Bryan's Apple Cider

[Bryan1]

G'day Guy's,
It is time for me to start a blog on my apple cider adventures. I have been making it for over 2 years and SWMBO just asks and will never say anything.

So I starting making my cider out pure juice and putting it thru my corona mill and using a pillow cover to sqeeeze the juice out of the pulp. Now the appraises are bound.

Just did run yesterday where 10 litres out of 20 kg of apples was gained.

This one was Pink Ladies apples which are very sweet and 4 buckets cost $32.

The juice was 1064 on the SG scale so with 10 litres I watered that down by adding 10 litres which also washed out my jugs : The SG did as expected halved, so inverted 2 kg of sugar and topped it up to 30 litres. The SG came in to 1043 so added another 3 litres to get it down to 1035. As I am making a cider these low SG wash's are needed.

I got my ph meter calibrated then put in the wash and 3.6 was a shock it being to low and also getting to know these ciders it is good my ph meter is working. So made up a solution with some baking soda first in 250ml then put another 100ml to get the rest dissolved. Yes I should of weighed the baking soda but a sprinkle and a lump was enough to get the ph to 5.4.

About 6 weeks ago I got a bucket of apples off a orange pipins tree which is a medieval apple cider tree and got to make a 5 litre ferment. Got 4 longnecks and 4 stuubies and after 4 weeks aging it was very nice.

Now one thing I do is use my minime potstill to make some apple brandy and although it only a small amount is is a wonderful drop ater 3 months after aging on French Oak.

Cheers Bryan

[Farside]

Try fermenting on the pulp for making the brandy. You'll probably have to strain it going into the boiler but you'll end up with more flavor.

[cranky]

Personally I'm not a fan of watering down the apple flavor with water, then boosting the alcohol with sugar. To me it is just taking flavor away and it seems like you only got 1/3rd the flavor you could have. I figure with apples I get what I get and 8.4% doesn't seem all that high to me. Of course I don't have to pay for apples.

I've been wanting to try some orange pippins but have never had time to ask to pick the only OP tree I know of.