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I make my own cider, sometimes I even drink it.
Making cider is easy. I get my apples from the farmer up the lane. They are quite sweet, not very big, they make really good cider, but best of all – they are FREE!
Here is a simple recipe for making cider. Give it a try, what have you got to lose?
There are twenty steps to heaven. Buddy Holly lied.
1. Get hold of some apples – if you have a tree, great, if not, scrump some – nobody will mind.
2. Wash the apples in the bath. Just water, no soap.
3. Cut out any mouldy bits. A good rule is – if you wouldn’t eat it; then don’t put it in your cider.
4. Pulp the apples. There are lots of ways of doing this. For small amounts you can use an electric kitchen juicer or a blender. I’ve tried this and it takes forever, so I filled a metal bucket half full of apples and hit the apples repeatedly with a hammer. This was too tiring. Eventually I took to chopping the apples up with a machete and then putting them through a mincer… that killed ‘em.
5. Once you have a nice juicy pulp you need to press your pulp to get the juice out. I made an apple press from four G-clamps and two large wooden chopping boards, one on top, one on the bottom with the pulp in-between and one G-clamp at each corner. I wrapped the apple pulp in new dishcloths, placed between the boards and started turning the screws, tightening them one at a time, corner by corner. The juice drips out on all sides and into a large dish that I found. It takes a while to get five gallons of juice, but it works. By the way, you are going to need two to three carrier bags of apples to make a gallon of juice – so get scrumping.
6. I pour the juice into a sterilised plastic keg that I bought from a Wilco store. TIP - Always fill the keg to the top; even if it means having to use a little bought apple juice or even (gasp) sugar water. Having a half-full keg is a good recipe for vinegar.
7. Chuck in two pounds of sugar – brown or white, you choose. You don’t need this but it will boost the alcohol content a tad (hic).
8. No yeast needs to be added, traditional cider making relies on wild yeasts, but I add a little wine yeast (again from Wilco) and the juice and zest of a lemon. (I just chop the lemon in half, squeeze the juice out into the keg and chuck in the rest of the lemon -why ponce about? We are making man’s cider here).
9. Wait for the fermentation to start. Within 1-2 days you should see whitey brown froth bubbling on the surface of the juice. Don’t panic, it should be doing this - the live yeast is gobbling all the sugar and then excreting it to make alcohol, the bubbly, gungey, stuff is just wind.
10. Wait a few weeks for the fermentation to stop. You’ll know when this is because the yeast stops farting and the bubbles cease.
11. Put a teaspoon of sugar in as many sterilised 500 ml sterilised plastic bottles as you think that you are going to be able to fill. I use the stuff that you sterilise baby’s bottles with rather than Camden tablets, it’s less caustic.
12. Use a siphon tube to siphon the cider into the plastic bottles. The fancy brewing term for this is ‘racking off’ – so you will be able to say that you are racked off with a reason.
13. The sugar will cause the second fermentation to begin a day or so later. This puts the sparkle into the alcohol - apparently the champagne makers stole this technique from the cider makers. If you want your cider to be still (scrumpy-esque) then don’t add the sugar.
14. Wait.
15. Wait some more.
16. Wait some more – don’t be tempted.
17. Give in to temptation.
18. It’s recommended that you leave it to mature for at least eight months… but hey!
19. Taste a little (or a lot if it’s that good) to make sure it hasn't gone badly wrong.
20. Invite some good friends around to get very drunk with you.
My last batch was about 9% alcohol (hic) and sparkling. I de-clouded it with some beer finings and it was perfectly clear. It is all gone.
I’ve left this batch cloudy and still. It’s also about 9% (hic, hic).
I’ll let you know how it tastes in… well as long as I can wait. I never manage eight months, I’m lucky if I manage eight weeks!
Now watch this… it’ll get you in the mood for plenty of cider!
Making cider is easy. I get my apples from the farmer up the lane. They are quite sweet, not very big, they make really good cider, but best of all – they are FREE!
Here is a simple recipe for making cider. Give it a try, what have you got to lose?
There are twenty steps to heaven. Buddy Holly lied.
1. Get hold of some apples – if you have a tree, great, if not, scrump some – nobody will mind.
2. Wash the apples in the bath. Just water, no soap.
3. Cut out any mouldy bits. A good rule is – if you wouldn’t eat it; then don’t put it in your cider.
4. Pulp the apples. There are lots of ways of doing this. For small amounts you can use an electric kitchen juicer or a blender. I’ve tried this and it takes forever, so I filled a metal bucket half full of apples and hit the apples repeatedly with a hammer. This was too tiring. Eventually I took to chopping the apples up with a machete and then putting them through a mincer… that killed ‘em.
5. Once you have a nice juicy pulp you need to press your pulp to get the juice out. I made an apple press from four G-clamps and two large wooden chopping boards, one on top, one on the bottom with the pulp in-between and one G-clamp at each corner. I wrapped the apple pulp in new dishcloths, placed between the boards and started turning the screws, tightening them one at a time, corner by corner. The juice drips out on all sides and into a large dish that I found. It takes a while to get five gallons of juice, but it works. By the way, you are going to need two to three carrier bags of apples to make a gallon of juice – so get scrumping.
6. I pour the juice into a sterilised plastic keg that I bought from a Wilco store. TIP - Always fill the keg to the top; even if it means having to use a little bought apple juice or even (gasp) sugar water. Having a half-full keg is a good recipe for vinegar.
7. Chuck in two pounds of sugar – brown or white, you choose. You don’t need this but it will boost the alcohol content a tad (hic).
8. No yeast needs to be added, traditional cider making relies on wild yeasts, but I add a little wine yeast (again from Wilco) and the juice and zest of a lemon. (I just chop the lemon in half, squeeze the juice out into the keg and chuck in the rest of the lemon -why ponce about? We are making man’s cider here).
9. Wait for the fermentation to start. Within 1-2 days you should see whitey brown froth bubbling on the surface of the juice. Don’t panic, it should be doing this - the live yeast is gobbling all the sugar and then excreting it to make alcohol, the bubbly, gungey, stuff is just wind.
10. Wait a few weeks for the fermentation to stop. You’ll know when this is because the yeast stops farting and the bubbles cease.
11. Put a teaspoon of sugar in as many sterilised 500 ml sterilised plastic bottles as you think that you are going to be able to fill. I use the stuff that you sterilise baby’s bottles with rather than Camden tablets, it’s less caustic.
12. Use a siphon tube to siphon the cider into the plastic bottles. The fancy brewing term for this is ‘racking off’ – so you will be able to say that you are racked off with a reason.
13. The sugar will cause the second fermentation to begin a day or so later. This puts the sparkle into the alcohol - apparently the champagne makers stole this technique from the cider makers. If you want your cider to be still (scrumpy-esque) then don’t add the sugar.
14. Wait.
15. Wait some more.
16. Wait some more – don’t be tempted.
17. Give in to temptation.
18. It’s recommended that you leave it to mature for at least eight months… but hey!
19. Taste a little (or a lot if it’s that good) to make sure it hasn't gone badly wrong.
20. Invite some good friends around to get very drunk with you.
My last batch was about 9% alcohol (hic) and sparkling. I de-clouded it with some beer finings and it was perfectly clear. It is all gone.
I’ve left this batch cloudy and still. It’s also about 9% (hic, hic).
I’ll let you know how it tastes in… well as long as I can wait. I never manage eight months, I’m lucky if I manage eight weeks!
Now watch this… it’ll get you in the mood for plenty of cider!
Hic!
ReplyDeleteWhy not try making cider lollies from the cider. I had one the other day and i forgot how nice they were. YUM.
ReplyDeleteGood idea. I'll try that. I bet your cider lolly wouldn't make you drunk though. Did you get it from Iceland?
ReplyDeletegosh I remember cider lollies, they were fab - great idea Glynne
ReplyDeleteIs there no end to this chap's talents?
ReplyDeleteI liked "zooms".