First time brewing - all input welcome

[matrim]

I have never brewed and am new to these forums so I hope I’m not out of place with this post.

That said, I’d been interested in cider making for a while and just recently came upon a lot of apples so I started doing some research. With the help of these forums and the culmination of various other sources, I put together this instruction sheet. I was hoping some of you experienced guys could give it a once over to see if I made any mistakes or simply add some input before I start my first brew.

1. Rest apples for 5 to 10 days (I have access to a number of varieties sold to Martinellis.) Since I am using windfalls do I still need to let them rest?

2. Wash and juice

3. Pour through sieve

4. Pour through cheesecloth

5. Sanitize carboy and funnel using 1-step then Star San

6. Measure pH. Add acid/base if necessary (malic acid or precipitated chalk). Should be between 3.0 and 4.0.

7. Fill carboy with juice and crushed campden tablet according to pH(sodium or potassium metabisulphite), cover and let sit for 24 to 48 hours

8. Measure OG. Adjust with sugar (2.25 oz/gallon for 5 increase) to reach an OG of about 1.055

9. Pitch yeast a little at a time (spread evenly on surface, add more when first batch falls) along with yeast nutrient. I’m thinking of the following yeasts:

a. A Whitbread ale
b. An American lager
c. Nottingham
d. Wyeast 3068
e. WLP 300

Also, has anyone experimented with pitching two yeasts at once? Or better yet, pitching the first yeast, cold crashing halfway through the initial fermentation, racking, and then pitching a second yeast.

10. Fit sanitized bung and airlock into the carboy (fill airlock with sodium or potassium metabisulphite solution)

11. Let ferment until bubbles stop forming.

12. Rack into second sanitized carboy with sanitized tubing and auto siphoner

13. Add malic and/or tartaric acids and tannins (USP tannic acid or grape tannin.) I have no idea how to know how much to add – if at all (I know if I am able to access some sort of crab apple variety I may not need to do this).

14. Replace bung and airlock and let rest for 1 to 3 months

15. Rack once more and add xylitol to taste (roughly 3 Tbs per gallon). Does this sound right? I don’t want the cider to be quite as dry as a full fermentation will make it (hence the xylitol), I want to bottle carbonate, and I don’t want to pasteurize.

16. Test SG (add dextrose accordingly to achieve an SG of 1.005)

17. Siphon into sanitized bottles and allow 1 to 3 months before opening

 

[RobWalker]

Your acids and tannin should go in primary I believe. You want to avoid pouring too, try and siphon the juice directly into your primary from juicing, otherwise you will expose it to too much oxygen. You know when apples go brown? That.

There's a sticky at the top of the cider forum with yeast ideas too. Check it out and decide through that.

Don't use OG for priming, just go for a standard measurement. I use 3/4 tsp in 660ml bottles, works great. On the subject of OG, measure your gravity after fermentation to ensure it has completed, there is no other way to tell. It should sit under 1.000 and remain constant for 3 days.

Xylitol is expensive so you could consider pasteurizing in future to cut costs, plus its better taste wise.

Good luck!

 

[ACbrewer]

Well a few thoughts. One Step is really unscented oxyclean so you can save some $$ there in teh future. Although I generally woudl suggest you use something like Idophor or Star San because they are contact sanatizers, and don't require the tiem that One Step does to sanatize (10 mins).

Although in your case it is a little moot because not only will your container be sanatized, but when you start, you put in Metabi sulfite which will also kill of most stuff. Can't be to careful with sanatation tho. (great I've just said 2 opposing ideas, you figure it out, I can't!)

For step 12, you will want to have that 2ndary container filled up to the neck to prevent O2 exposure. I don't know how you will do that other than adding water (watering it down) or something. In wine making a lot of people add some already made wine back in. Alternatively if your first carboy is 6 gal, but the 2nd is only 5 you might be ok there.

#9 the 2 yeasts - in general one will kill off the other. There are times (sour beer making) where you might add a 2nd after the first to get a different characteristic brought out. But basically if you mix, you will get the dominant one.

#13 on the tannins - those are added to help round out the flavor, give it the right 'bite' There is a recomendation on the bottle, but that is for grape wine, not apple. Best advice to to sample your ferment at times, particularly towards the end to see if the flavor needs a push one way or the other.

#16 - the dextrose is added to get carbonation? then I think you want to do that in a fashion to get a measured amount of bubbles, not by gravity. If you are at a FG of 1.004 before you add teh dextrose it will be a lot different than if you are at a .995. In terms of how much you sugar for carbing those are wildly different amounts.

Looks pretty good, and my suggestions are only that and subject to others correcting me.

 

[matrim]

Thanks for all the info guys. You may have saved me from making some cider bombs.

I do have a 6 gallon and a 5 gallon so that should work. I was also planning on following CvilleKevin's advice to blow out some of the oxygen with a CO2 cartridge.