1st time cider brewing help please.

[MarkDon]

Hi guys and gals. Sorry but im guessing the magority of these questions will have been covered already, i was planning to spend more time researching but things have steam rolled into action quicker than id hoped.

Basically i live in the north east of the uk, my parents have an unknown apple tree in the garden, min 40 years old. Bumper crop this year. Ive had enough baking apple pies so thought id give cider a crack.

So i pulled 30kg off the tree and found a local orchard willing to press them for me. Then they phoned asking if i could go today as there were some other people wanting apples pressed so it would be easier to do a group session.

So, zero time to read up on the subject.

I have a standard Youngs brew 25L fermenting tub, screw on lid, rubber bung, air lock, syphon, salfale s-04 yeast, yeast nutrient, pectolase and thats it. I sterilised everything this morning, i have now returned with a very full (to the brim) 25L tub, and about 2L in another container.

So.

Help! I guess having the fermenting tub full to the brim is a bad idea? How much should i decant?

Once thats done, do i just add the yeast and nutrient?

My apples were quite sharp so we added some of the orchards cider and sharp apples, and i have a reading of 1.044 on the hydrometer.

If anyone could help i would be greatfull, as i mentioned earlier, i was expecting to have a week to read up on the subject!!

 

[Yooper]

I'd definitely remove some of the juice from the fermenter! You can put the remainder in a sanitized bucket/jug/carboy with an airlock (or a clean napkin rubberbanded over the opening) and use that for topping up after racking (siphoning).

You will probably have a ton of sediment from the pressed cider- I do. Then simply siphon off of that sediment to a new sanitized container in about a week and use the extra cider in the other vessels to top up the container.

If you don't have another fermenter, you may have to rack off into a different sanitized container, and then clean and sanitize the original vessel and rack back into it. No splashing!

 

[blagooba]

Thanks for the help. I an usibg youngs super wi e yeast compound. It has done well in the past.

How much sugar do you think? One pound? Or should I just see where the sg goes after a week then add it in?

 

[MarkDon]

Cheers for the reply.

I got a 25L container and sanitised it (bought it new), syphoned into that the excess til i had 23L in the original container.

Topped up with some concentrate apple juice, added some champagne yeast and set it away.

I then got a call monday that i had to work away so had to leave my two batches on their own. Stat was set to 21c so all was ok.

Came home, no bubbling, no foam, very cloudy. Oh no

Popped hydrometer into largest batch yesterday, reading 1.006, so something has been happening. But in 5 days?? Is that not quick??

So left it alone, syphoned some out of smaller batch (11L) to use hydrometer as cant get hand in opening of this container, reading 1.000. Its not clear at all, its so not clear it absorbs light. Its the same as looking at orange juice, and i had a sip, while it smells quite scrumpy like, it tastes odd and leaves a slight tingle on the tongue?

Do i have vinegar in the making??

Help please

 

[MarkDon]

Removed the small batch from the container and put into two smaller ones about 6L in each with airlock. Off into the shed to mature.

Hope this was the right thing to do! Hydrometer sitting bang on 1.000.

Bigger batch still at 1.006/4 hard to tell. Will wait til its at 1.000 then decant into clean container and put in shed.

Unless im doing it wrong then will rectify if its not too late!