I still have my old 5 gallon carboys and fermenters but I figured I'd ease back into things with some very small batches.   So I ordered a couple of 1 gallon glass carboys and fermenters.

Got three different yeasts on order so I can try a couple of different batches at once:

Cider House Select
Safcider AB-1
Red Star Cote des Blancs Wine Yeast

Just going to use storebought apple juice to start.    In a year or so when my apple trees start producing, I'll try my hand at squeezing the juice and making drinky drink with it.

Looks a bit easier than beer brewing was.   I'm not going to screw with bottling again (that's what really killed my enthusiasm for brewing years ago) other than swing-top/grolsch bottles.

Any suggestions on which yeast I should start with?   Should I go for plain apple juice to turn into hard cider or try the spiced "apple cider?"

Cider from commercial pasteurized bottled apple juice is stupid easy.  Wife likes SAFECIDER from Safale as it is not as dry as other yeasts.  I add a 1/4c corn sugar per gallon to add to the ABV.  Ferment two  weeks, transfer to secondary for two weeks and bottle.

Far easier than making beer.

ETA:  all bottling is swing tops

You've got my interest- I've always wanted to try this, and mead as well.

Mead:
1 part honey to 3 parts bottled water.  Lavlin D-47 yeast and some yeast nutrient (or a handful of raisins).  Whip it hard with a whisk to oxygenate.  Put in fermenter for 3 months and whisk every couple of weeks or so.  After 3 months rack to secondary.  Whisk hard again and let ferment another month or so.  Bottle and let condition at least 3 months.

Brewing supplies are cheap, just don't scrimp on sanitation.

For your first batch I recommend Joe's Ancient Orange Mead:


"1 gallon batch

* 3 1/2 lbs Clover or your choice honey or blend (will finish sweet)
* 1 Large orange (later cut in eights or smaller rind and all)
* 1 small handful of raisins (25 if you count but more or less ok)
* 1 stick of cinnamon
* 1 whole clove ( or 2 if you like - these are potent critters)
* optional (a pinch of nutmeg and allspice )( very small )
* 1 teaspoon of bread yeast ( now don't get holy on me--- after all this is an ancient mead and that's all we had back then)
* Balance water to one gallon
Process:

Use a clean 1 gallon carboy

Dissolve honey in some warm water and put in carboy

Wash orange well to remove any pesticides and slice in eights --add orange (you can push em through opening big boy -- rinds included -- its ok for this mead -- take my word for it -- ignore the experts)

Put in raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, any optional ingredients and fill to 3 inches from the top with cold water. ( need room for some foam -- you can top off with more water after the first few day frenzy)

Shake the heck out of the jug with top on, of course. This is your sophisticated aeration process.

When at room temperature in your kitchen. Put in 1 teaspoon of bread yeast. ( No you don't have to rehydrate it first-- the ancients didn't even have that word in their vocabulary-- just put it in and give it a gentle swirl or not)( the yeast can fight for their own territory)

Install water airlock. Put in dark place. It will start working immediately or in an hour. (Don't use grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away in the 90's)( Wait 3 hours before you panic or call me) After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it! Don't mess with them yeastees! Let them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to smell every once in a while.

Racking --- Don't you dare
additional feeding --- NO NO
More stirring or shaking -- Your not listening, don't touch

After 2 months and maybe a few days it will slow down to a stop and clear all by itself. (How about that) (You are not so important after all) Then you can put a hose in with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part and siphon off the golden nectar. If you wait long enough even the oranges will sink to the bottom but I never waited that long. If it is clear it is ready. You don't need a cold basement. It does better in a kitchen in the dark. (like in a cabinet) likes a little heat (70-80). If it didn't work out... you screwed up and didn't read my instructions (or used grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away) . If it didn't work out then take up another hobby. Mead is not for you. It is too complicated.

If you were successful, which I am 99% certain you will be, then enjoy your mead. When you get ready to make a different mead you will probably have to unlearn some of these practices I have taught you, but hey--- This recipe and procedure works with these ingredients so don't knock it. It was your first mead. It was my tenth. Sometimes, even the experts can forget all they know and make a good ancient mead.

Enjoy, Joe"

lol, dammit.   Ok.   I guess I'm doing mead now, too.

                             Thanks!

In the fall - I would have one gallon batch going...


Start for and let it run for a week.

Bottle in 20 oz. bottles - adding a little sugar to it...let that sit on the counter for about a week - gives it time to carbonate and then the fridge to crash it...

I would get about  5 to 6 bottles each week for deer camp...hell you would add the new batch to the old jar and save on your yeast...

As you already know - it is a deep deep rabbit hole!!!

Red

ps - I need to order some yeast...off to amazon....

I buy unpasteurized unfilter cider from the local orchard.  I pour it in the fermenter and sprinkle S-04 on top.  Cap it up and let it do it’s thing.

I have tried wild fermentation three times. Once it was great.  Once it was vinegar. Once it was meh.   I’m sticking to store bought yeast, it’s more predictable and cider ain’t cheap.

I'd at least pastuerize it.    When my apples start producing, that's what I'm going to do after pressing the juice out.   Just to give the pitched yeast the least competition possible.

Found my old grolsch bottles
Attached File


Rubber kinda glued to the glass on some.   Going to see if I can find replacement gaskets.  If not, I'll get a sheet of medium soft rubber and just make some.

A lot of online homebrew suppliers sell replacement gaskets.

Started cider batch #1

Gallon of HEB brand Apple juice.  Which is a mix of apple juice and concentrate so we'll see.

Starting indicated sp. gravity was 1.042.  Adjusted for temp, 1.044.  

Half a pack of safcider AB1

Going to stick it in my reloading room (climate controlled), we'll see what happens

A bubble every second or two.   Fermentation seems to be started.   Temp holding around 70.   Might have to move it over to the house (no heat in the reloading room) for the last day or two of primary fermentation when the lows dip into the 50s.

Attached File

Dunno if its the best way but only way I could get those grolsch bottles spotless was to put some stainless steel pins and one step solution and shake the bejeezus out of them for a couple of minutes.

They'd been sitting in an old garage for a decade or more.

I installed a hose bib in my brew room and use a bottle washer.  With the valve wide open the thing is practically a pressure washer.

The hose bib was one of my better ideas as I can attach a hose to fill the brew pot or connect to the plate chiller.

Good idea.   I picked up a deep stainless steel kitchen sink at a highschool auction a few weeks ago.   Will put that in the garage and probably put a high pressure spigot on it like you're talking about.

I put in a deep bar sink with an extendable faucet sprayer and that was also a big help.  The brew room is little more than a walk in closet that was previously a mini-kitchen as part of the "Mother in Law" extension.

I'll post some pics when I get home from work next week.

Lots of good ideas here!

hi, this thread is relevant!

I was told a 5 gallon batch is more forgiving than a one gallon batch for beginners.

I have 4 one gallon kits but held off on starting to source a 5 gallon container.

I've got the honey, the mead yeast from kits, the cider spices, the sterilizer solution...  

should I start my own thread?  thanks

any thoughts?

5 gallon fermenter?  Get a white plastic paint bucket with matching lid from your local Lowes Depot.  I still use plastic buckets when my main fermenters are busy.

Still bubbling away. .  Been going a little under 72 hours now.

On the subject of bigger batches... I might get one of these 3 gallon carboys.   24 pounds of liquid plus the weight of the carboy itself is still reasonable to move around without much effort.

Rather than glass I went with one in stainless steel (for beer) and one polycarbonate (mostly for mead).  Glass is easier to clean but I know me and I would just end up busting it and making myself bleed.

Make sure you don’t scratch the polycarbonate one. Scratches can hold bacteria and make it hard to sanitize. The glass ones are pretty sturdy. I wouldn’t sling it around but haven’t heard of any breaking.

I'm super careful about that.  Plus I mix up a full batch of StarSan in it and let it sit overnight to sanitize and check the lower valve for leaks.

Ok, so its been 6 and a half days.   Airlock shows a bubble every 23 seconds now.   Definitely slowed down.   Yesterday was once every 15 seconds.  Day before was once every 10 seconds.   I will, of course, take a couple of gravity readings maybe tonight and same time tomorrow to see if it changes at all.   But I think its either done or close to it.

Listen to this and tell me if it makes any sense, please.

I was thinking I would rack it over to a clean jug to get it off most of the sediment and then cold crash it in the fridge for about a week with an airlock.  Dual purpose: let it clarify and more solids settle out; let it degas without me stirring it.

Vids I watched they said it was a good idea to degas after primary fermentation even if you were planning to bottle carbonate it with more sugar.   But they also said it was a good idea to NOT stir it at this point lest you give oxygen to any present acetobacters.

Following that, I figured I'd prime with sugar and bottle it.   And add some non-fermentable sugars for sweetness, if necessary.   Then let it sit at room temp in the bottles for a couple of weeks to carbonate.

Transferred over to secondary and took a gravity reading.   1.000 (1.002 adjusted for temp).   1.044-1.002= .042*131.25 = about 5.5% ABV
It was probably ready to transfer a few days ago but I got busy with other stuff.

It fizzed plenty as I transferred it to secondary.   I'm not going to bother deliberately degassing, I don't think.

Tasted it.  Very dry.   But yeah, tastes like fermented apple juice.

Going to let it cold crash in the fridge for awhile and see if I can't get more yeast to settle out.   Its not super super cloudy but its not very clear, either.

Attached File



I did find some Tree Top brand 100% pure apple juice.  Ingredients: Apple Juice.   Will go ahead and start that with the other half of the same Safcider AB1 packet of yeast.    So that will give us some science.   Cider from straight juice vs cider from a mix of juice and concentrate.

Attached File

started batch #2 with that Treetop stuff.  "pure apple juice, no concentrate" still measured the same exact gravity as that other stuff. 1.042 (1.044 adjusted for temp)

Pitched the same yeast, Safcider AB1

second batch still going ok.   Just checked temp in the reloading room.  Down to about 67 with dehumidifier set to "constant" to try to keep the room above 60.   Its about 23F outside right now.

Got some pectic enzyme in the mail.   Going to try using it to clarify batch #3 when I start that one.

First batch is bottled.  Pitched an ounce of table sugar plus 2 tablespoons of xylitol to back sweeten it a bit.

Second batch bottled. Final gravity read .998 (1.000 adj for temp).  Tasted it... not bad but I don't like perfectly dry cider.

Primed with 29grams table sugar, sweetened with 40 grams of xylitol.

This stuff is cloudy as heck.

Batch #3 I think I might pitch some pectic enzyme at the start of primary fermentation to see if it will clear up.

Batch #1 has about a week or so to go before I try some.

Batch #1 went well!   Took it to deer hunt and got good reactions.   2 tbsp of xylitol for a gallon seems about right for a semi-sweet.

Cracked a bottle of batch #2... the cloudy one.   Honestly, not as good as batch #1.   Very slightly off/bitter taste to it.  Not sure why.   Still pretty good.

When I get home from this shift in a week I'm going to start my batch of retirement mead.  Should be ready to drink by the end of the year to celebrate my retirement.

Can't wait.  I'd like to try a mead, too.    Will probably use your recipe and do a 5 gallon batch

I gotta start a batch of apfelwein.

apfelwein recipe

Pretty fuzzy distinction between apple cider and apple wine.

I might try a batch back sweetened with that "wine conditioner" they're talking about instead of xylitol tho

bump for third attempt later tonight

Here goes on my first mead:

3 lbs 1 oz honey (local, no clue what kind.  It was free)
2 oz of raisins, coarse chopped
fresh orange peel, approx 1/2 orange-worth
1 cup of black tea (generic, great value brand)
Balance to 1 gal tap water

1/2 packet of Red Star cotes de blanc yeast

Original gravity 1.122 (1.124 adj for temp).  Whooooo!

I was going to put a stick of cinnamon in there but I forgot it.  Was tempted to use bread yeast but I already have this wine yeast anyways.

@djkest

Started another batch of cider as well

Half gallon of HEB brand spiced apple cider (from concentrate)
Half gallon of Great Value apple juice (not from concentrate)

1/2 packet of Red Star cotes de blanc

initial gravity 1.048 (1.050 adj for temp)

Raisins are not nutrients. You need yeast nutrient. I use Fermaid O, but you can use Fermaid K.

Looks a lot like the JOAM recipe.

Yeah, I wanted to start kinda simple for my first one.   I basically followed the city steaders video but I used wine yeast because I already had it and I might as well use it.

Thanks for the tip, I will order some fermaid and toss a 1/2 tsp or something in when it gets here.

Fermentation does appear to be going already but I'll throw some nutrient in there just to be on the safe side.

Won't hurt to add more nutrient after a month and give it a good stir/shake.

Thanks, will do.   Its making alot of gas now so I don't think its hurting for lack of other nutrients yet.   But might as well throw some in there.  

I'm curious to see how dry it goes.   From watching that video, their mead ended up somewhat sweet.   But they used fleischman's bread yeast.  

Doing the math, it looks like if the yeast is able to consume all the fermentable sugars, it should wind up at 16.3% abv.    But Red Star says their yeast alcohol tolerance is 13-15%  So I reckon mine won't be completely dry when it is done.

Ah well, that's why I take notes.

I pitched 1.5 grams of fermaid k to the mead and gave it a good swirl.   There was still  plenty airlock activity before pitching the nutrients, so I'm pretty sure the yeast still has a ways to go working on that sugar.  Its been about 7 days.

The cider is probably done.  Will check gravity on it tomorrow.  If its done, I'll just go ahead and add some back sweetener, fermentable priming sugar, and bottle it up.   Going to give this batch of cider a good long resting period before drinking it and see if it improves any with a month or two of age.

Checked the cider, sitting at 1.002. OG was 1.048  Which seems a tad higher than the last one but seems done.   Will give it another 2 or 3 days and check again and if it hasn't moved, I'll transfer it over to the big mouth jar and let it sit a couple of weeks to clarify.

Still, not bad.   I was worried that the fermentation was stuck or something since it didn't really make all that much sediment.  

I suspect I'm fermenting at a higher than optimal temp for cider at 78 degrees farenheit.   But I'm not going to crank the thermostat down just for the sake of brewing.

At any rate, a little over 6% ABV.

The mead is still bubbling away.

I've got 5 gallons of cider fermenting.  I have made a bunch of Apfelwein in the past, but wanted to try a hard cider so I didn't add 2 lbs of sugar and switch the yeast from Montrechet to Cote Des Blancs.  Fermentation started within an hour and is still going on Day 12 (although it has almost stopped).  I have never seen something with air lock activity for so long!  Montrechet was usually finished in 3-4 days.  I'll give it another week before kegging.

What temp is the room you have the fermenter in?  Cooler temps, slower fermentation.  Which isn't really a bad thing, from what I'm reading.

I'm pretty sure this latest was done by day 6 and I used red star Cote de blanc.  I'm only giving it another couple of days because finished gravity seems a hair on the high side at 1.002.  So I want to double check before I call it done and rack it over to clarify.

It is fermenting at room temp now (76 F).  For the first week, I had it in a plastic tub of water with ice packs (swamp cooler) to get it to about 68 F.  

I just checked on it about an hour ago.  Looks to finally be done.  I'll probably give it another week before kegging it.

Walmart has a 2 gallon glass "drink dispenser" with a gasketed wood lid and a valve spigot at the bottom for $14.   Better homes and gardens brand.    I'm going to drill the lid for an airlock and try using it for a 2 gallon batch of something.

Well, I read somewhere that the cotes de blanc is meant for somewhat slower fermentations.  

I think on my next cider batch I might try safcider again but one of their other varieties, like AS-2