Quck and Simple Cider with Nottingham Yeast

[Redking]

Hi all, me and my buddy decided to make a batch of cider yesterday, the goal for us is to have a tasty, bubbly, session-style cider that is ready to drink in about a month. I have a few other different batches I've done that are aging, but as a poor college student I also want something cheap, easy and fast to drink regularly!

I have done a similar batch before, only I had bottled the cider after about a week or two when it was still hazy and the temperature was fluctuating in the 70-80 degree range. That one tasted horrible when I bottled it (had a very unpleasant and strong sour yeasty flavor), but after 2 weeks in bottles it tasted really good and all of my friends loved it!

So I did some more research on it and I learned a bit from my mistakes. I'm going to bulk age it for ~3weeks, which was about how long it took to clear last time, and also fermenting at lower temperatures now that is has cooled down here. Here is my ingredients list/procedure:

-6gal Kirkland 100% Fresh Pressed US grown apples ($8.49/2gal at my Costco) - OG was about 1.052
-1 packet of Nottingham yeast

...pretty simple!

1. Sterilize 6gal fermenter, airlock, and bung.
2. Pour 4 gallons of AJ
3. Pitch yeast (no starter)
4. Pour 1 gallon of AJ to mix yeast around (save the last one for when bottling)
5. Cover with lid, slap on airlock, store in cool area.
6. Let sit for ~3 weeks or until it clears up.
7. When done fermenting and clearing, siphon into new bucket leaving yeast/lees/gunk behind.
8. Mix in the last gallon of AJ (or to level of desired sweetness).
9. Bottle (in anything that is safe for bottling such as 12oz/22oz beer bottles or champagne bottles). Also bottle one beer in a plastic coke/water bottle to monitor carbonation, as this will have to be pasteurized.
10. Monitor bottle regularly to avoid bottle bombs! Once the plastic bottle is very firm to the touch, open it and observe carbonation. IF it is really firm there should be a good amount, in which case you must bottle pasteurize to avoid anymore fermentation. If it isn't firm, then keep opening bottles regularly to check for more carbonation....like I mentioned just be very careful so that you don't have any explosions. Depending on temperature and how much you back sweetened it could take a few days to a few weeks.
11. Once done pasteurizing, it is ready to drink! But obviously, the longer you wait and let it sit, the better it will taste.

As of this morning the airlock is bubbling slowly. I will keep you all updated as time goes on.

 

[mdabbles]

I don't have the fortitude to try bottle pasteurization. Good luck if you try that.

you can get a good, clean more vigorous ferment by adding a little yeast nutrient at the beginning when you pitch the yeast. If you don't have store bought, then you can boil a few raisins, strain, and add the mixture to the cider. I wouldn't throw a bunch if raisins into the cider, I tried it and it gave the cider a crappy taste.

 

[Redking]

Yeah, I know it's a bit risky, but I've done it many times and never had a single issue/bottle bomb. Plus, without a keg kit there is really no other way to make a slightly sweet carb'd cider that doesn't need to always be refrigerated. I have created a system that is, in my humble opinion, MUCH better/safer than stove-top pasteurization:

What I do is I take all the bottles and put them into a cooler with a tap on the bottom, and first put in hot tap water to heat them up (while the lid is on all the time except peeped open when pouring in the water). Then let them sit a few minutes, and they will heat up a bit. This prevents a large delta in heat, which is much safer. Then I drain out the water from the tap, and once that is all out I open the cover slightly again and pour in the hot 160-170 degree water and let it sit for about 15 minutes (I add another 5 minutes to the 10 most people say is necessary to be safe). After that, I drain the water again from the tap. Then, I pour in room temperature tap water and let them cool down a bit and drain that out as well. I'll usually let them cool down for a while before taking them out, to the point to where they are almost room temp again. With the cooler I have, I can do 22 bottles at a time which is pretty awesome!

So basically if any bottle were to explode, it would be contained in the cooler. And whenever I do handle the bottles I always wear safety glasses. Unlike stove-top pasteurization, the bottles never come in contact with a hot metal pan that is much warmer than the water, which clearly is grounds for "BOOM".

As for yeast nutrient - some people say it helps, some people say it doesn't make a big difference or isn't necessary. I guess that's sort of the reason why I skip it, also since I've never used it and have had great results. The question is have you yourself noticed a difference between similar batches with and without it?

 

[mdabbles]

Brilliant idea with the pasteurization! I may try that. It would be nice to have a carbed sweet cider.

The nutrient gives me a little less lag time on the yeast, a more vigorous ferment. If you are getting good results now, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Redking]

Thanks, I too was very worried about it when I first did it! So I really wanted to make sure it'd be as safe as possible, and so far no bottle bombs after many bottles put through that process. Another cool thing about pasteurizing is that it pretty much makes your cider good forever!

And maybe next time I'll try adding some nutrients to it, I'd be curious to see if anything goes differently. It's always good to try out new things anyways and of course adding some of that wouldn't hurt!

 

[mdabbles]

I have also heard that some people boil bread yeast and use that as a nutrient - I haven't tried -

 

[captainkirk83]

Thanks for recipe and pasteurization in cooler idea. I will be trying this

 

[Redking]

Thanks for recipe and pasteurization in cooler idea. I will be trying this

Of course cap'n, glad I could help!

 

[jsDC]

I have an almost identical cider in my secondary right now. Only difference is that I used a yeast nutrient (and pectic enzyme). It finished primary, down to 1.002 from 1.051, in exactly one week, so the nutrient may have sped up the process. The temps in my brewing "corner" tend to be between 68-72F so that may have made for a quicker ferment as well. It's very dry and a bit thin, but actually more palatable than I expected. I think it'll be a serviceable session cider when sweetened and carbed up. It's drinkable as is though and I may even pull a liter to keep still and see how it is next year.

I love the cooler idea and will probably go that route for pasteurization. To be quite honest the stove-top method terrifies me so this is a great alternative.


J.S.

 

[Phlyborn]

Like the cooler idea. I was contemplating going that route and you just validated the cooler alternative. Going to try it for myself on the next batch.

 

[Phlyborn]

-

 

[Fossey]

I pasteurise in the dishwasher on longest hottest setting with great results. Whole batch in one go, set and forget...

 

[Paps]

I pasteurise in the dishwasher on longest hottest setting with great results. Whole batch in one go, set and forget...

Laziness is the mother of invention.:cross:
I like it.

 

[Fossey]

Laziness is the mother of invention.:cross: I like it.

Hey! It takes a good 5 minutes out of my couch time to load that dishwasher up!!!

 

[Redking]

I pasteurise in the dishwasher on longest hottest setting with great results. Whole batch in one go, set and forget...

I've heard that's a much easier way. If only my ghetto college studio had a dishwasher... Lol.

 

[RebelliousVanilla]

Yeah, I know it's a bit risky, but I've done it many times and never had a single issue/bottle bomb. Plus, without a keg kit there is really no other way to make a slightly sweet carb'd cider that doesn't need to always be refrigerated. I have created a system that is, in my humble opinion, MUCH better/safer than stove-top pasteurization:

What I do is I take all the bottles and put them into a cooler with a tap on the bottom, and first put in hot tap water to heat them up (while the lid is on all the time except peeped open when pouring in the water). Then let them sit a few minutes, and they will heat up a bit. This prevents a large delta in heat, which is much safer. Then I drain out the water from the tap, and once that is all out I open the cover slightly again and pour in the hot 160-170 degree water and let it sit for about 15 minutes (I add another 5 minutes to the 10 most people say is necessary to be safe). After that, I drain the water again from the tap. Then, I pour in room temperature tap water and let them cool down a bit and drain that out as well. I'll usually let them cool down for a while before taking them out, to the point to where they are almost room temp again. With the cooler I have, I can do 22 bottles at a time which is pretty awesome!

So basically if any bottle were to explode, it would be contained in the cooler. And whenever I do handle the bottles I always wear safety glasses. Unlike stove-top pasteurization, the bottles never come in contact with a hot metal pan that is much warmer than the water, which clearly is grounds for "BOOM".

As for yeast nutrient - some people say it helps, some people say it doesn't make a big difference or isn't necessary. I guess that's sort of the reason why I skip it, also since I've never used it and have had great results. The question is have you yourself noticed a difference between similar batches with and without it?

What kind of cooler do you have and also will this eventually melt the inside? This is otherwise ideal.

 

[crushingblackdoom]

I pasteurise in the dishwasher on longest hottest setting with great results. Whole batch in one go, set and forget...

Brilliant!

 

[Redking]

What kind of cooler do you have and also will this eventually melt the inside? This is otherwise ideal.

It's Rubbermaid brand, I think 20qt and with the spigot of course. And that is a very good point you bring up. I had thought of that and did some research on this site before my first time using it, and most people agree that using coolers for brewing/holding hot liquids is totally OK. Also, I've made mash for beer in coolers similar to this one with my buddies and that worked out just fine. So far after many batches I haven't noticed any melting in my cooler at all.

One thing I'll say though, you may need to pour in water that is 10-20 degrees hotter than the temperature are trying to achieve, which is just over 160 in my case. I've noticed some substantial heat loss, first just from pouring in the water and much more so from exposure to the "cooler" cooler and bottles (this is another reason why the step where you preheat the bottles with hot tap water is important). The first few runs I kept a thermometer in the cooler to make sure I was at least 160*, and had to pour in some more really hot water to up the temp. IF you are going to open the cooler to check the thermometer, I'd advise that you open the lid as little as possible and wear safety glasses and some sturdy gloves that preferably go a good bit past your wrists up your arms JUST in case something blows up - safety is the #1 goal here. By taking all of these precautions you shouldn't have any issues or bottle bombs.

 

[RebelliousVanilla]

It's Rubbermaid brand, I think 20qt and with the spigot of course. And that is a very good point you bring up. I had thought of that and did some research on this site before my first time using it, and most people agree that using coolers for brewing/holding hot liquids is totally OK. Also, I've made mash for beer in coolers similar to this one with my buddies and that worked out just fine. So far after many batches I haven't noticed any melting in my cooler at all.

One thing I'll say though, you may need to pour in water that is 10-20 degrees hotter than the temperature are trying to achieve, which is just over 160 in my case. I've noticed some substantial heat loss, first just from pouring in the water and much more so from exposure to the "cooler" cooler and bottles (this is another reason why the step where you preheat the bottles with hot tap water is important). The first few runs I kept a thermometer in the cooler to make sure I was at least 160*, and had to pour in some more really hot water to up the temp. IF you are going to open the cooler to check the thermometer, I'd advise that you open the lid as little as possible and wear safety glasses and some sturdy gloves that preferably go a good bit past your wrists up your arms JUST in case something blows up - safety is the #1 goal here. By taking all of these precautions you shouldn't have any issues or bottle bombs.

I think I'm going to have to raid my dad's attic. I keep going back and forth with how I'm going to do this, but I just opened one bottle today and it is ready to go so I need to get this done ASAP. I'd prefer this way if I can get the cooler.

I am curious if you completely immerse the bottles or do you leave caps sticking out? I have some lab goggles I'm going to use. Feel like I'm a mad scientist! :d

 

[RebelliousVanilla]

You sir are a genius! While it took me longer than I had hoped, i think this was the safest way. I had to heat the water to 200 degrees in a canning pot I heated on a turkey fryer burner and poured this into the cooler to get it at 160. It cools down fast! I think I can get it done faster next batch now that I have an idea how hot I need to initially get the water before pouring it in. The cooler survived too. It was an igloo cooler. Good stuff!

 

[Redking]

You sir are a genius! While it took me longer than I had hoped, i think this was the safest way. I had to heat the water to 200 degrees in a canning pot I heated on a turkey fryer burner and poured this into the cooler to get it at 160. It cools down fast! I think I can get it done faster next batch now that I have an idea how hot I need to initially get the water before pouring it in. The cooler survived too. It was an igloo cooler. Good stuff!

Glad I could help! It definitely does cool down a lot, and it is quite a bit of water to heat up. Regarding your last post I just make sure the water reaches the neck of the bottles.

 

[Redking]

So just an update - I ended up letting this batch sit for a bit longer than I expected initially, and we bottled in end of January. One month later in the bottles, and this stuff is DELICIOUS! This weekend I went back home from college and cracked a few open to share with family and friends, and everyone loved it! It definitely has a drier character to it, but there is just enough sweetness there for my liking. It is crisp, refreshing, and dangerously easy to drink...now I wish I had made more! I am definitely going to start a new batch of this sometime very soon - I am very happy how this turned out for how simple the recipe was.