First cider help

[Antonovich]

So I was able to get 33lbs of jonagold apples for $6.95. Straight from the farm to the market in big bins and they don't look like they've been washed like supermarket apples. I'm a little lost when it comes to making cider. I've made rice wine and kombucha but those were natural ferments with nothing more than a container, cheesecloth and a few ingredients. I've seen some instructions for natural fermented cider since the apples would have wild yeast on them but I really don't know where to start. I was going to put them through my blender or food processor and put the mash through cheesecloth to get the juice but don't really understand about yeasts and gravity and everything so not really sure where to go after juicing.

I also got some free winemaking stuff off kijiji. 2 glass carboys and everything in the picture. It looks pretty musty and I'm not sure if it's worth keeping. Looks like there's black mold as seen in the photo in the siphon hose and airlock. The hydrometers look old but don't know if they'd be ok to use and I don't even know what all the plastic tubes are. I'll clean the carboys since they're glass they should be fine. The white and pink cleaners have caked a bit but can be broken apart by hand and I'm not sure if they "go bad" or if they're still ok.

Basically, I'm just looking for some direction. Maybe if there was a super simple write up for dummies or a YouTube video or advice. It seems the more videos I watch the more confused I become.

 

[bmd2k1]

Did ya read this?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/index.php?threads/508303/

 

[RPh_Guy]

All you need to do is:
Extract the juice. You need a press or a juicer.
Put it in a carboy.
Add an airlock to protect from oxygen.
Let it ferment at 50-60°F for a few months.
Package.

 

[Antonovich]

Did ya read this?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/index.php?threads/508303/

I did read that but with the numbers and the different yeasts and additives and whether to add sugar or to not add sugar, I found it confusing. The first time I made kombucha I found it all confusing, but now it seems so simple. I think I just need to sort out this jumble of info I've read and once I do the process once, I'm sure it'll be easy.

 

[CKuhns]

Get rid of everything that looks "nasty" except the carboys. They will clean up with a little work. Your right, cider is pretty easy. If you can do Kamboucha you can do cider. Press or juice the apples and follow Rph Guys advice. Use a good yeast D47 at cool temps or SO4 and let it go. For a first run to work the kinks out follow the sticky from Yooper and dont add any additional sugar. Get a few like thst under your belt to gain confidence.

 

[RPh_Guy]

If you want, you don't need to add yeast. Fresh pressed juice already has plenty.

 

[Antonovich]

Thanks for the replies. Thinks are coming together for me bit by bit lol. Picked up some campden tablets and mangrove jack cider yeast tonight. I didn't realize supplies were so cheap so I'm throwing out all the ratty looking stuff I got from kijiji and got a couple other things tonight as well.

I wanted to do a natural fermentation and a second one with the yeast I purchased but I'll have to see how much juice I get from the apples. The apples are 27 cents per pound this week so I may buy more!

 

[MarkKF]

You’ll prob. Get a gal. For each 8-12 pounds of apples.

I’m not big on wild fermentation for first time.

 

[Antonovich]

I juiced the apples in a food processor then pressed them through a mesh strainer. came out with a bit over 2 gallons (10 litres in the carboy). I added about 1 lb of sugar. 1/3 brown and 2/3 white sugar. I crushed up the campden tablets and put them in so my plan tomorrow is to get another 3 gallons of juice/cider from the store to add to my home pressed stuff, and add my yeast.

The SG of the juice itself was 1.052 which i assume will change when i add the store bought juice so i'll recheck tomorrow.

The person at the homebrew store suggested mangrove jack M02. after adding the yeast does it need to be stirred or shaken at all or just let sit? how often should i check the gravity?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Aerate it like you've never aerated before.
Seriously, aerate it until you think it's enough and then aerate it that much again.

If you're aerating by shaking you need an adequate amount of headspace...
Let's assume you get 1 gal jugs of juice (make sure there are no preservatives).
1. Pour half a gallon into the carboy and aerate the carboy like crazy.
2. Aerate the other half gallon by itself in the jug before adding.
3. If you have more jugs to add, divide the juice between jugs to aerate it before adding to the carboy.

THEN you add the yeast.

I would check gravity when it looks like fermentation finished. Check it again in a couple days. If the readings are the same, I would rack to another vessel, adding sulfite and topping up to minimize headspace. Allow it time to clear before packaging. You can adjust acidity, tannins, or sweetness during the aging period, if desired.

There are lots of different methods people use, but that's what I think is best.

Cheers

 

[Antonovich]

So i got it all together and its been in the carboy for 12 days. It's had a foam on top almost since the beginning and ive been getting bubbles in the airlock about every 2-3 seconds but it slowed today to about every 5-6 seconds. It's lightened up a fair bit and i can see sediment at the bottom of the carboy. Do i wait until the airlock stops bubbling?

March 15:

March 27:

 

[RPh_Guy]

Do i wait until the airlock stops bubbling?

You have options.
Can you transfer the cider to smaller vessel(s) in order to eliminate the headspace? If yes, you can do that.
Otherwise, just leave it alone. Don't open it; let it clear for a couple months.
You can add more juice to fill it.
You could also check gravity every few days to determine when it reaches a stable gravity, then fine and package.
It's all good.

Oxygen is the enemy, so we want avoid exposure. Adding sulfite is a good idea when fermentation finishes if you decide to open it or rack.
Hope this makes sense.
Cheers