Cider

[compostwoman]

Hello there, newbie question on cider here?

I started my cider from my own apples, juiced...last Thursday...I didn't fill the DJ to the top and i wondered if it was OK to "top up" the DJ with some more juice today ( as I have juiced some more apples..)

the original DJ had nearly finished blooping and has started to clear...

if I can use the new juice....I didn't take the SG before I started... ...is there any reason why I can't use the "new" juice as the baseline SG?? to calculate the final SG??
( sorry, scientist here...)

hoping you can help me!!

[Ben]

I didn't take the SG before I started... ...is there any reason why I can't use the "new" juice as the baseline SG?? to calculate the final SG??
( sorry, scientist here...)

hoping you can help me!!

Unless you want to be 100% accurate on the alcohol content then there's no reason why not.


As for adding the new juice, I'm not sure. You could try, but I wouldn't bother - just use another demijohn (if you have one) and make another batch with the new juice.

[Duffbeer]

Hello there, newbie question on cider here?

I started my cider from my own apples, juiced...last Thursday...I didn't fill the DJ to the top and i wondered if it was OK to "top up" the DJ with some more juice today ( as I have juiced some more apples..)

the original DJ had nearly finished blooping and has started to clear...

if I can use the new juice....I didn't take the SG before I started... ...is there any reason why I can't use the "new" juice as the baseline SG?? to calculate the final SG??
( sorry, scientist here...)

hoping you can help me!!

Yes add the new juice, average apple juice is only low in sugar IE; sg 1.035 or slightly above, so add the extra juice, you may achieve a alc vol of 4%

[compostwoman]

Unless you want to be 100% accurate on the alcohol content then there's no reason why not.


As for adding the new juice, I'm not sure. You could try, but I wouldn't bother - just use another demijohn (if you have one) and make another batch with the new juice.

I don't have much "new" juice...am keeping all our apples for a mammoth juicing session with a mobile scratter and press in 10 days time (yay!!)

so I CAN use the "new " juice to calc the sg and then get the finish SG from the fist DJ of cider so I can calc the avb...

Thanks for the reply!!

BUT is it ok to add the new juice to the first DJ??
will it re start the fermenting? and is it ok to do this or will it spoil in some way my first 3/4 of a DJ??

I would rather NOT spoil it...it IS my first attempt at cider...have made wine, before but never cider!!

so would appreciate a definitive answer please

[lockwood1956]

If its finished fermenting and starting to clear...

my advice would be to leave it alone..

but others may have other ideas, thats the beauty of this hobby, lots of different ways of doing things.

But on balance I think finishing this first batch successfully would be your best option.

and as to measuring the new juice to give you a ball park figure (not a base line! ) is OK, but it is just that, an approximation., even if the apples were from the same branch..

hope this helps
regards
Bob

[Ben]

If the yeast is already dead then you will need to add more to restart the fermentation - this could be tricky as new yeast doesn't like alcoholic conditions (it develops a resistance over time). In the tutorial section of this forum there is a page on 'stuck fermentations' which tells you how to restart the fermentation with new yeast.
To be honest though if you're adding more yeast you may as well just ferment the new juice in a PET bottle and then add to the rest when done.

If you've still got a few bubbles coming out of the 3/4 then the yeast is still active and should be ok to just add more juice, but as you mentioned the cider has started clearing I'm not sure if it's a good idea.

[compostwoman]

I think I will start drinking the original and make some more with the new juice!!

Thanks very much for your replies

[Aid]

Hi compostwoman,
I think for this batch you should def listen to the advice here and not add more juice. For your future experimentations I'll share my findings from making turbo cider... I've made two or three batches now where I've left the brew to clear for a good week after the bubbling subsided. It's been quite clear when I've come to bottle it and I've added sugar to try to get fizz - and it still has. Most of the yeast dies after a while but clearly enough lives to start up again if you dont leave it too long. Adding extra juice, as long as you havent used a yeast stopper and campden tablets, would probably ferment a little longer - although it might take a while to start up as the remaining living yeast multiplies to sufficient quantities to show you bubbling.
Try it with cheap juice first before wasting your own apple juice.

[lockwood1956]

I think I will start drinking the original and make some more with the new juice!!

Thanks very much for your replies

or.......

freeze the juice at hand until your other apples are ready

hope this helps
regards
Bob

[Ben]

Normally, the sediment in my turbo cider is really well behaved and nothing short of shaking the bottle makes it float around in the cider. However my last batch has had a couple of bottles where the slightest nudge caused some to float around. Not sure what I did differently this time...

[lockwood1956]

Did you use a different yeast?

that could be the difference, some yeasts leave fluffy lees some leave compact lees

regards
Bob

[Ben]

Did you use a different yeast?

Bob

Nope, same old tesco bread yeast.

I think the offending bottles may have been from the bottom of the batch and some of the gunk may have gone up the tube.

[Duffbeer]

Racking to another d/j before bottling helps to prevent excessive sediment being transfered

[tma]

how long does turbo cider last by the way also how can you make a sweet cider

[fatbloke]

how long does turbo cider last by the way also how can you make a sweet cider

guessing like hell here but I'd think that if you know how much sugar/honey in it will make dry then you can increase the honey/sugar so that the yeast can't process that amount.

I've also read lots of "wisdoms" about sweet wines etc, and it seems that a safe way is to make it dry and then "back sweeten" (apparently it's easier to sweeten dry, that to dry sweet - if that makes sense).

I've also read that to "back sweeten" you can use lactose, as it won't start refermenting like other sugars are prone to do.

Like I say, I'm guessing like hell, as I'm also researching my first batch of turbo cider (probably from supermarket juice, then add some lemon juice or similar to make it more tart - similar to cider apples). My problem is that this thread is so long and involved with the different ideas and suggestions, I can't make my mind up what yeast to use, or whether to use honey and make it a "turbo cyser", because I want it reasonably quickly.

I did think about making tiny batches in milk bottles, just to get some idea how quickly it can be done i.e. one with bread yeast, another couple with different wine yeasts, and then maybe the same again, but using honey to sweeten.

Not sure!

regards

fatbloke