Hi there, I make 'turbo cider' all the time. It is dead easy.
Essentially, if you want to make a 5 gallon batch then you need 5 gallons of apple juice. Put it in your fermentation bucket, add brewing yeast and leave for a while. The time will depend on the temperature that you ferment at. I make it in one gallon demijohns, just find it more convenient. It usually takes 5-7 days in a demijohn, probably more like two weeks for a larger amount.
Now here's the fun bit, if you just ferment the juice as it is you will end up with something 'pub strength', maybe slightly stronger. If you prefer your alcohol stronger then add some fermentable sugar. This could be ordinary granulated sugar or you could use honey. Honey tastes lovely. My wife drinks her cider with blackcurrant and I have added an organic blackcurrant juice to a batch, that was also nice. Basically, it is up to you what you do.
If you are worried about whether or not it has finished fermenting then use a hydrometer. Check the s.g. before you add the yeast, and then after 5-7 days check it again. You should see a drop in the s.g. I personally don't bother because in a demijohn you can see that activity had stopped when the bubbles no longer rise. Also, I like my cider fizzy so I prime in 1litre plastic bottles with one teaspoon of sugar. Put it somewhere warm for a few days, maybe a week, and then chill.
Once you have done it you will see how easy it is.
I must add though that last year I was given two bin bags of various apples which my wife and I washed, sorted, chopped out any obvious manky bits then spent a couple of hours running them through a juicer. It took ages but by the time I had finished I had two demijohns full of juice and half a 5 gallon bucket of pulp. The juice I fermented in the same way that I use carton juice, had to rack off twice because of the debris that was in the juice. I also added pectic enzyme to help clear any pectin haze. But I ended up with some lovely strong cider, my it was nice.
The pulp, I added water, pectic enzyme, sugar and yeast, fermented on the pulp for a week or so, breaking up the 'crust' three or four times a day. I then used a muslin cloth and using my hands, pressed as much of the fluid out of the fermented pulp. It would have been much easier with a press of some sort, but it was quite a tactile experience, and my forearms ached for a couple of days after. Anyway, the resulting fluid was put into two demijohns and had been slowly fermenting ever since. I have fed it with sugar to up the alcohol content and make a 'wine' of some sorts, but I racked it earlier this week and added a small can of white grape concentrate just to try and make it 'winey'. I had a little taste and it remains a little sweet, but you can feel the alcohol on your tongue. I think I will have to leave it a while longer before I bottle but, up to now, it has been fun.
I am sure there are those that will be able to give you a much more in depth explanation, and I am certainly no expert, but I have yet to make anything that I have not been able to drink. Mind you, I certainly don't have a discerning palate when it come to booze.
I hope I haven't bored anyone with my ramblings and has answered the original question. I am sure someone will tell me off for suggesting not to bother with a hydrometer, but it works for me.
Happy brewing.
Andrew
Similar Topics
November 13, 2016, 21:25