DOES THIS WORK?

[Christopher Bailey]

If I just take some apples. Core them, dice them up, put them in a blender with some water and suger. Blend then and strain pulp. Then put in a glass container with plastic wrap with pin needle holes over the top, and letting it ferment for a few days or even weeks, is this going to be the same as making hard cider? Please help, New to this and expirementing

 

[Bostrows128]

No, it would probably be a 75% chance of failure. First, off it would not be sanitary so it would probably taste terrible or turn to vinegar. There would be some oxidation problems and if it does work it would probably have the alcohol content of 20% or higher due to the fact that you don't know what the OG is and you're just throwing sugar in. It's best to not use table sugar as it might ferment all the way to dryness.

 

[stella_tigre]

There is a cider subforum here, go check it out!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/forums/cider-forum.32/

 

[Kent88]

If you're looking for a simple cider, I've heard that Indian Summer brand apple juice with some sugar (maybe even cheap brown sugar) and some yeast in a clean, sanitized fermenter does pretty well.

Nottingham ale yeast is supposed to work for a decent cider.

 

[TGFV]

If you do go that route with the apples then make sure to use a campfen tablet first to kill off as much as possible, as well as check the OG before sugar.

 

[TwistedGray]

Should be an interesting experiment.

 

[jtratcliff]

If you do go that route with the apples then make sure to use a campfen tablet first to kill off as much as possible, as well as check the OG before sugar.

No, it would probably be a 75% chance of failure. First, off it would not be sanitary so it would probably taste terrible or turn to vinegar. There would be some oxidation problems and if it does work it would probably have the alcohol content of 20% or higher due to the fact that you don't know what the OG is and you're just throwing sugar in. It's best to not use table sugar as it might ferment all the way to dryness.

This... Campden tablet to stun any wild yeast into submission, sanitized container to minimize the risk of contamination... Get it under an airlock after fermentation dies down... plastic wrap with pin holes is fine for the 1st week or so, as the outgassing is pretty strong. But once fermentation slows to crawl you risk oxidation.

I follow the Ed Wort's apfelwien recipe... except I wait for store brand apple juice (from concentrate) to go on sale for $0.99/64 oz, use 2lb brown sugar instead of corn sugar, and prime w/ table sugar. I make 5 gallons at time, and start the next batch on the yeast cake of the one just bottled... By the time I've finished off the 1st 5 gallons, then next batch is ready to bottle. It's easy as long as you pay attention to some basic sanitation procedures.

 

[RM-MN]

If I just take some apples. Core them, dice them up, put them in a blender with some water and suger. Blend then and strain pulp. Then put in a glass container with plastic wrap with pin needle holes over the top, and letting it ferment for a few days or even weeks, is this going to be the same as making hard cider? Please help, New to this and expirementing

This is how cider was first made, using the wild yeast that was on the apples to start the fermentation. However, you won't know the variety of yeast that was there and it might turn out really good (and unrepeatable) or it might be terrible. Try a small batch. If you like it, try a larger batch. If it is terrible, well, you were warned and it is only a small batch that you dump out.

This may not work out if you bought apples from the store as they may have been washed, removing the very yeast you wanted. Pick your own apples from and orchard for better chances of a decent batch.

 

[TwistedGray]

This may not work out if you bought apples from the store as they may have been washed, removing the very yeast you wanted. Pick your own apples from and orchard for better chances of a decent batch.

...I think you would also need to be cautious of any sprays used on said orchard apples, no?

 

[TwistedGray]

@Christopher Bailey -> If you want an extremely simple hard cider recipe, go buy apple cider (100%) from the store. We're talking the ones that come in one gallon glass carboys. Pop the top, pour out a glass, pitch some cider yeast or champagne yeast in the carboy, and put an airlock on it. You'll have hard cider soon. You will also have a future 1 gallon carboy you can use for other stuff.

Note: You can/should take a gravity ready before and after fermentation to determine the ABV, probably helpful.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

@jtratcliff - have you compared brown and white sugar as far as taste goes?

Either will do the job, of course, but some folks have said that brown sugar can have an unpleasant taste when used this way.

 

[TGFV]

...I think you would also need to be cautious of any sprays used on said orchard apples, no?

Yes and no, organic and non organic both use pesticides (organic in slightly higher levels) for commercial farming but both are at such a low level that the risk is non existent.

If you are worried use a local non pesticide orchard/neighbours tree or wash and use commercial yeast only.

 

[TwistedGray]

If you are worried use a local non pesticide orchard/neighbours tree or wash and use commercial yeast only.

Lol, that's what I try to do.

 

[jtratcliff]

@jtratcliff - have you compared brown and white sugar as far as taste goes?

Either will do the job, of course, but some folks have said that brown sugar can have an unpleasant taste when used this way.

I've heard people on here say that they don't like the flavor that brown sugar imparts, but I don't notice anything unpleasant in my Apfelwien.... And my German wife claims it tastes like what you can get in Germany... I generally use light brown sugar and not dark...

White sugar should be fairly flavor neutral, though. Similar to corn sugar. I haven't tried either of those, however.

 

[John Eberly]

Brown sugar is just white cane or beet sugar with molasses added.

 

[jtratcliff]

Brown sugar is just white cane or beet sugar with molasses added.

yeah, but some people seem to not care for the effects of the molasses flavor in the fermented final product... I don't notice anything untoward in 5G of apfelwein when using 2 lb of light brown sugar... Either the effect is too subtle at that ratio or I'm just not sensitive to that flavor....