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Cider Recipe for Les et all

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Muddy_Boots:
If you can get hold of it or even produce it yourself, you need a gallon of freshly crushed apple juice per 2.2lbs sugar.  I used to use 5 gall beer making barrel with pressure valve!  I put the juice into a fermenting bucket in order to mix sugar into the juice gradually, stirring in order to dissovle the majority of the sugar.  When that was done, transferred to beer barrel.  Due to the volume produced by adding the sugar, any excess I put into gallon wine fermenting jars with valve.

From time to time, opened the valve to let out any air.  Usually, the cider was ready for consumption six months from start up.  This recipe produces extremely dry cider at about 18% proof.  However, if you prefer sweeter drink, increase ratio of sugar to juice (trial and error there, sorry used to like mine dry).  I kept mine in a cupboard underneath the stairs but it works equally as well outside in a shed!

In one of wine fermentation jars, once added teaspoon of wine yeast compound which produced apple wine at about 24% proof.

For those who prefer a gentler libation I would strongly recommend substituting apple juice for pear juice.  The resulting Perry makes for a delicious drink!  Tried that one as an experiment and really impressed with the result  :D

Being based in Kent, all the fruit used, apart from a few bramleys that found their way in there, were eating varieties of the fruits.

If any of you have the means or the inclination to try this, please post!  You can easily get hold of an alcohol tester, not precise but gives very good indication.  Unfortunately, am not able to prove this recipe to Stephan the doubter as no room here for anything like that, not even brewing beer!  :'(

Would be great if he could have an independent opinion and settle our head to head, friendly, argument about this!  

PS I never entered competitions, so have no credentials !   ;D ;D ;D

Muddy_Boots:
Oops!  nearly forgot.  When testing cider at the end of six month period, open tap on beer barrel extremely gently and drain off lees.  Usually, lees are below beer barrel tap level so should be okay, just remember how full of gas it is in order not to disturb them.  Bit like tapping barrel of real ale at the end of the day!  :D

Les_Woof:
Thanks Muddy

Looks like a trip to the home brew centre is on the cards, all i need then is a 5 gallon beer making barrel/pressure valve ( can I mix the juice and sugar in this or do i need a bucket aswell?)

Stupid question how many gallons of juice and sugar mix can you safely put in a 5 gallon beer making barrel?  

......mmmm cider takes me back to my uni days......

Will let you al know how it goes..... will aim for 5 November....look out guy faulkes..... the woof will be on a cider bender

Its gone to me ed allready...

Les

Muddy_Boots:
Tee Hee!  Glad you feel like trying it Les.  I used fermentation bucket to mix in cos it was big enough but can see no reason why you can't improvise in large, sterilised bucket or any suchlike.  Is just that, when you add the sugar and dissolve it, obviously increases in volume.

Best to leave approx six inches between liquit and top of beer barrel!  Hence the wine fermentation jars, could bear to waste it!

We are lucky around here, we have fruit farmer who has crusher and press so that's how I got hold of juice.  Did do my own later, took rather more effort with home crusher but still got there in the end!

 :D

Muddy_Boots:
Is trial and error which is why mix up in something else before filling beer barrel!  However you could get two barrels!  ;D

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