Nice, wish I could find some in the city I could afford. Pasteurized is just fine.
Let us know how it turns out.
Let us know how it turns out.
Question about hard cider...
- Thread starter Wingnut
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I'll order airlocks here shortly, and buy more of that cider too for future use... apple cider is mainly a seasonal product here in the boondocks, though I looked at that one link you provided and the gal said one can also ferment regular juice. I checked the aisles in Albertson's yesterday and found some organic apple juice with no preservatives, but it cost nearly $13 per gallon. Nice glass jugs though, instead of these plastic jugs... maybe I can slowly build up a collection of glass gallon jugs for my eventual brewing or fermenting process. From what I've read, the plastic fermenters are all HDPE or whatever it is, some sorta heavy-duty food-grade plastic... I'm not sure these jugs I bought yesterday are stout enough to use for fermentation, but I reckon I'll find out, lol. It feels stout enough. When I get around to doing all this, I'll certainly post more details of my operation, especially if it is successful to the point or degree I wish to attain: namely, stout hard cider, lol.
You DO NOT want to build pressure when fermenting, a plastic jug is fine. The airlock/balloon vents any pressure. Check for the frozen apple juice concentrate, it works fine too.I'll order airlocks here shortly, and buy more of that cider too for future use... apple cider is mainly a seasonal product here in the boondocks, though I looked at that one link you provided and the gal said one can also ferment regular juice. I checked the aisles in Albertson's yesterday and found some organic apple juice with no preservatives, but it cost nearly $13 per gallon. Nice glass jugs though, instead of these plastic jugs... maybe I can slowly build up a collection of glass gallon jugs for my eventual brewing or fermenting process. From what I've read, the plastic fermenters are all HDPE or whatever it is, some sorta heavy-duty food-grade plastic... I'm not sure these jugs I bought yesterday are stout enough to use for fermentation, but I reckon I'll find out, lol. It feels stout enough. When I get around to doing all this, I'll certainly post more details of my operation, especially if it is successful to the point or degree I wish to attain: namely, stout hard cider, lol.
Bought some cider today at the local farm "stand", they don't make it, it's imported from Indiana, 7 bucks a gallon.
Started some EC-1118 rehydrating to see if it's still viable. When it starts bubbling, I'll post some pictures of the setup.
yeast beasts did well, let the orgy begin!!!
Yep, right there in plastic jug, I drank a bit to make sure there was room
Yep, right there in plastic jug, I drank a bit to make sure there was room
Keep it warm and dark for best results. UV (sunlight and cold slows the yeast down).
yeah, but the best it's gonna get is probably 68F
FOAM OVER, lots of carbs in that cider
Alright, I just placed an order with Midwest Supplies, which seems to be a fairly reputable outfit that has teamed up with Northern Brewers, so they're big (but not 'globalist-owned corporation' big, lol).
I decided to start off with 4 'universal stoppers' & 4 airlocks to match, 6 packets of Fermentis SafCider AC-4 Dry Yeast (specifically for cider and not beer or wine), and 1 packet of the White Labs English Cider Yeast (just to check it out).
My order is being filled and Midwest Supplies will let me know when it has shipped... I probably should've done this a few days ago, but life intervened (or I just plumb forgot, lol). Meh, better late than never... I'll keep y'all posted, aye?
I decided to start off with 4 'universal stoppers' & 4 airlocks to match, 6 packets of Fermentis SafCider AC-4 Dry Yeast (specifically for cider and not beer or wine), and 1 packet of the White Labs English Cider Yeast (just to check it out).
My order is being filled and Midwest Supplies will let me know when it has shipped... I probably should've done this a few days ago, but life intervened (or I just plumb forgot, lol). Meh, better late than never... I'll keep y'all posted, aye?
Lotsa butt kick later! save the spew and return it home!FOAM OVER, lots of carbs in that cider
As soon as those stoppers & airlocks arrive, plus the yeast, I'm gonna get four jugs a-bubblin', lol... I'm also gonna follow SheepDog's advice and store them in a closet in my 'War Room' (set 'em in a pan or something in case of overflow). The temp there will be well with cider-making range, and I plan on adding sugar & possibly more yeast at some point in the process, so I wind up with some @$$-kickin' hard cider, lol. I still have to read up more on the whole process, but I'm happy to start at this level and see whether it's an operation I want to ramp up later (by buying additional stoppers, airlocks, yeast, etc., and producing more jugs in the long run). I have all kinds of storage space here, so if I can cap the finished product and not have to refrigerate it, I'll be golden! Whenever I want a new jug, I can just throw it in the fridge to get it cold, as I like my hard cider cold, 10-4? If dry storage turns out to be a bust (or dismal failure, lol), I'll simply stagger the fermentation of the jugs and drink 'em as I go... note intentional "stagger" pun! 
P.S. I'm curious to see how this 'English Cider Yeast' pans out in fermentation... the Fermentis Dry Yeast I ordered is supposed to produce a "crisp" cider with full apple flavor! We shall see! Ya know, THIS is where all those BS high school chemistry classes are gonna pay off! Lol... CHEERS!!!
P.S. I'm curious to see how this 'English Cider Yeast' pans out in fermentation... the Fermentis Dry Yeast I ordered is supposed to produce a "crisp" cider with full apple flavor! We shall see! Ya know, THIS is where all those BS high school chemistry classes are gonna pay off! Lol... CHEERS!!!
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Okay, back to this thread... I took a gander at the shipment which arrived with my airlocks, stoppers & yeast, this is what I ordered to get the cider party started, lol.
Er, don't mind the *new* 4G flip-phone in the first pic, here's another shot of THAT... I'll set it up manana.
Livin' in the Stone Age, don'tcha know? Cue the Maxwell Smart line: "Annnnd lovin' it!!!"
Well, I bought four more gallon jugs of sweet cider at Albertson's on my last visit, same as the first four I purchased, so I now have eight gallons of sweet cider to convert to hard cider, lol. I only bought four airlocks & stoppers, so I'll get four of the jugs started manana, then do the other four later, AYE? I have to read up on the timeline again for making good stout hard cider, perhaps with a "second fermentation" and certainly with some sugar added to feed the yeast or whatever. I'm curious to see how the liquid English Cider Yeast performs, if it's not much different from the dry yeast then I'll skip it next time I order from Midwest Supplies. We shall see! Cheers!
Er, don't mind the *new* 4G flip-phone in the first pic, here's another shot of THAT... I'll set it up manana.
Livin' in the Stone Age, don'tcha know? Cue the Maxwell Smart line: "Annnnd lovin' it!!!"
Well, I bought four more gallon jugs of sweet cider at Albertson's on my last visit, same as the first four I purchased, so I now have eight gallons of sweet cider to convert to hard cider, lol. I only bought four airlocks & stoppers, so I'll get four of the jugs started manana, then do the other four later, AYE? I have to read up on the timeline again for making good stout hard cider, perhaps with a "second fermentation" and certainly with some sugar added to feed the yeast or whatever. I'm curious to see how the liquid English Cider Yeast performs, if it's not much different from the dry yeast then I'll skip it next time I order from Midwest Supplies. We shall see! Cheers!
Well, I wound up doing more yard work than anticipated, but that's okay, I'm clearing my property of ALL noxious and obnoxious weeds, including tumbleweeds and their scratchy irritating cousins... hard to believe how many can be found on a lousy half-acre, lol. Now, while I was tackling that weeding job and filling the trash bin (yet again), I got to thinking about protection... for the new carpet in the one perfect closet where I wanna do the fermenting. SheepDog said that yeast likes a warm dark place during fermentation, and I'm gonna go with that advice, but I don't want the fermenting gallons of sweet cider directly on the carpet in the chosen closet, aye? I'm kicking myself because I just donated a large cat litter box which would've been perfect for the job (once sterilized), it was oversized in terms of length & width, not depth, and it would've easily held all four fermenting jugs of cider with a little room to spare.
Meh, it was bad timing: when I donated the litter box to the shelter where I adopted the kittens, I was thinking that the jugs would go into one of the sheds, right? But if a warm dark place actually increases fermentation and makes my cider even harder, then that's what I want... so now I have to go to WallyWorld and find a plastic storage tray suitable for the purpose, one in which all four fermenting gallon jugs will rest comfortably and perhaps have room to spare. Shouldn't be too hard to find one that'll work, there's no way I place fermenting jugs of sweet cider directly onto the new carpet in that closet I've decided to use. That ain't gonna happen, not after I've read about "blowouts" and "overflow" and other BS. No thanks, I'd like to keep my carpet clean & dry & free of bugs, 10-4? That carpet cost $4K under Biden, PFFFFFFT.
So next time I'm in town, I'll find a plastic waterproof tray (or ciderproof tray) that'll keep everything groovy, no sticky mess on my new carpet, no future in that, lol. It just chaps my @$$ that I gave away the perfect plastic tray for the job, but the shelter can always use litter boxes, the ones they have must wear out over time... and my intentions were truly honorable, I just didn't know that I was gonna hafta put the goldurned gallon jugs of fermenting cider into a warm dark closet. Chalk that one up to ignorance on my part. If I'm gonna do this cider number, I intend to MAXIMIZE the alcoholic content of the cider... I don't wanna waste time on 'Sidewalk Sissy Cider' that takes a gallon or two just to get a buzz. I want hard cider that can double as carburetor cleaner and paint stripper, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Damn.
OKAY, MOVING ON, TIME TO GO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING ELSEWHERE AT THIS WEBSITE, AYE?
Meh, it was bad timing: when I donated the litter box to the shelter where I adopted the kittens, I was thinking that the jugs would go into one of the sheds, right? But if a warm dark place actually increases fermentation and makes my cider even harder, then that's what I want... so now I have to go to WallyWorld and find a plastic storage tray suitable for the purpose, one in which all four fermenting gallon jugs will rest comfortably and perhaps have room to spare. Shouldn't be too hard to find one that'll work, there's no way I place fermenting jugs of sweet cider directly onto the new carpet in that closet I've decided to use. That ain't gonna happen, not after I've read about "blowouts" and "overflow" and other BS. No thanks, I'd like to keep my carpet clean & dry & free of bugs, 10-4? That carpet cost $4K under Biden, PFFFFFFT.
So next time I'm in town, I'll find a plastic waterproof tray (or ciderproof tray) that'll keep everything groovy, no sticky mess on my new carpet, no future in that, lol. It just chaps my @$$ that I gave away the perfect plastic tray for the job, but the shelter can always use litter boxes, the ones they have must wear out over time... and my intentions were truly honorable, I just didn't know that I was gonna hafta put the goldurned gallon jugs of fermenting cider into a warm dark closet. Chalk that one up to ignorance on my part. If I'm gonna do this cider number, I intend to MAXIMIZE the alcoholic content of the cider... I don't wanna waste time on 'Sidewalk Sissy Cider' that takes a gallon or two just to get a buzz. I want hard cider that can double as carburetor cleaner and paint stripper, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Damn.
OKAY, MOVING ON, TIME TO GO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING ELSEWHERE AT THIS WEBSITE, AYE?
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Yeast is the stopping point of how much alcohol it will have. The better the yeast the higher the % EC-1118 I think is one of the higher yielding champagne yeast's that can get up to near 20% alcohol. And yes freezing it and removing the ice will increase the alcohol content by volume.
I was thinking of doing a 'second fermentation' as well, adding more yeast & sugar to boost alcohol content, lol...
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All yeast I know of dies off at anything much over 20% alcohol
Buy store bought apple cider that has not been pasturised or additives added
Buy a 5 gallon (I use a 6) bucket with lid
Buy a air lock and 1” rubber cork, drill hole in lid,
3 gallons cider into bucket,*****
In a coffee cup, pour your yeast in. Add 1/4 sugar warm water, let yeast feed and thrive 15 minutes
Pour live cup of yeast into bucket
Seal lid. Wait for the air lock to stop bubbling
Siphon off the liquid into 1 gallon jugs
Air lock the jug, let trash settle, siphon off liquid
If you cap the jug, put it in the refrigerator to stop the yeast . Or risk blowing the top off the jug
After 24 hours in fridge store FULL sealed jugs in darkness for 1 year
Try, 5 pounds strawberries, and 5 pounds honey
Freeze berries then purée (freezing kills natural yeast, that will compete with your added yeast)
Always use bottled water tap water has nasty stuff that tastes like nasty stuff
*****
Yeast grows, cider bubbles up, needs plenty of head room or it will puke out of the air lock
Buy a 5 gallon (I use a 6) bucket with lid
Buy a air lock and 1” rubber cork, drill hole in lid,
3 gallons cider into bucket,*****
In a coffee cup, pour your yeast in. Add 1/4 sugar warm water, let yeast feed and thrive 15 minutes
Pour live cup of yeast into bucket
Seal lid. Wait for the air lock to stop bubbling
Siphon off the liquid into 1 gallon jugs
Air lock the jug, let trash settle, siphon off liquid
If you cap the jug, put it in the refrigerator to stop the yeast . Or risk blowing the top off the jug
After 24 hours in fridge store FULL sealed jugs in darkness for 1 year
Try, 5 pounds strawberries, and 5 pounds honey
Freeze berries then purée (freezing kills natural yeast, that will compete with your added yeast)
Always use bottled water tap water has nasty stuff that tastes like nasty stuff
*****
Yeast grows, cider bubbles up, needs plenty of head room or it will puke out of the air lock
Wanna make a still? It’s easy
We never used an air lock, we always used a big balloon. I still have some bottled up on my shelves in the basement.
Okey-dokey, I read all of those posts, and I thank y'all... I'm gonna go to town today and pick up a plastic tray of some sort, that way I don't hafta worry about the carpet in the closet of the 3rd bedroom being ruined. I'm probably not gonna ever use that room for anything but an office, den or inside storage, but ya never know... maybe some family members will move in one day and one of 'em will want that room. the bedrooms in this home are kinda like clothing sizes: large, medium & small, lol. Still, it's a private room, and once I'm done with the interior home rehab efforts, I'll move all the tools & materials outta my "War Room" and let the cats use the space, I'll just keep the closet door shut as planned so the fermenting cider remains undisturbed. Those blasted varmint kittens have a way of getting into things and making a mess, and they can be quite destructive... don't ask me how I know this, lol.
If I can find a suitable plastic tray at WallyWorld, I'll bag it and start the cider today. This being Sunday morning, I'm in no great hurry, I'm gonna mess with this stupid TCL flip-phone I bought to replace my Samsung phone. This TCL junk is nowhere near as sturdy as my Samsung phone, in fact it feels as if it'll break the first time I drop it on concrete, pffffft. Note to self: do not drop the new TCL phone on concrete! My old Samsung phone has really taken a beating over the last six years and has held up very well, so I'm disappointed in this new POS. If it goes kaput, I'll try to find a Samsung 4G flip-phone instead, I didn't consider that when I bought this one, thinking it would be about the same in terms of construction & sturdiness. But of course it's NOT, it seems like everything just gets cheaper and flimsier with time, unless it's still made in the U.S. Meh, cue the Hardy Boys title: THE MYSTERY OF THE CHINESE JUNK!!!
Anyway, I appreciate your help, all of you, I'll try to find a tray and get the cider party started this afternoon... dunno if I'll be able to wait a full year for the results, I thought I saw something on the web about the cider being ready in a matter of weeks, or maybe a few months. One of these days, I'll delve into the subject in more depth, I've been sidetracked lately with other projects, story of my life... but this yard cleanup and home rehab won't last forever (I hope), then I'll be good to go!
If I can find a suitable plastic tray at WallyWorld, I'll bag it and start the cider today. This being Sunday morning, I'm in no great hurry, I'm gonna mess with this stupid TCL flip-phone I bought to replace my Samsung phone. This TCL junk is nowhere near as sturdy as my Samsung phone, in fact it feels as if it'll break the first time I drop it on concrete, pffffft. Note to self: do not drop the new TCL phone on concrete! My old Samsung phone has really taken a beating over the last six years and has held up very well, so I'm disappointed in this new POS. If it goes kaput, I'll try to find a Samsung 4G flip-phone instead, I didn't consider that when I bought this one, thinking it would be about the same in terms of construction & sturdiness. But of course it's NOT, it seems like everything just gets cheaper and flimsier with time, unless it's still made in the U.S. Meh, cue the Hardy Boys title: THE MYSTERY OF THE CHINESE JUNK!!!
Anyway, I appreciate your help, all of you, I'll try to find a tray and get the cider party started this afternoon... dunno if I'll be able to wait a full year for the results, I thought I saw something on the web about the cider being ready in a matter of weeks, or maybe a few months. One of these days, I'll delve into the subject in more depth, I've been sidetracked lately with other projects, story of my life... but this yard cleanup and home rehab won't last forever (I hope), then I'll be good to go!
Find no pasturised cider with pulp in the jugFound some unfiltered apple cider with no preservatives, it's pasteurized but that's okay... in fact, I read that one can use sweet cider with preservatives, but ya gotta add more yeast to override the slowdown effect of the preservatives.
View attachment 96817
View attachment 96818
The cider will be ready to drink when it finishes bubbling, but, it will taste like crap. All that yeast is floating around you let it settle. Siphon, settle, siphon. The longer it sits the better it will taste,Okey-dokey, I read all of those posts, and I thank y'all... I'm gonna go to town today and pick up a plastic tray of some sort, that way I don't hafta worry about the carpet in the closet of the 3rd bedroom being ruined. I'm probably not gonna ever use that room for anything but an office, den or inside storage, but ya never know... maybe some family members will move in one day and one of 'em will want that room. the bedrooms in this home are kinda like clothing sizes: large, medium & small, lol. Still, it's a private room, and once I'm done with the interior home rehab efforts, I'll move all the tools & materials outta my "War Room" and let the cats use the space, I'll just keep the closet door shut as planned so the fermenting cider remains undisturbed. Those blasted varmint kittens have a way of getting into things and making a mess, and they can be quite destructive... don't ask me how I know this, lol.
If I can find a suitable plastic tray at WallyWorld, I'll bag it and start the cider today. This being Sunday morning, I'm in no great hurry, I'm gonna mess with this stupid TCL flip-phone I bought to replace my Samsung phone. This TCL junk is nowhere near as sturdy as my Samsung phone, in fact it feels as if it'll break the first time I drop it on concrete, pffffft. Note to self: do not drop the new TCL phone on concrete! My old Samsung phone has really taken a beating over the last six years and has held up very well, so I'm disappointed in this new POS. If it goes kaput, I'll try to find a Samsung 4G flip-phone instead, I didn't consider that when I bought this one, thinking it would be about the same in terms of construction & sturdiness. But of course it's NOT, it seems like everything just gets cheaper and flimsier with time, unless it's still made in the U.S. Meh, cue the Hardy Boys title: THE MYSTERY OF THE CHINESE JUNK!!!
Anyway, I appreciate your help, all of you, I'll try to find a tray and get the cider party started this afternoon... dunno if I'll be able to wait a full year for the results, I thought I saw something on the web about the cider being ready in a matter of weeks, or maybe a few months. One of these days, I'll delve into the subject in more depth, I've been sidetracked lately with other projects, story of my life... but this yard cleanup and home rehab won't last forever (I hope), then I'll be good to go!
The floating yeast is where you get the hang over from, or so I’m tol
In my opinion, screw that wine, dump the wine in a boiler add honey or brown sugar and distill it. Apple brandy is mighty fine
These jugs of unfiltered sweet cider are pasteurized, but they have no preservatives, and they have some "pulp" in suspension if I shake 'em a bit.
Run with it !!!!!!!!!These jugs of unfiltered sweet cider are pasteurized, but they have no preservatives, and they have some "pulp" in suspension if I shake 'em a bit.
I definitely will... I've been meaning to try this for some time, lol. I'm essentially a "beer man" but I also like hard cider!
Mine is racked and settling again, it's gonna take a lot more sugar before I like it. Nice kick, but verry dry.
Re-ferment
Add honey to it and do it again
You will not up the alcohol by volume but it will be sweeter and tasty-erer
I think it would be called a marlow? (Sp)
Whew! I've been running around all afternoon, and I spent more time and money shopping for preps than I expected, but man, oh man, am I ever looking good, lol. I found a plastic Sterilite tray that seems about perfect for the job, giving me a little extra room around each jug, as I wanted. I'm pretty sure it'll fit in the closet too, though I'll have to shift a few boxes out of there. Meh, no worries, I have tons of storage room here, and those boxes can find a home elsewhere, lol. Here is what my fermenting setup will look like, minus the yeast, stoppers & airlocks. The closet in my "War Room" is one I don't really need, all I've been doing is using it for storage, and there's not that much stuff in there, so it should be easy enough to set up the tray tomorrow and place the rigged jugs in there once I'm done messing with 'em. 
Nice, huh? Just about the right size to contain leaks or "blowouts" or "overflow" from the four jugs, lol. The tray cost me $10.98 plus tax, so that was the amount of my donation to the animal shelter when I gave 'em that third cat litter box of mine, aye? Cue Aesop's "Sour Grapes" fable! I didn't really want that stanky old cat litter box to put my fermenting jugs in ANYWAY, lol. Might have had some funky butt crusties around the stoppers & airlocks, lol, no future in THAT! So now I'm all set to start cookin' the shine... er, I mean brewin' the cider, lol, but my feet are tired from running around all friggin' afternoon, and I've been on 'em for hours too, I must have spent over two hours in WallyWorld, walking around and bagging some things I need, plus stocking up on preps. So I'll rig the cider jugs manana... now it's PAR-TAY TIME!!!
Nice, huh? Just about the right size to contain leaks or "blowouts" or "overflow" from the four jugs, lol. The tray cost me $10.98 plus tax, so that was the amount of my donation to the animal shelter when I gave 'em that third cat litter box of mine, aye? Cue Aesop's "Sour Grapes" fable! I didn't really want that stanky old cat litter box to put my fermenting jugs in ANYWAY, lol. Might have had some funky butt crusties around the stoppers & airlocks, lol, no future in THAT! So now I'm all set to start cookin' the shine... er, I mean brewin' the cider, lol, but my feet are tired from running around all friggin' afternoon, and I've been on 'em for hours too, I must have spent over two hours in WallyWorld, walking around and bagging some things I need, plus stocking up on preps. So I'll rig the cider jugs manana... now it's PAR-TAY TIME!!!
Okay, I managed to get the cider done today, I followed the excellent advice y'all gave, plus some advice that I gleaned from the web, lol. Here's how things panned out:
Okay, there's brewmeister (or cidermeister) Zorlac inspecting the equipment & ingredients, lol. I followed Frodo's advice and used nothing but Ozarka Spring Water for EVERYTHING, and I warmed the water first before adding sugar & yeast. I dumped 1/2 cup of sugar into every mixture, just to see how that goes, lol. I used the liquid 'English Cider Yeast' for the first jug, as I wanted to get it out of the fridge and into a jug where it belongs, lol. You experienced hands would have laughed at my slow progress, but I'm meticulous in this sort of work, same way I'm meticulous when doing fiberglass work, lol. If you aren't, ya wind up wasting catalyst & resin by shortening your pot life, aye? Anyway, I felt like I was back in high school Chemistry class, lol... and I spent over an hour doing all four jugs and cleaning up the mess afterward.
No real mess, just a little water and un-yeasted cider here & there. As each jug was completed, I stashed it in the plastic Sterilite tray which I had already set in the closet... per SheepDog's advice. Once I was done taking pics, I shut the closet door and put down a couple of Depot terry cloth rags as "draft dodgers" to block all light. So my four initial jugs of cider are now sitting pretty in the dark, lol... once they're done, I'll rig up the other four gallon jugs of sweet cider the same way. Looks to be a promising system, and I drank the last bottle of 'Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider' to celebrate, that bottle has been kicking around my fridge for a week or two and it needed to go, lol. Gotta make room for all the holiday fare I'm making, don'tcha know? Again, thanks to all who offered advice, you are ALL heroes in my book, lol. Cheers!
P.S. Just checked email, and my friend in Whetstone, AZ, says the active shooter or perp has NOT been caught yet! She's sitting in her darkened home with her .38 (and JHPs I gave her, lol) and a bright spotlight to blind the tard if he tries to enter her home! She's hardcore too, same gal who let me camp on her rural acre lot for 109 days (with three cats!), neither one of us knew the real estate market was gonna go ape$h!t and I'd hafta buy a home out of state, lol. Her name is Yvonne and she's a real sweetheart, but ya don't wanna mess with her, lol... she knows how to fire a pistol and she WILL do it if necessary, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Maybe that's why I appreciate her friendship so much, lol, she's MY kinda gal, no doubt about it! Cue the Dirty Harry line: "GO AHEAD, MAKE MY DAY!!!"
Okay, there's brewmeister (or cidermeister) Zorlac inspecting the equipment & ingredients, lol. I followed Frodo's advice and used nothing but Ozarka Spring Water for EVERYTHING, and I warmed the water first before adding sugar & yeast. I dumped 1/2 cup of sugar into every mixture, just to see how that goes, lol. I used the liquid 'English Cider Yeast' for the first jug, as I wanted to get it out of the fridge and into a jug where it belongs, lol. You experienced hands would have laughed at my slow progress, but I'm meticulous in this sort of work, same way I'm meticulous when doing fiberglass work, lol. If you aren't, ya wind up wasting catalyst & resin by shortening your pot life, aye? Anyway, I felt like I was back in high school Chemistry class, lol... and I spent over an hour doing all four jugs and cleaning up the mess afterward.
No real mess, just a little water and un-yeasted cider here & there. As each jug was completed, I stashed it in the plastic Sterilite tray which I had already set in the closet... per SheepDog's advice. Once I was done taking pics, I shut the closet door and put down a couple of Depot terry cloth rags as "draft dodgers" to block all light. So my four initial jugs of cider are now sitting pretty in the dark, lol... once they're done, I'll rig up the other four gallon jugs of sweet cider the same way. Looks to be a promising system, and I drank the last bottle of 'Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider' to celebrate, that bottle has been kicking around my fridge for a week or two and it needed to go, lol. Gotta make room for all the holiday fare I'm making, don'tcha know? Again, thanks to all who offered advice, you are ALL heroes in my book, lol. Cheers!
P.S. Just checked email, and my friend in Whetstone, AZ, says the active shooter or perp has NOT been caught yet! She's sitting in her darkened home with her .38 (and JHPs I gave her, lol) and a bright spotlight to blind the tard if he tries to enter her home! She's hardcore too, same gal who let me camp on her rural acre lot for 109 days (with three cats!), neither one of us knew the real estate market was gonna go ape$h!t and I'd hafta buy a home out of state, lol. Her name is Yvonne and she's a real sweetheart, but ya don't wanna mess with her, lol... she knows how to fire a pistol and she WILL do it if necessary, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Maybe that's why I appreciate her friendship so much, lol, she's MY kinda gal, no doubt about it! Cue the Dirty Harry line: "GO AHEAD, MAKE MY DAY!!!"
Just returning to this thread, my four gallon jugs of cider are all bubbling away, so now I just wait until the bubbling stops? How many weeks will that be? Or is the time frame shorter? I still haven't gone back to read up on the subject on the web... meh, life is what happens while you're making plans, lol. Frodo, that video didn't come through, what was it about and can I find it on the web?
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I can't say as I've ever had cider but I know I don't like beer, maybe I should try cider.I definitely will... I've been meaning to try this for some time, lol. I'm essentially a "beer man" but I also like hard cider!
