My first post here - Hello from UK!
I've an apple orchard and last year made appox 20 litres of Cider, which turned out ok, albiet a bit rough to drink. This year I'm trying again, but trying to do things a bit better. In saying that I would welcome some advise please.
My objective is to end up with medium sweet, sparkling cider at about 5%-6%alchohol.
So far; -
I juiced enough clean eating apples to make 25 litres of juice. I placed this in a sterilized brew bucket, with lid and airlock and added a sachet of cider yeast recommended by a local home brew shop.
The original SG of the apple juice was 1.046 (which my hydrometer says will give approx 5.5% alchohol potential)
I then added 19.5oz (550g) of white granulated sugar to the juice. My reasoning for this was looking at my hydrometer's sugar scale it said to raise the alchohol to 7.3% I needed to add this much sugar to a SG of 1.055.
Question No 1 - I didn't measure the SG again after adding the sugar to the juice. Would adding this sugar have raised the SG to approx 1.055 ??
After a few days in a warn room, the airlock was bubbling away just fine.
After 7 days the SG read 1.026
After 9 days (today) the SG read 1.021
Question No2 - Since I'm confused about the original SG after the sugar had been added (see question 1) what alchohol content have I now got?
a) 1.046 @ 5.9% minus 1.021 @ 2.7% = 3.2%
or
b) 1.055 @ 7.3% minus 1.021 @ 2.7% = 4.6%
??
Now for the next stage...
If I taste the brew today it is very nice, but still a bit too sweet. The Cider is still fermenting. However i don't want to end up with a really dry cider
I was going to leave it for a few weeks or so until it had stopped fermenting and then pour into glass airtight bottles with half a teaspoon of sugar and leave in a warm room to carbonate for 2 weeks and then move out into a unheated garage for a few months (day temp outside at moment is 12-13 deg C).
Reading this forum, to stop the cider getting too dry, I'm starting to think it might be better to let the cider brew to around 5.5%, then bottle into the glass bottles with approx 1/2 a teaspoon of white sugar per bottle and leave in a warm room for 8 -9 days to carbonate and then use the 190degF water bath pasturisation method to kill off the yeast.
Question No 3 - Does it matter if when i get to 5.5% alchohol and I want to bottle the cider that it is still cloudy and/or fermenting?
Views, advice, ideas??
Thanks !!
I've an apple orchard and last year made appox 20 litres of Cider, which turned out ok, albiet a bit rough to drink. This year I'm trying again, but trying to do things a bit better. In saying that I would welcome some advise please.
My objective is to end up with medium sweet, sparkling cider at about 5%-6%alchohol.
So far; -
I juiced enough clean eating apples to make 25 litres of juice. I placed this in a sterilized brew bucket, with lid and airlock and added a sachet of cider yeast recommended by a local home brew shop.
The original SG of the apple juice was 1.046 (which my hydrometer says will give approx 5.5% alchohol potential)
I then added 19.5oz (550g) of white granulated sugar to the juice. My reasoning for this was looking at my hydrometer's sugar scale it said to raise the alchohol to 7.3% I needed to add this much sugar to a SG of 1.055.
Question No 1 - I didn't measure the SG again after adding the sugar to the juice. Would adding this sugar have raised the SG to approx 1.055 ??
After a few days in a warn room, the airlock was bubbling away just fine.
After 7 days the SG read 1.026
After 9 days (today) the SG read 1.021
Question No2 - Since I'm confused about the original SG after the sugar had been added (see question 1) what alchohol content have I now got?
a) 1.046 @ 5.9% minus 1.021 @ 2.7% = 3.2%
or
b) 1.055 @ 7.3% minus 1.021 @ 2.7% = 4.6%
??
Now for the next stage...
If I taste the brew today it is very nice, but still a bit too sweet. The Cider is still fermenting. However i don't want to end up with a really dry cider
I was going to leave it for a few weeks or so until it had stopped fermenting and then pour into glass airtight bottles with half a teaspoon of sugar and leave in a warm room to carbonate for 2 weeks and then move out into a unheated garage for a few months (day temp outside at moment is 12-13 deg C).
Reading this forum, to stop the cider getting too dry, I'm starting to think it might be better to let the cider brew to around 5.5%, then bottle into the glass bottles with approx 1/2 a teaspoon of white sugar per bottle and leave in a warm room for 8 -9 days to carbonate and then use the 190degF water bath pasturisation method to kill off the yeast.
Question No 3 - Does it matter if when i get to 5.5% alchohol and I want to bottle the cider that it is still cloudy and/or fermenting?
Views, advice, ideas??
Thanks !!