Hi, dabbling in cider after 2.5 year break.

[SpudtheBinx]

Hi, I got rid of my old homebrew gear a couple of years ago but now I want to try cider making. Right now I have a 2l pet bottle with an airlock and 1.5l of Sainsbury's basics apple juice and wine yeast in. The gear has been sanitised, so should be ok. The plan is to rack off when fermented and prime some bottles with crown caps. If it comes out ok, I will buy some more gear. I guess that being so simple, the end result will be, I dunno what word to use but maybe lacking? Should I see about getting some tannin in there after the aerobic fermentation is done, or just top up with more juice? Any other tips?

Thanks,

David.

[fatbloke]

Hi, I got rid of my old homebrew gear a couple of years ago but now I want to try cider making. Right now I have a 2l pet bottle with an airlock and 1.5l of Sainsbury's basics apple juice and wine yeast in. The gear has been sanitised, so should be ok. The plan is to rack off when fermented and prime some bottles with crown caps. If it comes out ok, I will buy some more gear. I guess that being so simple, the end result will be, I dunno what word to use but maybe lacking? Should I see about getting some tannin in there after the aerobic fermentation is done, or just top up with more juice? Any other tips?

Thanks,

David.

Dunno what to suggest. Cider from supermarket juice can taste pants. Cider apples have more tannin and acid than eaters or cookers, though Kentish cider is a mix of mainly eaters and cookers. Whether they add any more tannin I don't know.....

It's like if you harvest/forage for apples and just get all the same variety, it can often be a bit pants tasting too, but when you get as many types as you can, you get better results.

Whether you'd just get away with using a drinkable result from just using some non-fermentable sweetener and a little tannin, then priming the bottles, I don't know.

You might get some idea if you look through the "other brews" section at Jims Beer Kit, as a lot there seem to have had a crack at turbo cider and making it so it's drinkable.....