Cider making - kit recommendations

[Viva_Palmeiras]

We’ve got an apple tree but lots of the fruits go to waste. Only so much apple crumble/pie that you can take
Thinking of making cider but don’t want to go to town on kit. What would i need to start off and what sort of dosh would folks recommend?

[speedy_gonzales]

The most expensive piece of kit you'll need is the press/macerator. You can DIY one but most folks who make moderate volumes of cider will use a communal press. A colleague of mines uses one in the Dunbar area and it make life very easy.
You'll then need fermentation barrels/tubs then, and this isn't necessarily expensive, but then you'll need bottles! I got mines by being very nice to local pub landlords. Bulmers & Magners bottles lend themselves very well to re-use!

[Colr]

This is interesting. I made some pretty acce-table elderflower champagne earlier in the year and fancied trying cider next but the whole cider press thing looked like more trouble than its worth.

[lapsedhibee]

This is interesting. I made some pretty acce-table elderflower champagne earlier in the year and fancied trying cider next but the whole cider press thing looked like more trouble than its worth.

Ditto. Come September we will have several boxfuls of apples more than we, friends and family can reasonably use, and would ideally like to give them away. Anyone any suggestions for a hassle-free destination? (Can't be walking into a primary school with treats for children, for example.)

[1875godsgift]

As mentioned in an earlier post, communal presses can be found.
There was an apple-pressing open day at a National Trust place nearby where we took all our apples and came home with litres & litres of gorgeous apple juice.
Great day out for the kids too!

[Chic Murray]

Can you use any apple to make cider? I have access to a large supply of apples in the autumn, but they are cooking apples at best.

[Pretty Boy]

Ditto. Come September we will have several boxfuls of apples more than we, friends and family can reasonably use, and would ideally like to give them away. Anyone any suggestions for a hassle-free destination? (Can't be walking into a primary school with treats for children, for example.)

Local WI or a similar group may take them for making chutneys, preserves etc.

[pollution]

There will be a glut of apples this year. Our trees are heavy with fruit.

Sometimes Thistley Cross near Dunbar will buy them but only when there is a shortage I believe.

We don't eat apples so we let them rot under the trees to nourish the soil even more.

The trees are 120 years old.

[lapsedhibee]

Local WI or a similar group may take them for making chutneys, preserves etc.

:aok:

[lapsedhibee]

There will be a glut of apples this year. Our trees are heavy with fruit.

Sometimes Thistley Cross near Dunbar will buy them but only when there is a shortage I believe.

We don't eat apples so we let them rot under the trees to nourish the soil even more.

The trees are 120 years old.

:hmmm: Does this tend to lead to a bigger crop the following year?

[Colr]

:hmmm: Does this tend to lead to a bigger crop the following year?

Only wassailing can do that.

[danhibees1875]

There will be a glut of apples this year. Our trees are heavy with fruit.

Sometimes Thistley Cross near Dunbar will buy them but only when there is a shortage I believe.

We don't eat apples so we let them rot under the trees to nourish the soil even more.

The trees are 120 years old.

How do non-apple eaters end up in possession of several apple trees? :confused:

My Gran used to grow apples, but I think they were only for baking - not the type you can just eat.

[adhibs]

in a somewhat related question does anybody know where i could buy unpasteurized apple juice? Theres a cider im wanting to try a replicate of myself.

[Smartie]

Only wassailing can do that.

I'd never heard of that word until today.

Thank you.

[pollution]

How do non-apple eaters end up in possession of several apple trees? :confused:

My Gran used to grow apples, but I think they were only for baking - not the type you can just eat.


Ha ha. Good point.

They were there when we moved in 30 years ago!

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Hmmm. I saw Jamie Oliver has online instructors for a press involving a car jack (which I’ve also seen on other Joe public video) but the communal press sounds interesting f

[mvteng]

We hired a press from the wine making shop that used to be in Corstorphine. Think they only charged a fiver or so.

I guess other wine making shops may also hire out.

Basically it was a wooden bucket with slots in the sides and a wooden disc that fitted inside. You just put your apple in, and screwed the disc down crushing the apples. Easy peasy

[Eaststand]

We hired a press from the wine making shop that used to be in Corstorphine. Think they only charged a fiver or so.

I guess other wine making shops may also hire out.

Basically it was a wooden bucket with slots in the sides and a wooden disc that fitted inside. You just put your apple in, and screwed the disc down crushing the apples. Easy peasy

I used to make homebrew lager, but I'm going to start making homebrew cider soon, and this thread is excellent.
I've not got a great crop of apples this year, so I'm going to just buy a cider kit.

But, for for making smallish quantities from apples in the future, could chopping the apples, then using a standard kitchen electric liquidiser do the job ?

GGTTH

[mvteng]

I used to make homebrew lager, but I'm going to start making homebrew cider soon, and this thread is excellent.
I've not got a great crop of apples this year, so I'm going to just buy a cider kit.

But, for for making smallish quantities from apples in the future, could chopping the apples, then using a standard kitchen electric liquidiser do the job ?

GGTTH

Think you would be there for hours. We had loads of apples and I dont think we got that much cider out of them.

Good luck though

[Eaststand]

Think you would be there for hours. We had loads of apples and I dont think we got that much cider out of them.

Good luck though

Aha, i maybe wrongly assumed there was a fair amount of juice would come out of apples ( well by liquidising or pressing the juicy ones anyway :-))
I think the complete cider making kit sounds right for me then

GGTTH

[speedy_gonzales]

But, for for making smallish quantities from apples in the future, could chopping the apples, then using a standard kitchen electric liquidiser do the job ?

GGTTH

I'm not an expert but I'm sure liquidising the apples doesn't work as well, something to do with enzymes/fibre affecting the yeast eating the sugars which makes the all important alcohol. You can break the apples up/macerate a bit so they are easier to press through a muslin cloth/filter.

It could be worth experimenting with, only takes a few weeks to make a cider. In the past, I've hurried things along by using cheap ass Apple juice from Lidl/Aldi, Google Turbo Cider recipes,,,,

[Eaststand]

I'm not an expert but I'm sure liquidising the apples doesn't work as well, something to do with enzymes/fibre affecting the yeast eating the sugars which makes the all important alcohol. You can break the apples up/macerate a bit so they are easier to press through a muslin cloth/filter.

It could be worth experimenting with, only takes a few weeks to make a cider. In the past, I've hurried things along by using cheap ass Apple juice from Lidl/Aldi, Google Turbo Cider recipes,,,,

Ta for that interesting info SG.
I really like the sound of Turbo Cider Recipes, so I'll def look into that.

Cheers

GGTTH

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Glad to have stirred some interest advice on places to get cheap demijohns?

Thinking I’ll give a go at making a press lets see if it happens. B&Q didn’t have all the parts tho grrr and I need to buy a cheap trolley jack...

[Chic Murray]

Glad to have stirred some interest advice on places to get cheap demijohns?

Thinking I’ll give a go at making a press lets see if it happens. B&Q didn’t have all the parts tho grrr and I need to buy a cheap trolley jack...

My starting off place for anything these days is Amazon, but Wilko do have some home brew accessories, and they didn't seem too expensive.

[adhibs]

Glad to have stirred some interest advice on places to get cheap demijohns?
.

Brewstore at Newington stock them.

[One Day Soon]

We made it last year.

Small presses are a nightmare. Build the home-made car jack version or go somewhere where they have something seriously powerful. The small one are much harder to work efficiently and they don't extract all the juice - we ended up pre-smashing a lot of our apples in a deep bucket with a dropped sledge hammer.

A mixture of apple varieties is best - sweet, sour and cookers. You can make it either still or fizzy according to taste, we mixed ours half and ha;f.

It definitely is worth it though, I loved the stuff we made and still have some of it in the garage. Somehow seems to taste better the longer it sits there.

[pollution]

Not strictly related but the best bought cider I have ever had was Rocquette from Guernsey. Belhaven used to stock it

for pubs etc. 5.5 in strength and not the slightest hangover, ever. Organic I think it was.


Next best was Lidls but now doubled in price after the recent new law. Dry as a bone!

[degenerated]

My starting off place for anything these days is Amazon, but Wilko do have some home brew accessories, and they didn't seem too expensive.Brewstore in s clerk street is good place for equipment. I usually brew American IPA but did try a dark fruit cider once with a wilko kit. Tasted alright but smelt like someone had farted in the bottle.


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