Anyone brewing hard cider?

[timtune]

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OK brewing is a strong term - buy walmart cider and add yeast.

Just wondering. After adding yeast I very quickly (next day) have a dark crusty looking froth that then transform into a white sudsy froth but leaves a sediment/crust ring on the carboy. Normal?

Also I shake up the store cider so all the sediment goes into the carboy thinking that's part of the flavour. Should it be left out from the start?

Lastly I seem to be getting north of 8% almost 9% alcohol. What are others getting?

 

[timtune]

Nobody? Alcohol and motorbikes seems like a great combo....

 

[mimico_polak]

Alcohol yes...cider no. Personally I find it disgusting but possibly I haven’t had the right one yet.

Im currently taking 95% alcohol and cutting it into limoncello and a rasberry drink. Effing delicious at about 40-50% by vol.

Really toying with doing more actual distilling but no time right now.

EDIT...here is today’s batch starting up...



this thing better be delicious as it takes 3 months!

That’s 50/50 of 95% and 40%. Can’t wait!

 

[timtune]

wow 3 months! My stuff needs little more than two weeks

 

[mimico_polak]

wow 3 months! My stuff needs little more than two weeks

Yup. That’s what the rasberry one says. The lemon flavoured on takes 2 days.

Tried mine again yesterday, delicious. Wife tried the first batch which she found was more to her taste....it got stronger!

 

[crankcall]

seriously , what is it with you Polish guys and 60% alc drinks? You guys probably would have conquered Europe if it wasn't for stuff like this.

 

[Jayv]

We used to drink scrumpy back home as teenagers, I’ve haven’t ever had the desire to drink Cider as an adult.

 

[crankcall]

I'll bite, WTF is scrumpy ?

we used to get hard cider by accident, cider would be bottled and forgotten , then you may get "lucky" as a kid and find a jug that was pretty fizzy and well , it was great, before the puking ensued.

I'd like to do some home brewing , beer seems to have gotten a lot easier with modern kits, maybe if I retire I'll have a go. I was never great at science and I suspect there is some involved.

 

[mimico_polak]

seriously , what is it with you Polish guys and 60% alc drinks? You guys probably would have conquered Europe if it wasn't for stuff like this.

Not sure if I should be personally offended or proud with that statement lol.

Honestly this stuff is delicious (to me), and each iteration has been good with some having a touch more bite than others.

As for brewing....practice makes perfect. You’ll screw some up, you’ll do good with others.

So far I’m batting 3 for 3 with my mixed, and I’d proudly put it on any table I’m at (post Covid of course).

Just trying to find a way to calculate alcohol content...rough math they’re all within the 40-60%.

 

[GreyGhost]

Not sure if I should be personally offended or proud with that statement lol.

Honestly this stuff is delicious (to me), and each iteration has been good with some having a touch more bite than others.

As for brewing....practice makes perfect. You’ll screw some up, you’ll do good with others.

So far I’m batting 3 for 3 with my mixed, and I’d proudly put it on any table I’m at (post Covid of course).

Just trying to find a way to calculate alcohol content...rough math they’re all within the 40-60%.

Refractometer is probably the easiest way. Otherwise, you can probably sacrifice a small amount to the gods and measure the weight that disappears when heated to ~80C.

 

[mimico_polak]

Refractometer is probably the easiest way. Otherwise, you can probably sacrifice a small amount to the gods and measure the weight that disappears when heated to ~80C.

Does that work within dark liquids? My buddy said all the ones he could find don’t work with anything but clear liquids. Nothing I’ve made is clear.

Start with 95%, add water and lemon juice in different proportions is all I’m using.

The rasberry is 50/50 of 95 and 40% mixed together.

 

[GreyGhost]

Does that work within dark liquids? My buddy said all the ones he could find don’t work with anything but clear liquids. Nothing I’ve made is clear.

Start with 95%, add water and lemon juice in different proportions is all I’m using.

The rasberry is 50/50 of 95 and 40% mixed together.

I haven't tried it but I think it should work. You are spreading a drop across a plate. Even guiness is clear if it spreads out enough. Dissolved solids may screw it up though. There may be better ways. I haven't tried it, but I don't see big problems with flashing off the booze in a sample. Ethanol boils at 78 so you have a reasonable window where you can expect you are losing just ethanol. Keep it just over 80 and call it when the bubbling slows down.

 

[timtune]

Hydrometer? That's what I use with the cider, but it requires a before and after reading then a hint of math

Crankcall - hard cider was made for you. You literally buy plain cider and add yeast. 2-3 weeks later tap it off.

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