Never mind the Kit, let's do this a bit from scratch

[Calimus]

Ok, not exactly scratch. Not knocking anyone, but I just don't have the time/mental health required to press apples or any other fruit. This is as close as I'll get and I'm starting small and will work my way up. Here's what I'm trying this time.

Scratch Batch:

1gal Store bought apple juice, no preservatives
8 heaping t-spoons of light brown sugar
1 t-spoon of yeast nutrient.

Shake well, pitch 1/2 packet of 1118 yeast.

I started this on Saturday May 1st in the evening. Within 2 hours I was already seeing activity. Forward to this morning and that 1gal bottle is like the little train that could. I've got gas through the airlock every 2-3 seconds.

I plan is to let it ferment for 2 weeks, then bottle and let sit for another 2 weeks. Some bottles might sit longer. This is just a test batch to see if I can get the hang of things. I didn't have good luck with the kit, so I'm giving this a shot. If it works, I'm thinking next will be a cinnamon apple and then after that a cherry cider. Let me know what you all think.

[LouieMacGoo]

Making cider from "scratch" isn't hard the way that you describe. The one thing that you want to be aware of is the yeast that you're using attenuates very high and will eat all the sugar leaving your cider very dry. You may want to concider back sweeting it once it's done fermenting, but you may need to knock out the yeast using potassium or sodium metabisulfite so that doesn't get consumed by the yeast too. Of course then you need to figure out how to carbonate it if you were hoping to do that.

[Calimus]

well, here's what I was thinking, and do please chime in if I'm off base. I figure I'll watch the fermentation and I'm hoping is slows down around the 2 week mark. I don't mind dry cider, it's what I prefer, but I also know that it can certainly go too dry and no one like that. If fermentation has slowed down, I'll bottle (PET not glass) for a day or so while checking the bottle's pressure. Once if feels "just right" I'll see if I can cold crash it to stop the yeast.

This is really all about experimentation. If I end up with something that tastes good, well that's just a super bonus. However, I'm always up for tips & tricks from those that have made the mistakes I'm prollie about to.

[Crazy Climber]

I've made hard lemonade and accomplished the back-sweetening by using Splenda, to avoid having the yeast eat up the attempted back-sweetening agent. I also put some sugar in at bottling time to accomplish the carbonation.

The end result was very good.

Regarding the 1118, another tip: it works pretty slowly. It basically "fizzes," no krausen or aggressive activity like you get with beer yeast, and it will gradually ferment for weeks. You'll want to check the gravity every few days and don't be in a rush to bottle it.

[Calimus]

Well, can't check the gravity since my hydrometer didn't come in till yesterday. So I have no idea where it started out at. I'll just have to taste test it along the way. You are dead on about the 1118 characteristics though. It's fizzing away very nicely.

I have also used sugar in the bottle for carbonation before and it's worked out very well. I appreciate the info, hopefully since it's such a small batch, 2 weeks is enough to get it where I want it for now, I'll just have to keep checking it starting today.

[Crazy Climber]

Yep, you can start checking from today onward -- no need to know the original gravity to know when it's done. Once you get the same gravity reading a few days in a row, you're good to bottle. But if it's still decreasing every time you check the gravity, let it continue fermenting. Once the gravity settles, you can back-sweeten with "fake sugar" (if desired) and bottle-prime with real sugar. Good luck, and cheers!

[Calimus]

Good to know on the gravity readings. I did notice a significant slowdown in the fermentation yesterday. Didn't get a chance to test it though, will try to today. I picked up some Red Star Montrachet Yeast to try on the next batch to see which I like better. Appreciate all the advise.

[mashani]

I used to use Montrachet a lot to make Meads and Maple Wine (mead made with maple syrup instead of honey). I always had good results with it.