Cider w/Minimal Equipment

[Ungoliant]

Ok, so I don't have a juicer/press/blender/food processor. I want to make a 5 gallon batch of hard cider with fresh apples, to eventually make Applejack via freeze distillation.

All the instructions I've found online involve the use of a juicer, blender, press, or food processor. I don't have any of these items to use for making cider. I was thinking of chopping the apples in to pieces, then boiling and mashing them to prepare the initial cider. Then, tossing all of it in the fermenter and racking it off the lees later on, rather than trying to squeeze all the cider out.

So, some questions:
-Is the above method effective/feasible?
-What other methods are out there without some type of juicing equipment?
-What type of apple do you think would be best for making Applejack?

I'm not afraid of putting a little elbow grease in to it.

 

[BILTIT]

I would not boil.

Chop up and squish in a pail with a 2x4 or something.

Keep in mind a good applejack needs to be fairly sweet after ferm and before freeze concentration. The sweetness helps balance the heat from the alcohol and just goves it a great taste/feel in your mouth.

I have done a few applejacks but still learning alot about. Mindenman has been my resource for applejack.

So far i like 1.010-1.020 as a final gravity after fermentation to start freezing with.

I also think i prefer to add sugar pre-ferm to up the sweetness vs adding frozen applejuice concentrate post-ferm for sweetness. Just my observations so far.

Dont be afraid of brown sugar either, many dont like it but i find it gives it a nice flavour and lots of color.

This pic is "pappys pub cider" recipe that is going on its 3rd freeze.

 

[Ungoliant]

I've done ciders with brown sugar and cinnamon before, so I'm not worried about using it as an addition.

I was thinking of using turbo yeast to bump the ABV pre-freezing. If it should be sweet before freezing, this doesn't sound like a great idea. What type of yeast did you use for the pub cider?

 

[BILTIT]

I use ec-1118 yeast, its good to ~18%.

Pappys pub cider is 2lbs of sugar/gallon, my last batch stopped at 1.020. Just at the sweet end of my preferred range for jacking.

 

[Ungoliant]

What kind of apples do you use?

 

[BILTIT]

I havent used any apples yet, missed my apples while i was on vacation this summer.

I have only used apple juice so far.

 

[Ungoliant]

Ah, ok. What's your rationale behind not boiling?

 

[madscientist451]

I was thinking of chopping the apples in to pieces, then boiling and mashing them to prepare the initial cider. Then, tossing all of it in the fermenter and racking it off the lees later on, rather than trying to squeeze all the cider out.

So, some questions:
-Is the above method effective/feasible?
-What other methods are out there without some type of juicing equipment?
-What type of apple do you think would be best for making Applejack?

I'm not afraid of putting a little elbow grease in to it.

Quick answer
#1 No its not effective/feasible
#2 Get a 6' length of 4x4 and mash the apples a few at a time in a bucket.
Let the apples "sweat" or soften for 4-6 weeks, they will be easier to mash and the flavors will concentrate.
Rig up a a press with a bucket and a car jack, you should be able to get something going for less than $20.
#3 Get a mix of Sweet/Tart and Aromatic
I like to use 10-12 different kinds, but a simple blend would be:
50% Jonathan/Jonagold or Yellow Delicious 25% Stayman or York 15% Macintosh 10% Granny Smith,Northern Spy or IdaRed.
If you can't get any of these, just use what you have, but the more varieties, the better.

Concentrate the Juice by freeze concentrating and then ferment instead of freeze concentrating the fermented cider.

 

[bucketnative]

If you boil apples they taste cooked...

How about using apple juice from the grocery store as a starting point. That's what a lot of people do. Just make sure that it does not contain any preservatives... sorbates.

Simply add the apple juice to your fermenter (add sugar if you want) and add the yeast.

 

[bernardsmith]

Boiling sets the pectins and cooks the apples. If you want apple sauce then you cook the apples. If you want a cider or a wine then you simply ferment the fruit. No need to apply any heat. Brewers use heat (that's why it is called brewing), Wine makers avoid heat.

If you are concerned about bacteria and wild yeasts then add K-meta 24 hours before you pitch the yeast (I would use 71B rather than a champagne yeast - that's a very aggressive yeast) and allow the sulfur dioxide to evaporate off (that means using a bucket loosely covered with a cloth, for example, rather than sealing the K-meta treated juice in a carboy) - the K-meta is strong enough to inhibit your fermentation if you don't allow enough time for the SO2 to evaporate off.
As for the varieties of apples - for the best cider you want to use a variety of apples - some with more acidity, some with more tannins, some with higher sugar content than would generally be used for eating but you could use a mix of northern spy, honeycrisp. empire, macoun, braeburn and winesap - or you could use what you have but perhaps try to find some crab apples too (for the tannin) - although I think cortland are tannin rich. Alternatively, if you are near apple orchards you might call around and see if any press apples specifically for hard cider making...

 

[bernardsmith]

@madscientist451, I agree with everything you wrote and I think concentrating the juice by freezing and catching the first runnings as the juice thaws (so removing the water from the juice) is a great way to make apple wine (you can easily double the sugar content of the must by collecting the first 1/3 of the juice) but that results in a wine (about 12% ABV) rather than a cider (about 7% ABV). I think, however, the OP is trying to make a far more alcoholic drink by removing the water from the wine or the cider - an ABV of about 20%.

 

[Ungoliant]

I think, however, the OP is trying to make a far more alcoholic drink by removing the water from the wine or the cider - an ABV of about 20%.

That's what I'm going for.

 

[BILTIT]

Just an FYI, I have made applejack that seems to be 35% or slightly better by freeze concentration.

I had a 35% Wiser's Apple Whiskey (store bought) that i put it my freezer and it froze pretty stiff (-23C or -9.4F). My apple jack is still slushy in that same freezer at that same temp.

 

[MindenMan]

BILTIT, thank you for the shout out. I have always used frozen apple juice concentrate to bolster both the sugar content and the flavor. Even though sugar will do a fantastic job of raising the alcohol percentage it does not give you the same mouth feel that using frozen apple juice concentrate will. I had never added acid blend to my side until my last batch and I added 2 teaspoons of acid blend to 4 gallons before freezing it the flavor difference was huge and even after concentration the acid was just bright enough. I was concerned that after concentration the acid balance might be too much but it worked out perfectly. Even if you haven't read my posts before having residual sugar before you put it in the freezer to concentrate it is really important and it does not come across as sweet or syrupy. The first time I made Applejack it was sort of an accident how well it turned out. Since then I've been trying to recreate the same accident batch after batch.

 

[Ungoliant]

Ok so I did 2 blended bushels of apples, used a juicer, and added about 4 lbs of brown sugar. I used Red Star Premier Cuvée yeast.

OG was 1.118, FG was 0.996, finishing out at 16.01% ABV. It tastes pretty decent, but it's pretty dry. I'm thinking I'll back-sweeten it and maybe add some cinnamon and/or cloves, but I'm not sure if I want to do it before or after freezing it. I'm leaning towards afterwards, because I think that will give me a better idea of where it needs to be adjusted.

Also, should I worry about adding acid blend?

 

[BILTIT]

Sweeten now, then freeze.

Shoot for fg of 1.020 before freezing.

Or split in half and try both.

 

[Ungoliant]

So the sweetener I have is Xylitol. Are there any charts or anything that I can use to determine how to hit a target SG with back-sweetening?

 

[BILTIT]

With xylitol i would probably sweeten to taste after freezing, still worth doing both ways i think though.

I have never used xylitol so i cannot add much more.

 

[Maylar]

Start with 3 tbsp per gallon, that's usually about 1.010. It affects SG just like sugar.

 

[Ungoliant]

Sounds good. What about acid blend? How do I know if my cider needs acid?