I'm new and I need some help

[nlg]

Hello,
I'm new and I need some help. I want to make hard cider that is sweet and fizzy but I don't know what recipe to use. I've been searching but there are so many I don't know how to decide. I've never done this before so I need something simple and easy to understand, but by 'simple' I don't want to sacrifice quality(as was the case with the original recipe I found telling me to use the apple juice listed below). Here is what I have (let me know if I need anything else).
•1 gal Old Orchard Organics 100% Apple Juice Pasteurized
•1 gal Trader Joe's 100% Apple Cider No preservatives Pasteurized
•5 gal glass jug
•1 -5 g packet of Lalvin wine yeast Selection ICV D47 Saccharomices cerevisiae 4.5 -23 L (1-5 IMP. Gal/ 1-6 U.S. Gal)
Thank you for your help
Nicole

 

[burshaw]

You will need some Corn sugar and you should be good google a hard cider recipes and pick your favorite good luck!

 

[burshaw]

Oh and you will need an airlock and more apple juice to fill you 5 gallons my first attempt turned out amazing and its currently aging for a few months. you could also pick up some cinnamon sticks and a micky of vodka soak a stickin vodka before you throw it in your cider.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

Hello,
I'm new and I need some help. I want to make hard cider that is sweet and fizzy but I don't know what recipe to use. I've been searching but there are so many I don't know how to decide. I've never done this before so I need something simple and easy to understand, but by 'simple' I don't want to sacrifice quality(as was the case with the original recipe I found telling me to use the apple juice listed below). Here is what I have (let me know if I need anything else).
•1 gal Old Orchard Organics 100% Apple Juice Pasteurized
•1 gal Trader Joe's 100% Apple Cider No preservatives Pasteurized
•5 gal glass jug
•1 -5 g packet of Lalvin wine yeast Selection ICV D47 Saccharomices cerevisiae 4.5 -23 L (1-5 IMP. Gal/ 1-6 U.S. Gal)
Thank you for your help
Nicole

If you want easy and simple lets state with this:
Looks like you have two selections of juice and if it is easy to go grab the two, great... But don't think you have to. If you can't find one or the other don't worry. Just make sure there are no preservatives.

Airlock (I like to add vodka to the lock instead of sanitizer or water; even boiled water).

You will need to make sure everything is clean and sanitized.

Definitely youtube a few videos on "make hard cider" or "hard cider" and you'll get the hang of it fast.

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

I would suggest that you try just putting a few grams of yeast into one of the original containers. 2 gallons in a 5 gallon jug might be stretching it. This probably won't give you fizzy, but it will give you a starting point for how to scale up.

Dump out about a cup of the juice...then put 3 or so grams of yeast right into the original container and put the cap on loosely. Make sure to check it each day to see if it's building too much pressure. The cap should allow CO2 to be released, but not let air in. You can also put a balloon on top of the container with a small pin hole in it. (homemade airlock)

Give it two weeks to ferment and then transfer it to a clean container and pop it in the fridge. You'll probably need to consume it within a few days. It's nothing fancy, but you'll be able to tell if you like cider making or not. If you can keep the temps around 60-62ºF you should end up with a semi-sweet cider...if it's warm, it might ferment all the way 'dry'.

The most important thing to remember is to sanitize anything that would come in contact with your cider.

 

[burshaw]

What i did for my homemade airlock was took a some plastic tubes and attach a lid on the carboy with a small hole in it put on end of the tube in there make sure its airtight the other wnd put into a small bottle with water and vodka and a hole in he lid ill attach pics

 

[BadgerBrigade]

What i did for my homemade airlock was took a some plastic tubes and attach a lid on the carboy with a small hole in it put on end of the tube in there make sure its airtight the other wnd put into a small bottle with water and vodka and a hole in he lid ill attach pics

Sounds like a project? My airlock was $1.50, Won't this be a little easier to just buy one?
(I forget, not all of us have a homebrew store in their town maybe it's a question of getting airlock quick?)

 

[burshaw]

Thats my problem closest store is about an hour drive it was free for me to make and worked fantastic so why not

 

[burshaw]

I do however plan on getting one for my next brew in a few months its just a pain in the ass to get into town

 

[BadgerBrigade]

Thats my problem closest store is about an hour drive it was free for me to make and worked fantastic so why not

Yes, I figured that was probably the problem.
It did look like a great job however!

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

Awesome job!

 

[burshaw]

Thanks man i wasnt to sure what i was gonna do i heard about the balloon airlock but that it also made your cider taste like rubber so i figured this is the same idea as a store bought airlock just more stretched out i mean it worked perfect my wife says shes never gonna buy alcohol again because my cider tasted so good

 

[Pickled_Pepper]

You basically created a homemade blowoff tube. That's fermentation ingenuity at it's best right there.

 

[nlg]

Someone suggested searching for Aphelwine and this is the recipe that I got:

Ingredients

5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives) I use Tree Top Apple Juice
2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast

Equipment

5 Gallon Carboy (I use a Better Bottle)
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock
Funnel
1.First sanitize the carboy, airlock, funnel, stopper or carboy cap.
2.Open one gallon bottle of apple juice and pour half of it into the carboy using the funnel.
3.Open one bag of Dextrose and carefully add it to the now half full bottle of apple juice. Shake well.
4.Repeat Steps 2 and 3, then go to step 5.
5.Pour in the mixture of Apple Juice and Dextrose from both bottles into the carboy.
6.Add all but 1 quart of remaining 3 gallons of apple juice to the carboy.
7.Open the packet of Montrachet Yeast and pour it into the neck of the funnel.
8.Use the remaining quart of juice to wash down any yeast that sticks. I am able to fit all but 3 ounces of apple juice into a 5 gallon Better Bottle. You may need to be patient to let the foam die down from all shaking and pouring.
9.Put your stopper or carboy cap on with an airlock and fill the airlock with cheap vodka. No bacteria will live in vodka and if you get suckback, you just boosted the abv.What do you think?

Also do I use apple juice or apple cider? Can I mix them and use both?

And Can I reduce the recipe? Like instead of 5 gals use 2.5 gal?

Thanks
Nicole

 

[burshaw]

Yep thats a fantastic recipe edworts right

 

[burshaw]

And just half all the ingredients

 

[LoloMT7]

if you truely want a sweet and fizzy cider then sugar cider and apple juice will work but i wouldn't use that yeast it will finish too dry and you'll end up with apple wine! unless you stop the fermentation by pasteurizing early.. check out this thread for one like your wanting i think it would work perfectly

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f81/5-day-sweet-country-cider-265986/

 

[burshaw]

Aphelwine means apple wine ...

 

[burshaw]

Aphelwein* sorry

 

[MichaelBrock]

I tried Ed Wort's apfelwein recipe but despite aging for a year (and tasting as it went along) I never found it particularly appetizing. I'm not sure I understand why everyone wants to add sugar to bump the alcohol of their cider. Well, I guess I do, but I'm not drinking it to get drunk. The recipe I use requires no extra sugar and ends up at about 5.5% abv. It tastes great and is super simple. I have had luck with nottingham, us-05, and s-04 but have used s-04 for the last 4 batches or so. Leaves a tad more sugar than the others.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f81/sams-choice-sparkling-cider-99923/

 

[stevetree]

Also do I use apple juice or apple cider? Can I mix them and use both?

And Can I reduce the recipe? Like instead of 5 gals use 2.5 gal?

Thanks
Nicole

Yes, you can use either, or mix them. It will taste a little different, but as long as it has no preservatives, you'll be fine.
You can reduce the recipe, but you'll need a smaller bottle. You want some 'headspace' in the bottle, but too much could possibly allow oxygen into the mix at the wrong time, turning your hard cider into vinegar.

 

[nlg]

I would suggest that you try just putting a few grams of yeast into one of the original containers. 2 gallons in a 5 gallon jug might be stretching it. This probably won't give you fizzy, but it will give you a starting point for how to scale up.

Dump out about a cup of the juice...then put 3 or so grams of yeast right into the original container and put the cap on loosely. Make sure to check it each day to see if it's building too much pressure. The cap should allow CO2 to be released, but not let air in. You can also put a balloon on top of the container with a small pin hole in it. (homemade airlock)

Give it two weeks to ferment and then transfer it to a clean container and pop it in the fridge. You'll probably need to consume it within a few days. It's nothing fancy, but you'll be able to tell if you like cider making or not. If you can keep the temps around 60-62ºF you should end up with a semi-sweet cider...if it's warm, it might ferment all the way 'dry'.

The most important thing to remember is to sanitize anything that would come in contact with your cider.

So I took your advise and started small, a gal of apple cider, and about 3 g of yeast. But when I bought the packet of yeast 2 weeks about I didn't store it in the refrigerater. Does that matter? and The apple cider was cold right out of the frig. Was it suppost to be room temp.? Let me know.
Nicole

 

[BadgerBrigade]

So I took your advise and started small, a gal of apple cider, and about 3 g of yeast. But when I bought the packet of yeast 2 weeks about I didn't store it in the refrigerater. Does that matter? and The apple cider was cold right out of the frig. Was it suppost to be room temp.? Let me know.
Nicole

It is a little more ideal to add the yeast to cider or juice that is not that cold, But it's really not a big deal because once it warms up to room temperature the yeast will kick off.... It sounds like you're okay Nicole so don't worry.
As far as the yeast is concerned you're fine....
Give it a couple days and you'll start seeing that little airlock doing it's dance!

 

[nlg]

Ok Thanks. I guess I just have to wait now.
Nicole

 

[BadgerBrigade]

Ok Thanks. I guess I just have to wait now.
Nicole

Yes, The waiting game is the hardest part...
Sometimes I stare at it for hours with hopes that I can make it go faster with my mind... Lol
Just kidding

 

[hehawbrew]

I'm starting to realize why throughout history, Monks, Friars, and the lot are such good brewers: you need patients! I have none, so I had the foresight to make a few 1/2 gallon batches to sip from as the other couple gallons I have sit!

So- after 15 days I racked a few others gallons to new carboys to get em off the sediment. This morning I checked on em, and there seems to be as much sediment as before?!?! Is that more dead yeast?

 

[BadgerBrigade]

I'm starting to realize why throughout history, Monks, Friars, and the lot are such good brewers: you need patients! I have none, so I had the foresight to make a few 1/2 gallon batches to sip from as the other couple gallons I have sit!

So- after 15 days I racked a few others gallons to new carboys to get em off the sediment. This morning I checked on em, and there seems to be as much sediment as before?!?! Is that more dead yeast?

I don't think so think its just solids dropping out but you way wanna ask the big dogs.... Hopefully they will chime in...

 

[truck1985]

I'm starting to realize why throughout history, Monks, Friars, and the lot are such good brewers: you need patients! I have none, so I had the foresight to make a few 1/2 gallon batches to sip from as the other couple gallons I have sit!

So- after 15 days I racked a few others gallons to new carboys to get em off the sediment. This morning I checked on em, and there seems to be as much sediment as before?!?! Is that more dead yeast?

Don't worry, it is just sediment settling out. There might be some dead yeast cells in that sediment, but if your airlock is bubbling, then you have fermentation, and therefore live yeast cells.

 

[hehawbrew]

Sweet. Not a lot of activity. Maybe a bubble every two minutes or so.

Think it's safe for me to prime and bottle in a few days?

 

[diptherunner]

Sweet. Not a lot of activity. Maybe a bubble every two minutes or so.

Think it's safe for me to prime and bottle in a few days?

Take a gravity reading for a few consecutive days, once it's leveled out, and you have hit your target fg then, yes. Otherwise, bubbles every 2 minutes or so is still fermentation. I would wait.