Turbo Cider Tastes Like Wine please help!!!!!

[tim fallows]

hi all
have made my fist attempt at Turbo Cider and don't really know where I have gone wrong
Recipe I have done is
10 litres lidl apple juice
1.2 litres lowicz cherry syrup
1tsp tannin
2 rounded tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp apple cider yeast
starting gravity of 1.072
end gravity 1.010
bottled on day 7 using 50ml Lowicz cherry syrup as primer to try and get it to taste better but it has not happened , all I can do to describe the taste is to compare it to a cheap wine , can anyone give me a few tips to get a nice sweet cider with some good fruity tastes
thanks all
Tim

 

[madscientist451]

What is the "apple cider" yeast you used?
What was the fermenting temperature?
Things to try:
Ferment at lower temperature, high 50's to low 60's.
Try using an ale yeast like White Labs 002. (you can re-pitch the yeast many times, so don't toss out the slurry at the bottom of the fermentor)
A fast ferment seems to leave less flavor and aromatics behind, so going slow is usually better.
The yeast you used may be ok at a lower temperature.
Don't add any additional sugar. I'm thinking the cherry syrup was mostly sugar?
When its done fermenting, let it age a month or so, then stabilize and add the cherry flavoring, if desired.
Recipes are ok, but when adding flavors, use your own taste as your guide.
Make small batches so you can experiment with what suits your taste.
You may be able to "blend in the glass" your wine-like cider with frozen apple juice concentrate to get more apple flavor (or whatever flavor you want) Just keep some in a small bottle in your fridge and put a shot of the concentrate in your pint glass and pour in your cider, adjust to taste.

 

[tim fallows]

thanks for the reply madscientist451
the yeast used is what I got from www.lovebrewing.co.uk which comes in a white pot , don't actually know the brand , also the fermenting temperature I have is the coolest place I can find which is my dining room floor at about 25 - 28 degrees C as you know its been really hot .
I will try your recommendations on my next batch and let you know what happens

 

[Maylar]

I suspect it's the cherry syrup that is overpowering your cider. People usually report a cough syrup character when they use stuff like that.

I'm also guessing you're in the UK? (Should add that to your profile). Be aware that on this side of the pond "Turbo cider" is an unfamiliar term, and most folks will assume you're using turbo yeast intended for distilling spirits. The dude who teaches "turbo cider" on YouTube is uniquely British.

 

[tim fallows]

I looked at a few of his videos and it all looks too easy , and yes it is , if his turns out like mine it is pretty much undrinkable will have to hope age makes it better , once I have got the taste right I can start to keg instead of bottle and then force carbonation using CO2

 

[Maylar]

The concept is very familiar to us - grocery store apple juice, wine or cider yeast, sometimes with sugar to boost alcohol. Though the brands of juice available in the UK will be different, as long as there are no preservatives it ferments fine. Some of us use nutrients to keep the yeast happy and prevent sulfur compounds, and fermenting at cold temperatures always yields a better result. I don't do summer cider any more.

You'll see references here to FAJC - frozen apple juice concentrate - available (in the States) in 12 oz cans in the grocery frozen section. Some of use that as our source for juice and also as a concentrated sugar source for sweetening after the ferment is done. With kegging capabilities your options for sweetness and carbonation are way ahead of the game, so research stabilizing (potassium sorbate and metabisulfite) to get an idea of what you can do.

I'll recommend that you try a straight cider next time round - no added sugar, no funky fruit syrups, no spices etc. - and get that down before experimenting with variants.

I'm drinking cider now that was fermented back in November. Nothing compliments a summer BBQ like semi sweet bubbly hard cider at 6.5%.

 

[tim fallows]

thanks for your comment Maylar I think you have got that totally correct , I am trying to run before I can walk as they say , I agree with you get the straight cider down to perfection before I try to blend it with other things.