Cider Making

Today's task is to convert the large supply of apples (pictured left) into a smooth golden brown liquid that will eventually become cider.

It is a mixture of different apple collected from various sources. As a general rule you  need in the region of 9 kg (20 lbs) of apples to produce 4.5 litres (1 gallon) of juice.
I definitely have several times that amount.

The ripest apples carry the best flavour and most juice.  I dont' think it matters too much if several of them are bruised and a bit brown , as long as they are not rotten.

Dessert apples are better , about 70% is ideal. Cooking apples provide the required acidity about 30%. You are looking for a pH reading in the region of 3.6 to 4.2 pH. I'm not that fussy as I've used a good quantity of cookers. We shall see !

Cidermaker's with 'Scratter'

One that didn't make the grade

 I've gone over to see an old friend of mine who has the all the gear needed, A pulper sometimes called a 'scratter' or  'Fruit crusher'. He also has a press to extract the juice.

I start to chop the apples as Simon starts to feed them through the pulper . It is actually a converted garden waste shredder. I quarter the apples,removing any bad bits. No need to be too fussy and the core and pips are fine.

When crushing, be careful not to over do it. The finished apples should have some substance to them, and liquid juice should not be present. If it is you have pulped them too much......

The Press

The crushed apples are then ready to be pressed.This will mean you only get the juice and you will leave all of the pulp behind.The pulp can the go on the compost heap or green bin.

From out of nowhere a few wasps have started to show a bit of interest. That's fines as long as long as they stick to the rotten and unwanted parts of the apples.

The press is turned down onto the fruit until you feel real tension. As soon as you do, don’t keep turning but leave this in position for a few minutes. You can see the juice start to run. When the juice stops then tighten again and leave.
The juice is captured in the large plastic bucket that is going to be used for the fermentation process.  

Once the last of the pulped apples have been pressed there is about 18 litres of juice collected.

It is at this stage that you can take a hydrometer reading of the juice. To do this, place the hydrometer in the juice and you will see a reading where the hydrometer is level with the liquid. You can then use this reading to work out how much alcohol will be present after fermentation.

To boost the gravity (strength) I will add a kilo of caster sugar. This will then turn to alcohol and make a stronger cider.
I will then leave to ferment at a temperature between 20-27°C for about 5 to 14 days or until the hydrometer is showing the fermentation has finished. A constant cool temperature is much better than one that fluctuates.

When the fermentation has finished (the gravity reading on the hydrometer will be the same for a few days and will be under 1000 SG) I will siphon/rack off into clean sterilised glass demijohn containers.