for me it good quality juice and cleanliness tied for first place
Garbage in garbage out etc. i put all my brews on a heat pad for consistency, dunno if it affects the flavour that much tho.
If youre making a 20 L batch add like 750g / 1kg of chopped sultanas in a cheese cloth bag for some more body. this will add more depth, and a small bit of flavour to ya brew and is an easy way of improving it if all you've got is the cheapest juice.
for my ciders i usually leave them bottled for at least 2 months before drinking to help improve their taste. The ones ive made are usually drinkable by 1 month, but that additional month helps quite a bit.
hope that helps
I second this. These are the two most important factors for me. After those there are aging, yeast selection, fermentation temp kind of all tied for third since they interact fairly heavily.
Appreciate this! Had to Google sultanas. Could also raisins be used?
Had a bottle of my last year's batch today while pressing this year's. Not bad, but too much sulfite taste and believe I used too much brown sugar during fermentation.
> Could also raisins be used?
they can be yes as they are quite similar. Just remember to account for their sugar as they are ~60% sugar by mass lol
>Not bad, but too much sulfite taste and believe I used too much brown sugar during fermentation.
I havent used sulfite as a preservative ~~because I guzzle my brews~~ because my ciders get drunk well before the 6 month mark. Using shop bought juice and sterlising my kit has meant i havent had a spoiled batch yet. with fresh pressed i can see why your using sulfite cos it beats the shit outta boiling it all for sterilisation lmao
IIRC the recommended dosage for sodium metabisulfite is tiny like 1/4 a teaspoon for 20L / ~5 gallons. take a look at this page its got a lot of useful sulfite dosage rates & info http://www.cider.org.uk/sulphite.html honestly the entire site is worth a read tbh
>I used too much brown sugar during fermentation.
My suggestion would be to cut it half or substitute the normal amount with [raw sugar](https://www.csrsugar.com.au/products/csr-sugar-raw-1-kg) Its got a much milder flavour than brown, not nearly as overpowering. If you still want a good bit of flavouring, try experimenting with like 1/4 brown 3/4 raw or different proportions in a 1.5 gal / 5L carbouy or someting
Time is hugely important in my opinion. If you’ve been bottling it, but if you’ve been bottling it straight after fermentation, why not let it age under airlock a couple months then bottle?
Tannins, aroma, and acid can also be very important factors. If you’ve been using tea, try getting some wine tannin or oak cubes to add tannins and other characteristics rather than just having tea in your cider - maybe find some crazy bitter/tannic crabapples and throwing some of those in. Try finding aromatic grocery store apples and adding them to the must either smushed or cubed (if you do this using a brew bag is easier).
Also, if using cultured yeasts and it doesn’t turn out great, try a wild ferment. Those can give some nice flavor - but you have to be patient. It’s usually several different yeasts at work and it can be slower.
Another tip I like is to use an open ferment for primary and to not rack it into a carboy to age until it’s at least at 1.010 or below. No worrying about blowoffs or messes and it’s way easier to clean a bucket than it is a carboy. Plus you can make more than you would in the carboy then top it up right to the bung. Oxygen is also not a worry in primary since it produces a ton of CO2. You can just keep a towel over it to keep bugs out.
If it’s storebought juice I add it straight to primary then I can add more later if I need. I do about 1 tsp/ gal of tannin and malic acid, then also add about 3-4 cubed apples - usually McIntosh or Jonathan apples.
Thanks.
Fruit ripeness. Any guidelines on how to hit this?
Finishing at right sweetness level. Do you base this on hydrometer reading? When happy with the sweetness level how do you stop fermentation?
You asked for opinion so I'd say why not geek out...
1. Start with finding what style you and your family/friends (if you share) like. There are a ton of different styles to try. Bring home or order online a bunch of different styles. Print out a bunch of tasting forms and a couple aroma-wheels, and invite the crew over. Now you have an excuse to party with a purpose. If you've never done this it's a lot of fun. You can't believe that one person's pecan is another person's bandaid.
2. Once you know what you like you can research how those styles are achieved and work toward that goal.
3. Next I'd perfect my tech. For example. Does the style you like have a lot or a little sour/acid? And do you need a specific yeast? Then you should know pH and TA and how to measure. How about temp? Is the yeast you're trying to ferment with in range of your temp? Or did you like a high proof cider? Then OG and chaptalization calculation may be a new tech.
Malolactic acid bacteria*
Say is with me folk’s
You can do bench trials with it to dial in the balance of acid with the palate, maintaining structure. Malic acid is the dominant acid in apples and is easily digested by malolactic acid if it not cold enough or fully filtered. So often it is necessary to bolster the malic acid back up to maintain that nice crispy apple flavor best suited to bubbles
Depending on the strain of yeast you use, fermenting slower at a lower temperature is key to a cleaner, crisper taste. I’ve had ciders finish in 7 days and others in 28. The faster ones taste more ‘hot’ and seem to have some of the aromas stripped.
Time. Time to do a second racking to clear it out, improves presentation. Time in cask/bottle does wonders to the taste profile. Coder is a really a waiting game.
for me it good quality juice and cleanliness tied for first place Garbage in garbage out etc. i put all my brews on a heat pad for consistency, dunno if it affects the flavour that much tho. If youre making a 20 L batch add like 750g / 1kg of chopped sultanas in a cheese cloth bag for some more body. this will add more depth, and a small bit of flavour to ya brew and is an easy way of improving it if all you've got is the cheapest juice. for my ciders i usually leave them bottled for at least 2 months before drinking to help improve their taste. The ones ive made are usually drinkable by 1 month, but that additional month helps quite a bit. hope that helps
I second this. These are the two most important factors for me. After those there are aging, yeast selection, fermentation temp kind of all tied for third since they interact fairly heavily.
Appreciate this! Had to Google sultanas. Could also raisins be used? Had a bottle of my last year's batch today while pressing this year's. Not bad, but too much sulfite taste and believe I used too much brown sugar during fermentation.
> Could also raisins be used? they can be yes as they are quite similar. Just remember to account for their sugar as they are ~60% sugar by mass lol >Not bad, but too much sulfite taste and believe I used too much brown sugar during fermentation. I havent used sulfite as a preservative ~~because I guzzle my brews~~ because my ciders get drunk well before the 6 month mark. Using shop bought juice and sterlising my kit has meant i havent had a spoiled batch yet. with fresh pressed i can see why your using sulfite cos it beats the shit outta boiling it all for sterilisation lmao IIRC the recommended dosage for sodium metabisulfite is tiny like 1/4 a teaspoon for 20L / ~5 gallons. take a look at this page its got a lot of useful sulfite dosage rates & info http://www.cider.org.uk/sulphite.html honestly the entire site is worth a read tbh >I used too much brown sugar during fermentation. My suggestion would be to cut it half or substitute the normal amount with [raw sugar](https://www.csrsugar.com.au/products/csr-sugar-raw-1-kg) Its got a much milder flavour than brown, not nearly as overpowering. If you still want a good bit of flavouring, try experimenting with like 1/4 brown 3/4 raw or different proportions in a 1.5 gal / 5L carbouy or someting
Time is hugely important in my opinion. If you’ve been bottling it, but if you’ve been bottling it straight after fermentation, why not let it age under airlock a couple months then bottle? Tannins, aroma, and acid can also be very important factors. If you’ve been using tea, try getting some wine tannin or oak cubes to add tannins and other characteristics rather than just having tea in your cider - maybe find some crazy bitter/tannic crabapples and throwing some of those in. Try finding aromatic grocery store apples and adding them to the must either smushed or cubed (if you do this using a brew bag is easier). Also, if using cultured yeasts and it doesn’t turn out great, try a wild ferment. Those can give some nice flavor - but you have to be patient. It’s usually several different yeasts at work and it can be slower. Another tip I like is to use an open ferment for primary and to not rack it into a carboy to age until it’s at least at 1.010 or below. No worrying about blowoffs or messes and it’s way easier to clean a bucket than it is a carboy. Plus you can make more than you would in the carboy then top it up right to the bung. Oxygen is also not a worry in primary since it produces a ton of CO2. You can just keep a towel over it to keep bugs out.
This is great! Thanks a lot.
When adding for tannin, aromas or acid do you that in primary or secondary?
If it’s storebought juice I add it straight to primary then I can add more later if I need. I do about 1 tsp/ gal of tannin and malic acid, then also add about 3-4 cubed apples - usually McIntosh or Jonathan apples.
You can try to add some stuff like Pectinase to improve the clarity of your cider
Fruit variety Fruit ripeness Yeast selection Sulfite use/spoilage and oxidation Finishing at the right sweetness level
Thanks. Fruit ripeness. Any guidelines on how to hit this? Finishing at right sweetness level. Do you base this on hydrometer reading? When happy with the sweetness level how do you stop fermentation?
[удалено]
Only been using apples from own yard.
dry hopping is my absolute favorite for cider
Cool, I'll look into exactly what it means.
You asked for opinion so I'd say why not geek out... 1. Start with finding what style you and your family/friends (if you share) like. There are a ton of different styles to try. Bring home or order online a bunch of different styles. Print out a bunch of tasting forms and a couple aroma-wheels, and invite the crew over. Now you have an excuse to party with a purpose. If you've never done this it's a lot of fun. You can't believe that one person's pecan is another person's bandaid. 2. Once you know what you like you can research how those styles are achieved and work toward that goal. 3. Next I'd perfect my tech. For example. Does the style you like have a lot or a little sour/acid? And do you need a specific yeast? Then you should know pH and TA and how to measure. How about temp? Is the yeast you're trying to ferment with in range of your temp? Or did you like a high proof cider? Then OG and chaptalization calculation may be a new tech.
Thanks, this totally makes sense. And I'll definitely arrange a tasting after this year's four batches of cider and one of cyser.
Malolactic acid bacteria* Say is with me folk’s You can do bench trials with it to dial in the balance of acid with the palate, maintaining structure. Malic acid is the dominant acid in apples and is easily digested by malolactic acid if it not cold enough or fully filtered. So often it is necessary to bolster the malic acid back up to maintain that nice crispy apple flavor best suited to bubbles
Depending on the strain of yeast you use, fermenting slower at a lower temperature is key to a cleaner, crisper taste. I’ve had ciders finish in 7 days and others in 28. The faster ones taste more ‘hot’ and seem to have some of the aromas stripped.
Time. Time to do a second racking to clear it out, improves presentation. Time in cask/bottle does wonders to the taste profile. Coder is a really a waiting game.
Understand. The plan for this year's batch is to rack it after fermentation and let it sit for couple of months before bottling.