making my first Cider brew

Hey, im in college and decided to try to make some cider, cheaply!


Thats what i started with

the bottle of actual cider is some i had in the fridge just for the fun of it. It has no perservatives, but was pasturized...been sitting a while and started to smell alcoholic, thats where i got the idea to try this.

The rest is some cheap 100% juice walmart apple juice. This is what i did with it...



The open cup was just to test if the yeast would take to the apple juice, being somewhere it was mentioned that sometimes perservatives are added without it being listed... Well it took to the yeast!!

I didnt have any wine yeast, or didnt kno where to get it, so im using regular active dry yeast from Fleischmanns. jets see how it turns out...


Any ideas and or suggestions?

throw it all out, head back to the store and get yourself new apple juice and then get some brewing or wine yeast. That bread yeast is going to make what ever you are making taste like crap.

Also try to find a local home brew store and spend the $10 for a bucket and an airlock. The jugs and plastic you are using now are just begging for bacterial infections.

Total cost will be about $25 but the $10 for the bucket and air lock are a investment you'll be able to use many times over. Dry brewing yeast is fairly cheep, and I can get 5 gallons of apple juice for $10 if I watch the sales.

Why the double post? Can we get a mod (when someone wakes up) to combine this with the one in the begining brewing forum, or just delete the other one completly?

Oops, didnt kno i posted twice....

I made the first one, and it had some error...

There are several online sources forr brewing supplies.

www.northernbrewer.com
www.morebeer.com
www.midwestsupplies.com
www.austinhomebrew.com

Pumbaa said:

That bread yeast is going to make what ever you are making taste like crap.

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actualy, the first brew i ever made was a simple apple wine, i used bread yeast and it tasted awsome

but yea, invest in some equipment, you wont regret it =)

I will once i get some cash. gunna see how this turns out.

Im just a poor college boy in search of a cheap way to get decent alcohol!

Im thinkin of keeping 2 of the 1/2 gallnon jugs, dumping the rest out...

then fermenting off 1/2 a can of beer, gettin some more apple juice (FOR FREE), and fermenting the juice with the beer...

TO ferment the beer...just open it, pour it, and add a little sugar?

I guess I not quite clear on that concept, but it sounds pretty unorthodox. At the very least invest in some brewing yeast. And dont put commercial beer in your cider. Who knows what might come out, but it probably wont be drinkable.

- magno

What do you mean, "fermenting off 1/2 a can of beer?"

Using the beer to ferment the juice/sugar nastiness? Won't work, most beer (except some bottle-conditioned micros) are filtered to remove the yeast.

Fermenting the beer AGAIN, with more sugar added? Ugh. Nasty.

Ok, never mind then.

I thought i could get some yeast out of the beer and use that. But, ill just order some wine yeast.

AAaaaaawww!!! You remind me of me when I first started dorm brewing! Now you've got me all nostalgic!

xunedeinx said:

Im just a poor college boy in search of a cheap way to get decent alcohol!

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Take out the initial investment of maybe $10 for the bucket and sir lock you're probably looking at $15-$20 for 5 gallons (about 2.5 cases) of good hard cider. Even if you only ferment the juice and dont add any sugar you're looking at a ABV of about 5% which is above most comercial beer. I dont know if you can beat $.40 a bottle for a good drunk.

Hell get your roommate(s) to split the cost. The only down side is for it to taste good it's going to take a bit of time. Sure you could probably drink it after a week or two if you get a good vigours fermentation but if ya wait 2-3 months you'll like it a whole lot more.

about how much sugar per gallon should be added for 7.5-10%abv?

Which is better, brown or white? I heard white keeps it fruity...

whats a good place online to order yeast?

Should i use wine yeast, or dry ale yeast?

the setup i have now, if i get them special caps with a water lock on each of them, would it be good to make in smaller quanities?

I like these 1/2 gallon bottles, as there small and easy to store away, if you get what i mean?

And, should the room smell like baking?

Jus had my first taist of the first batch...

VERY GOOD!

its all bubbly, and it taists like mikes a little, just more applie... And its semi alcoholic..

Lil more then the 2.5% wine coolers, but not enough to be 5%

Jus stuck in a lot more suger, about 15 more sugar cubes... Bubbeling like crazy!!!


SO HAPPY!

1-2 lbs should do ya but then again the alchohol is going to be more pronounced and you would have to wait longer for that flavor to mellow out a bit . . . if you're just looking to get hammered I guess thats fine to drink it as son as the fermentation has stoped

Well some is for gettin hammered, but im saving some to bring home on winter break to share with the family. Ill jus let it sit for a while i guess?

Had to learn something at college!

check out this link. http://www.ciderandperry.co.uk/ You can basicly skip down to step 4 since you are using juice and not whole apples

Thats cool, thanks!

Ill keep you all updated on the status of my ghetto rigged cider!

Lighten up on the guy! He's only a poor college boy, doin his best with what he's got. AAand, his product is to his tolerances too!

Xuneduneix, don't bother with the can of beer. Instead, go to the liqour store that sells quality micros and imports, and find a bottle of ale that has some gunk settling in the bottom. Drink most of it, then pour some juice into it, shake it up, and pour it all into the jug. It's called "yeast harvesting", more or less.

casebrew said:

Lighten up on the guy! He's only a poor college boy, doin his best with what he's got. AAand, his product is to his tolerances too!

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I bet ya a 6 pack of Pumkin Ale he spends more then that on snacks and soda per week.

LOL, ya, that 30 bucks is more then i spent in a while...

and im not 21, so i cant go to the liquor store...I can have someone buy me ****, but they usually up for runnin into walmart and buyin me a few 30 packs of bud light...


Im making it real soon.. Jus needa find a reliable website to buy my airlocks and wine yeast...

Taisting pretty good!!

The one on the right has some organic non-preservative pasturized fruit cups in it...

TAISTS FRICKIN AMAZING!!!

cant wait to get the real yeast..

I have to say that this is the most entertaining post I've seen in a long time :rockin: This is the spirit that we all need to have...maybe with alittle bit more knowledge though. :-D

I dont kno if thats a compliment or an insult..

All i can say is..

LOOK!

THE BUBBLES!!!!

THERE BUBBELINGGG!!!

-what i said to gf when she walked in-

xunedeinx originally posted:
LOL, ya, that 30 bucks is more then i spent in a while...

and im not 21, so i cant go to the liquor store...I can have someone buy me ****, but they usually up for runnin into walmart and buyin me a few 30 packs of bud light...

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All right, educate this poor Canadian gal....I realize the liquor laws in the US are archaic and that you have to be 21 to legally purchase and consume alcohol (not like here), but how much can 2 30packs of Bud cost? Wouldn't that be more than the cost of a carboy and airlock?

yea but once you shell out the original costs, you just need the ingrediants

NurseNan said:

All right, educate this poor Canadian gal....I realize the liquor laws in the US are archaic and that you have to be 21 to legally purchase and consume alcohol (not like here), but how much can 2 30packs of Bud cost? Wouldn't that be more than the cost of a carboy and airlock?

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This kid is using plastic water containers as fermenters and is suck siphoning muddy looking primary cider into a polystyrene cup. and it tastes great. yeah!

Taists far better then anything i ever taisted!

And it isnt that mucky.... Its cleared up a lot sence yesterday!

Still has the major bubbles though.

2 30 packs of bud is 20 bucks

33.3 cents per beer.

and, its kinda hard to get a decent carboy in my dorm room...

I can go for the big 5gal water containers maybe that they use for the H2O dispensors, but it isnt a flat wall inside, and would be harder to clean.

Oh, and is there an actual reason why my 1/2 gal bottles are bad for making it?

Whats the diff if i have 10 of those or one 5 gallon carboy? Other then, if one gets infected, i still have 4 1/2 gals of uninfected...

It's a minor point so I'll make it small. You're killing me with your atrocious writing skills. There's no "i" in taste, the word is "since," and "dispenser" is spelled with an "e." Please use a spell checker or something! Sorry, I'm excited for you to be interested in brewing, but grammar is a pet peeve of mine - especially for someone who's in school!

On to the important stuff: I don't understand why you can't get a carboy in your dorm room if you can get a 5 gallon water jug. Plastic water jugs can contribute a bit of a plastic flavor to your brew. There is a non-permeable plastic carboy called a "Better Bottle" that you can use for fermentation without worrying about off flavors. More Beer and Williams Brewing both have them for sale online. The primary reason for fermenting a brew in one container is consistency. Your smaller batches will probably vary a bit depending on the amount of yeast and adjuncts you use. Also, depending on the geometry of the containers, it's possible that you'll have more waste by fermenting in so many smaller jugs, as you're creating more than one yeast "pancake" for your batch of cider. If you're truly interested in crafting a good product, heed the advice given here. Spend $30 or so on the equipment, and I'm sure you'll see improved results. If you just want to create an alcoholic swill...I guess you've succeeded already.

Congrats, by the way, on enjoying the result of your efforts so far. It doesn't look or sound good, but if you like it, more power to you!

hell you dont even really need a 5 gallon carboy. The problem with what you are using now is that they probably allow air to get into your "brew". Granted it's not a lot but it is enuff to mess ya up.

I just checked Northern Brewer, it's a online brew store http://www.northernbrewer.com/ferment.html
For about $12 you can have a decent fermentor and airlock, and that $12 you'll probably never have to spend again if ya take care of it. After that all you'll have to buy is your juice and yeast . . . and there are plenty of ways of getting around buying yeast if you are interested.

One more thing, yeah you have to be 21 to buy beer and booze in the US BUT . . . anyone can walk in and buy malt or yeast or hops. I would be very shocked if a LHBS turned you away. PM me with your location and I'll find you a homebrew store close by . . . or atleast I'll try to.

Side note to yuri . . . . I so wanted to screw up every spelling and every little part of grammer I could . . . but I was nice
grammer nazis suck:fro:

Pumbaa said:

One more thing, yeah you have to be 21 to buy beer and booze in the US BUT . . . anyonecan walk in and buy malt or yeast or hops. I would be very shocked if a LHBS turned you away. PM me with your location and I'll find you a homebrew store close by . . . or atleast I'll try to.

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Interestingly on this note, someone posted a link to a HBS's website the other day that specifically said that people under 21 could NOT purchase home brew supplies. I'm presuming that it was their store policy.

What was most interesting was that this store was located in New Hampshire, a state very well known for its hatred of individual liberties (tongue firmly in cheek).

Nah, i jus gave in like 30 min ago and baught a 3gal carboy...

About the grammer, i cant spell worth a donkys @$$, sorry. I do better in spanish then i do in english class. But, im a criminal justice major, which means its a doctorate of science, so i only need 3 credits of english, which im finishing up right now.

Now, formulas and science, i am amazing at!

Why is air bad for it?

I checked, my bottles are airtight, nothing gets in, only CO2 gets out.

I now got my carboy, airlocks, and yeast en route to my place.

Now, for the good stuff!

if this stuff taists good to me, i wonder how good itll taste (eat it, i spelled it right =p) done the right way.

Nice response...didn't mean to be so harsh...I'm just a picky m-f-er.

I forgot to mention it, but Pumbaa was spot on about the worst thing in your setup. Air is bad because it carries bacteria, wild yeast, mold spores, and fungus spores. Airlocks are essentially cheap one-way valves that keep contaminant laden air out while allowing fermentation by-products (namely CO2) to escape. They aren't ABSOLUTELY essential, and some beers are actually intentionally exposed to wild yeast by leaving the ferementer open (look up lambic style beers). However, they are cheap insurance against a batch of brew going rancid.

xunedeinx said:

Nah, i jus gave in like 30 min ago and baught a 3gal carboy...

About the grammer, i cant spell worth a donkys @$$, sorry. I do better in spanish then i do in english class. But, im a criminal justice major, which means its a doctorate of science, so i only need 3 credits of english, which im finishing up right now.

Now, formulas and science, i am amazing at!

Why is air bad for it?

I checked, my bottles are airtight, nothing gets in, only CO2 gets out.

I now got my carboy, airlocks, and yeast en route to my place.

Now, for the good stuff!

if this stuff taists good to me, i wonder how good itll taste (eat it, i spelled it right =p) done the right way.

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Now that ya got a carboy only put about 2 - 2 1/2 gallons of juice in that bad boy or you could potentially have a mess. I have never had a significant kreusan with my cider but better safe then sorry. If you can get your hands on some vodka it works great in your air lock if not plain old water is just fine.

Also if you have a firdge in your room do a search on this site (or the web I guess) about yeast harvesting / washing and save yourself some cash that way too. Not that I am saying to do one thing or another but I'm guess you may be able to find some labware somewhere on campus

Whats a kreusan ?

And why voddie over water?
help taste?

Somehow, I think any vodka he gets his hands on WON'T be going into the airlock... not that there;s anything wrong with that.

You use vodka rather than water as an extra level of precaution. Basically, instead of having water between your cider and the outside world, it's vodka (which nasties can't live in). I use water with no problems.

Krausen is the head that forms on top of the beer or cider during fermentation. Usually a bigger issue with beer-making.

The foam stuff?

I always thought it was jus the yeast...

And i dont like vodca... nor anything over 40 proof.

Yes, krausen is the foamy bubbly stuff created by your brew off-gassing as it ferments. There is yeast in it, but it's mostly just foamy brew by-products. I like to use a no-rinse sanitizing solution in my airlocks (Star San is my sanitizer of choice). It helps keep peace of mind with sanitation, and it keeps the vodka in my martinis.