-04 should crash like Nottingham) but you still need it to bulk age for as long as possible. Just bottle the 'still' cider a few days before the holiday and drink as quick as possible.

There are other ways to achieve this and you can work out those options between now and then...for now...I'd ditch the sugar and get it fermenting.

Valid point if you are on a St. Patrick's day timeline...might want to go with just the juice and yeast/nutrient.

 

[jonlovesbeer1203]

Valid point if you are on a St. Patrick's day timeline...might want to go with just the juice and yeast/nutrient.

That seems to be the best bet...

So do add the sugar and bottle a few a couple days before without priming and see what happens?

Any specific juice you'd suggest for this experiment?

 

[motobrewer]

if you want carbonated sweet cider, it's hard to do that with bottling. look at the various bottle pasteurization threads.

i've done straight store-bought juice and notty. i crash cooled at around 1.015 and kegged. it was a really good, drinkable cider. took about a month or so after racking to get a solid apple flavor back.

 

[jonlovesbeer1203]

Valid point if you are on a St. Patrick's day timeline...might want to go with just the juice and yeast/nutrient.

That's gonna be my game plan... Should I rack to a secondary or just leave it in my primary till st patty's?

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

If it was me...and I wanted a quick batch:

Buy Apple Juice without preservatives or ascorbic acid. (I use Costco Kirkland Brand 100% Fresh Pressed Apple Juice) I've heard that ascorbic acid adds an extra sour punch in young ciders.

I would just dump 4 gallons of juice into my 6.5 gallon carboy.

Pitch Yeast (pitch dry if using S-04 or rehydrate per instructions if using Nottingham) wash it all down the funnel with the last gallon. (I don't use nutrient, but add as directed)

Let it ferment at around 65ºF until it hits 1.012.

Rack it off to a secondary and be careful not to stir up the sediment.

Let it age here until a week before St Paddy's.

Starting Saturday before the holiday...Check Gravity for a few days. If it stays the same...prime it with 3-4 oz of corn sugar and bottle.

It won't be carb'd very much for the holiday, but what you don't drink will continue to carb and mellow in the bottle.