Tag: cider
-
PK’s Small Batch Hard Cider
Not much tops a nice cold glass of home made hard apple cider on a hot Perth summers day. In this recipe I use a small 2L fermenting jar with a built in one way airlock. It makes just the right amount to share with a few friends over Sunday lunch.
As with my hard apple cider method, in a 5L demijohn, I don’t do a secondary fermentation and that means a flat beverage. I don’t mind and on the plus side I can simply take a jar that has been fermenting for about 4 weeks and chill it a few hours before I need it. No mess, no double handling and no decanting necessary.
Note: Please only follow this recipe if you are of a legal age to drink in your country. Don’t attempt this in an air tight glass jar, it will explode!
You will need:
- Ingredients:
- 4 apples (I use unpeeled apples that are passed their best)
- 1 small lemon or lime
- ~6 raisins (to add some wild yeasts to the mix)
- chilis to taste, sliced (optional)
- 1 teabag (to add some extra tannins to the mix)
- ~ half a sachet of yeast (I use bread yeast)
- 1 cup raw sugar
- boiling water (to sanitise everything)
- cooled boiled water
- Equipment
- a small bowl
- a fork
- a chopping board
- a long sharp knife
- a teacup
- a juicer for the lime
- a wet mixer
- a 2L fermenting jar with a built in one way airlock or similar
Steps:
- Sterilise everything with boiling water. I fill the fermenting jar with boiling water and let it sit while I prepare everything else. When it is cooled somewhat I empty half of it out. I also run boiling water over the fork, knife, measuring spoons etc.
- I also take some of the boiled water that has cooled to the point of being warm and get my yeast mix started. Bubbles let you know it is working.
- You can either puree the apples or chop them into chunks and then add to the jar. Try both methods and see which one you prefer 🙂 . I don’t use the cores but I do use the skins.
- Make a weak cup of tea and allow it to cool before adding to the jar.
- Juice your lemon or lime and add the juice to the jar.
- Add the 6 raisins, optional chilis and 1 cup raw sugar to the jar.
- Top up the fermenting jar with cooled pre-boiled water, leave a bit of room at the top though for the bubbles to come.
- Give it all a good stir with a fork and pop the lid down.
- Leave the fermenting jar somewhere out of the way until it starts bubbling well and then find a nice, dry dark place for it for about 4 weeks. In Perth you won’t have to worry about keeping it warm enough to keep the fermentation going. Most of the 4 weeks is about letting the flavours mature post fermentation really anyway.
If you ask me, cloudy is good 🙂.
Enjoy,
PK
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
OUR OTHER HOME BREWING POSTS
GREAT WAYS TO PRESERVE YOUR HARVESTS
Please consider subscribing to a weekly email summary of our posts or check us out on Facebook @growitcatchitcookit.
[mc4wp_form id=”15771″]
Written by
·
- Ingredients:
-
PK Makes Apple Cider Vinegar
So I took one of my reader’s suggestions last week when I was making my hard cider that I make some apple cider vinegar at the same time.
Here you go Grant :).
I found this wonderful method on Tales of a Kitchen and gave it a go with the idea of making my own starter ‘mother‘ for next time and also getting some yummy vinegar for cooking.
Don’t forget careful hygiene with this method. I sterilised everything with boiling water before I started and if the mix starts to smell or look funky I will throw it out and start again.
Steps:
I took some of the left over apples from the cider pressing and popped them into a large glass beer stein. You can use any part of the apple, even the cores and seeds!
I added 4 tsp of raw sugar and enough filtered water to cover the apples. I had a problem keeping the apple chunks down and below the water line. I tried an orange in a bag but it got mouldy :(.
Some more Googling and I came across phickle.com. They suggested using a hessian bag and some ceramic pie weights. I can’t spruik this idea enough. The bag pushes the fruit down and stops them going off and mouldy.
I then put a tea towel over the top of the stein and placed it at the back of a cupboard. Bubbles started almost immediately showing that the fermentation had begun. A few days later and I had a nice creamy layer of ‘mother’ and a nice sweet smell.
Update (1 month in):
I checked several times over the last month that the ‘mother’ was still white and there was no mould or nasty smells. Everything looked good so I moved on to the next stage.
I strained the liquid in a metal sieve and discarded the apples. They looked nice though.
Then I added the strained liquid and the dregs from the beer stein to a clean jar. I will leave this mix for another 4 to 6 weeks, stirring it every now and again.
See you in another 6 weeks, I hope :D.
Wishing you fun in the kitchen,
PK
Related Links:
Please consider subscribing to get a weekly email summary of our posts.
[mc4wp_form id=”15771″]
Written by
·
-
PK’s Adults Only Hard Cider
There is a long tradition of making hard cider in European culture. Farms would have a few apple trees of varietals just right for making cider. Go back far enough and you hear stories of agricultural workers either being paid in cider or being allowed to take windfall apples for free to make their own. In England it was more often consumed than wine and aged cider with its vinegary goodness would have packed quite a punch.
I love knowing that what I am drinking is preservative free, gave older or fallen apples a second chance, supported Aussie farmers and reduced food processing and transport costs. However I just learnt that cider isn’t just for drinking.
One of my favourite chefs, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, writes “Cider is fabulous in stews – I adore rabbit cooked with cider and cream, pork in cider is a classic, and lamb works well, too. Once mellowed by long cooking, that fruity flavour mingles beautifully with the richness of the meat – a glassful added to the dish in which you roast a leg of lamb or a chicken will help produce a gorgeous gravy. It’s also fabulous as part of the brining liquid for a home-cured ham.”
I use Granny Smith apples in this recipe (the colour of the fresh juice will blow you away) and although not a popular choice there are commercial breweries that use them. I don’t use any added sugar during the primary fermentation cycle. I also don’t bottle my cider (secondary fermentation cycle) and hence it is non-carbonated when I drink it.
After the  yeast has consumed all of the apple sugars they will die and gas will cease to escape the airlock. They will however leave a blanket of carbon dioxide, over the cider, that doesn’t have enough pressure to escape. This gas blanket (plus the alcohol) will stop the cider spoiling while you wait for the flavours to mature. I have heard of people waiting months but the longest I have resisted the temptation to get stuck in is about 4 weeks :).
When I do start drinking it I put the demijohn in the fridge to make sure fermentation has stopped, give it a nice chill and keep it fresh. The airlock and bung get replaced with some plastic wrap.
Note: Please only follow this recipe if you are of a legal age to drink in your country.
You will need:
- Ingredients:
- ~8-10kg Granny Smith apples
- ~6 raisins (to add some wild yeasts to the mix)
- 1 teabag (to add some extra tannins to the mix)
- a sachet of yeast (I use whatever is available, in this case bakers yeast)
- raw sugar to taste  (optional and I don’t use any)
- boiling water (to sanitise everything)
- Equipment
- a small bowl
- a fork
- a chopping board
- a long sharp knife
- a teacup
- a juicer (I borrowed a Kuvings cold press juicer from a friend)
- a demijohn (a 4.5 litre  glass brewing vessel) with a matching airlock and bung
- a funnel
Steps:
- Pour boiling water into the demijohn and let it stand. Pay particular attention to hygiene here. Make sure everything is clean and including the demijohn’s mouth and outside surfaces.
- Run boiling water through the airlock and soak the bung in boiling water too.
- Add the contents of one sachet of yeast to a small amount of warm water and give it a quick stir. We do this first so that it has time to start multiplying. A few bubbles here and there let you know it is working and it only took the juicing time to be alive and kicking :).
- Make a cup of very weak tea and let it cool while you bust out your juicer.
- Juice the apples and pour the liquid into the demijohn in batches.
- When the demijohn is about two thirds full pour in the yeast mix and add the 6 raisins.
- Swirl the demijohn gently to mix everything.
- Add more apple juice until you are happy with the level.
- Pop on the bung and the airlock.
- Fill the airlock with recently boiled water that you have let cool.
That is it. It should only take a few hours for the airlock to start making a slow but steady bubbling noise. One of my favourite sounds :).
I leave it inside for its first night and then it goes out to the shed. During winter I put it inside an old fleecy jumper to protect against the cold Perth winter nights. I find this is enough to keep the yeast warm and happy.
Hope you enjoy the process and result as much as I do,
PK
Yeast and tea ready:
Juice your apples:
Add the raisins and the cold tea, add the bung and airlock and then add some clean water to the airlock:
Out to the shed:
Written by
·
- Ingredients: