First batch of cider (new to the world off brewing

[WRFarm]

The wife got me the BrewDemon cider kit for Christmas. Will see how it turns out any suggestions on how I can make it the best cider I can make ? I have so many questions but this forum is Great for beginners .

 

[bucketnative]

Definitely read the Sticky thread, "Cider for Beginners" in this forum. A lot of the basics are in that. Best of luck.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

My go to recipe for 1 gal of cider is:

1 can FAJC
apple juice to top up to 1 gal
Nottinham yeast
handful of chopped raisns

Shake real well, then slap on airlock and let her go. When finished it is best to bottle and age for 1-2 months, but it is quite tasty straight away. Better yet, make 3 batches, then drink one while the other two are aging.

Basic dry cider is really easy and almost foolproof (although I have bugged up one batch). Once you start making your own you will never go back to store bought ciders.

 

[WRFarm]

Will not to good the whole thing is full of flock if I were to bottle it , it would be all in the cider or what ever I made . Any ideas on what to do or what I did wrong ?

 

[bmd2k1]

Rack it to another container & strain if needed.

What's the SG currently?

 

[WRFarm]

Not sure what the SG is I don’t have a hydrometer , I got this BrewDemon kit for Christmas was really look forward to make my own cider but this kit is Very misleading. This was a waist of time .

 

[Jonakr]

Not sure what the SG is I don’t have a hydrometer , I got this BrewDemon kit for Christmas was really look forward to make my own cider but this kit is Very misleading. This was a waist of time .

If your concern is just that it's not clear, you can give it more time, cold crash, or add gelatin to it.

Without a hydrometer, I'd give it another week. Even if it doesn't clear, add priming sugar, bottle and give that a couple of weeks. I'll bet you have cider.

Plus, you'll still have the fermenter, so you can start your next batch.

 

[bucketnative]

Compared to beer, cider typically requires more patience. It's a simple process... juice from apples (often called "the must"), yeast, and (maybe) some nutrients for the yeast. Then, it requires time. For my process, the usually involves one month in the primary fermenter, followed by another month in a second glass vessel, but that's not necessarily needed. By, then it is typically very clear, and I bottle.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Will not to good the whole thing is full of flock if I were to bottle it , it would be all in the cider or what ever I made . Any ideas on what to do or what I did wrong ?

If possible, cold crash (under 40F) for 2-3 days, then rack if needed. But often cold crashing is all you need for a reasonably clear cider.

 

[WRFarm]

Thanks for all the tips I will try them if I ever try this again but for now this batch is going down the sink.

 

[S-Met]

Thanks for all the tips I will try them if I ever try this again but for now this batch is going down the sink.

Don't dump without tasting. Its not toxic. Looks bad doesn't mean tastes bad.

 

[bucketnative]

Thanks for all the tips I will try them if I ever try this again but for now this batch is going down the sink.

So, despite all of the advice to let it sit, you chose to dump it???

Things can taste terrible/look during active fermentation. Never make a final judgement while fermentation is ongoing, and from your photos and descriptions (cloudy)... fermentation was ongoing.

 

[WRFarm]

I didn’t dump it , but I didnt have a secondary fermenter so I bottled it . the bottles it The taste was OK but the bottles have flock in them . But we’ll see in a few months what I have .

 

[WRFarm]

Just pitched the yeast for my next patch, it about 2.75 gallons. I got a secondary fermenter so that will help and getting the hydrometer this weekend.
2 gallons of Apple juice
.5 gallons of pineapple Juice
8oz of wheat
23.5oz of agave nectar
1 pack of Safcider yeast

Will see what I get

 

[bucketnative]

8 oz of wheat??? That seems strange, what do you mean by this?

 

[WRFarm]

I boiled a Quart off water and Then i add the cracked wheat 8oz then let it sit for 30 minutes then strained off the wheat and added the water to my carboy

 

[WRFarm]

First pour of my first ever batch . Still not sure what I have, its very bitter with an after taste, it has a little apple taste but not much , only stay carbonated for a couple of minutes I might have put it in the refrigerator To early .

Want to thank y’all for the advice. I’m sure I’ll have more questions in the future.

Cheers [emoji519]