| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Foghorn |
Make your own cider - easy.I thought I would report back on my cider making efforts, having just completed the process. I say "efforts", but the beauty of this method is that there was very little effort involved at all.I collected up the apples from my tree last autumn - about 3 or 4 bin-liners full. I'm not sure what variety, but tasted like a fairly bland cooker, not too sharp. No good for eating. I then took them along to a local farm shop and had them pressed and the juice put into a barrel. The apples weren't washed, I should add, to retain the wild yeast. I fitted an airlock and left the barrel in the shed for 6 months. After this time, I drew off the liquid, washed the barrel out and then returned the liquid to the barrel. The resulting brew is flat, cloudy, dry cider, and really tastes quite good. A great way of disposing of waste apples and producing your own 100% natural cider for minimal cost (£8 for pressing, £15 to buy the barrel) and effort. Go on, try it! (If you don't like cider, then just use it as apple juice instead, freezing for storage). 
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| Lloyd |
That sounds very interesting. Have you tested with a hydrometer?...If not, do you plan to do so? ...I just need to find a local cider press. Shouldn't be hard, methinks. | ||||
| Tristan |
Machinemarts latest catalogue has one for £90 ish, dunno if it's any good though. | ||||
| Lloyd |
Has one what, Tris? | ||||
| Tristan |
Sorry, being clear as mud again. A fruit press.
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/product.asp?p=080510310 |
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| Foghorn |
The hydrometer reading I took at the end of the process came out as 0.999 - I'm not sure quite what this means, or whether I should have had measured it pre-fermentation.
I'm lucky to live near the national cider centre in East Sussex, which is where I got the apples pressed. |
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| Lloyd |
Nice one, thanks mate. I'll order one before Autumn!.....Perfect. | ||||
| Tristan |
Don't forget the barrel and rat though! | ||||
| Lloyd |
Thanks both, it's food for thought, and I've saved the id of the press manufacturers as well. Happy drinking later! 
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| Lloyd |
rat? | ||||
| Gertie |
I'll second that - rat?
Don't mention rats to Madman - he blasts them between the eyes 
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| Gertie |
Just come across an interesting ad in the Ascott catalogue (www.ascott.biz).
They sell the presses from £99 - but here's something that would suit you d.i.y. buffs: Pulpmaster - £18.99 - simple but effective fruit-crushing tool, which is used in conjunction with an electric drill suitable for the smaller garden or for those who wish to press relatively modest amounts of juice on an occasional basis (DP136 ref). |
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| Tristan |
Rat fits in bunghole of barrel, once rat rots away cider is ready.
Old Herefordian tradition (or old wives tale)
Guess that's one way to give it body! |
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| cab |
Hydrometer readings are great for determining alcohol content, but you need a 'before and after'. Jema wrote a handy little article on how to use a hydrometer: http://www.downsizer.net/Projects/Home_Brewing/The_Hydrometer/ |
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| thos |
The decrease in the reading before and after fermentation enables you to calculate the alcohol content (although I can't remember the formula it is quite simple). The cider centre should be able to tell you. The final reading is an indicator of the residual sweetness after the yeast has been killed by the alcohol. A reading of less than unity indicates that all the sugar has been or will soon be fermented out. If fermentation stops with a reading of 1.2 you have a problem. Either the brew is too strong or it was short of nutrients for the yeast. |
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| tahir |
Any pics of the finished brew? | ||||
| Foghorn |
I'll certainly try and post some pics if you wish - must admit I hadn't thought I would attract cider fetishists with my humble brew 
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| tahir |
It's just nice to see the end results of peoples chats on here. | ||||
| Lloyd |
Can you post me a sample?
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| moggins |
Madman, trust you to get first dibs 
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| Lloyd |
We could do swops.....say, Chilli seeds for cider? 
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| moggins |
I tried making cider. I got a gallon of cider vinegar instead, at least it was good for cooking
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| Lloyd |
Cider vinegar is also used as a natural remedy for osteo arthritis.....A small glass drunk per day. | ||||
| Foghorn |
Madman, I'll happily send you a sample. Email me with your address, and I'll try to sort something out. | ||||
| selfsufficientish |
Just finished drinking my batch of cider I added a bit of ginger and some lemon in mine. Along with a load of sugar as it said in the recipe that i had. the result was a very strong warm tasting brew. In hindsight I will not add the sugar again as it was a bit too sweet. I could only drink about 4 pints of it before it got too sickly.
I cut up the apples with a plastic fish slice then mashed them with a potato masher to get the juice and it worked fine! |
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| Guest |
Well, the Rat is a well known cider cure. Or a loin of meat! The proteines in the meat (loin or rat) sets off the wild yeats in the apple "juice" and enhances the fermentation. So if you want to cure some meat and and make cider at the same time, put the raw meat in the cider-brew! |
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| mastermute |
And I don't think a rat is used nowdays.. but i know several cidermakers that throw meat into the barrel.. and the meat is supposed to be a delicacy! |
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| Foghorn |
Can someone tell me how to post a picture (please let it be nice and easy, not involving file conversion or opening an account with some picture hosting service), and I'll put up some pictures of what madman has volunteered to sample. | ||||
| Bugs |
Hi Foghorn
a lot of people as this, and the good news is, it is very simple 
I've added to Sean's "How to Post" thread as clear a description as I can make; anyone who can feel free to modify my post to make it clearer. Here you are Foghorn: http://forum.downsizer.net/viewtopic.php?p=34612#34612 |
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| Guest |
The addition of a rat may not be an old wives tale. A West country farmer I knew used to put in a piece of beef (few ounces) into his fermentation barrels - said it added body! (literally I suppose). In one of my old (I mean old) recipe books I do have a recipe for beef beer, which again has beef added to the fermentaion barrels of beer. | ||||
| Guest |
The addition of a rat may not be an old wives tale. A West country farmer I knew used to put in a piece of beef (few ounces) into his fermentation barrels - said it added body! (literally I suppose). In one of my old (I mean old) recipe books I do have a recipe for beef beer, which again has beef added to the fermentaion barrels of beer. |