As someone who's first stop upon arrival in UK is for a pint of Old Scrumpy at the pub, I occasionally get desperate for some cider here in the US. Its at least 1-2 hours of driving to find a store that sells commercial cider, and the stuff is...well..."not good" to say the least.
So I went to the cider mill in Willcox Arizona (in my Cessna...the owner is a pilot and provides free transport from the airport!), and picked up 5 gallons of freshly pressed (as in, within minutes of pressing) unpastuerized cider. He even gave me a $2/gallon discount because I had my own container (an army 5 gallon plastic water can).
The fresh pressed cider was absolutely delicious. Sweet and smooth.
I got home and proceeded to make sure the container was airtight by using some melted wax around the screw-on cap. I added boiling water to a cup of fresh cider to bring it up to about 100deg, then added red star champagne yeast. I let that sit for about 15 minutes, then tossed the whole lot into the plastic 5 gal water bucket, added some yeast nutrient, and stuck an airlock on. It started bubbling a few hours later.
I left it there for about 18 days while I went on a trip. I got back the other day and there was no more bubbling.
I tried a taste test: The cider had a distinct beerish flavor and a very pleasant aroma of apples, was pretty...rough, as you would expect after 2 and a half weeks. There was no vinegarness, no rottenness, and no sulfur taste/smell.
Is this pretty much what I should expect taste-wise at this point?
I bought 5 gallon plastic food-grade bucket from a homebrew store and racked 4.5 gallons. I thought the fermentation process might not have finished, so I tossed in a teaspoon of yeast nutrient, some karo syrup, and took about half a cup of the lees, added some sugar, and let it sit on a hot radiator for a few hours until I saw a few bubbles. This I tossed back into the racked cider. I put the water lock back on.
My plan is to let this sit for about another month, then to rack it again if necessary, or else to bottle it.
I have not put anything in except the yeast nutrient. And the yeast of course!
Jim
So I went to the cider mill in Willcox Arizona (in my Cessna...the owner is a pilot and provides free transport from the airport!), and picked up 5 gallons of freshly pressed (as in, within minutes of pressing) unpastuerized cider. He even gave me a $2/gallon discount because I had my own container (an army 5 gallon plastic water can).
The fresh pressed cider was absolutely delicious. Sweet and smooth.
I got home and proceeded to make sure the container was airtight by using some melted wax around the screw-on cap. I added boiling water to a cup of fresh cider to bring it up to about 100deg, then added red star champagne yeast. I let that sit for about 15 minutes, then tossed the whole lot into the plastic 5 gal water bucket, added some yeast nutrient, and stuck an airlock on. It started bubbling a few hours later.
I left it there for about 18 days while I went on a trip. I got back the other day and there was no more bubbling.
I tried a taste test: The cider had a distinct beerish flavor and a very pleasant aroma of apples, was pretty...rough, as you would expect after 2 and a half weeks. There was no vinegarness, no rottenness, and no sulfur taste/smell.
Is this pretty much what I should expect taste-wise at this point?
I bought 5 gallon plastic food-grade bucket from a homebrew store and racked 4.5 gallons. I thought the fermentation process might not have finished, so I tossed in a teaspoon of yeast nutrient, some karo syrup, and took about half a cup of the lees, added some sugar, and let it sit on a hot radiator for a few hours until I saw a few bubbles. This I tossed back into the racked cider. I put the water lock back on.
My plan is to let this sit for about another month, then to rack it again if necessary, or else to bottle it.
I have not put anything in except the yeast nutrient. And the yeast of course!
Jim
