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Jeff the Chef
Thatchers Veteran
United Arab Emirates
672 Posts |
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Al Caholic
Cider Bus Convert
Vatican City
145 Posts |
 Posted - 03/11/2004 : 14:12:25
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Thats a very useful site Jack but I have to report that following the same principle, I actually tried lemon juice on Saturday despite having numerous cuts on my hands (very painful) and it made no difference at all. I still have black scratches all over them, black nails and a big black blob where I had a blister. Nice!.
As the missus is at home this week she has been texting me with regular cider updates which I'm getting strangely excited about. Apparently, bubbles are passing through the airlock at the rate of about ten per minute and the temp is a constant 19.1 degrees C which sounds perfect.
Al 
Zider I up barkeep! |
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Ivanhoe Martin
Cider Bus Convert
Oman
273 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2004 : 16:23:53
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Good luck Al. Can't wait to start on ours.
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Gents
HMZ God
Trinidad and Tobago
2214 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2004 : 09:23:27
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Im a bit worried about my demijohn, after a frantic start to fermenting it had slowed right down by last night and was producing no bubbles at all this morning. The temperature hasn't fallen below 15 degrees according the 24 hour thermometer thing but it felt quite cold this morning, it has ranged between 15 and 25 degrees, maybe this varying temperature has upset it? Would giving it some more yeast kick it off again maybe? I'll have a read of the book later.
ZIDER! |
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Al Caholic
Cider Bus Convert
Vatican City
145 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2004 : 09:31:44
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I'd warm it up Gents and see if you can keep it warmer. If the fermentation really has stopped giving it some heat should kick it off again.
Mine is going like the clappers with bubbles passing through the airlock at a hell of a rate.
Al
Zider I up barkeep! |
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Jack the Hat
Blackthorn Experimenter
64 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2004 : 09:36:34
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Hmmm, sounds a bit worrying. Unless all the sugar has been turned into alcohol (which means it'll be about 15% already!) then it might have just run out of oxygen? Give the nearly-cider a stir to get oxygen to yeast and see if it gets it going again..
if the yeast dont work then you might have to try again. Anyone got any apples going spare?! |
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Gents
HMZ God
Trinidad and Tobago
2214 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 12:46:49
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There is just nowhere in my house that is a constant temperature. I have given it another dose of yeat and stirred it around, it appeared to bubbling slightly again this morning so i'll wait and see....
ZIDER! |
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Ivanhoe Martin
Cider Bus Convert
Oman
273 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 15:07:18
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Can I ask: are you using any chemicals? If so, what are you using (campden tablets?), and how are you doing it (at what stage in the process, and how much per gallon?). Did you use chemicals last yr when you made HMZ? Have any of you tried it without adding yeast?
(Only a week to go before our pressing, and I'm full of questions)
Thanks
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Gents
HMZ God
Trinidad and Tobago
2214 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 15:18:59
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I havent used any Campden tablets this year and i don't think Al has? Last year we used a bit in a few containers, and left some others alone - they all started fermenting in the same way, it was hard to tell any difference. I don't know how it effected the taste because by then we had forgotten what we had added to each barrel, and some of them got mixed together anyway. But nothing tasted too Campden-y, we didnt put a lot in though. HMZ was otherwise free from foreign additives, apart from some sugar and a few dead flies.
Are you definitely pressing next week then?
ZIDER! |
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Tharg drinker of cider
Cider Bus Convert
Borneo
184 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 19:08:31
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We certainly are, I'm attending another perry pressing and a cider pressing in the Forest over the next couple of days. I return to London mid-week, returning on Thursday with a van to pick up a ton of apples from Littledean, which we're taking to London on Friday, ready for pressing next Saturday and Sunday at Surrey Docks city farm.
And you will know us by the trail of empties.... |
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Gents
HMZ God
Trinidad and Tobago
2214 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2004 : 10:44:13
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That is just a whole week of cider-making activities and im extremely jealous!
Im going to do an article for the website about Al Caholic's cider-making experience soon, maybe you could send us down a few photos of the London cider-making and i'll include a bit about that too, if thats ok with you?
ZIDER! |
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Al Caholic
Cider Bus Convert
Vatican City
145 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2004 : 08:59:02
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There's no chemicals in my zider thankyou very much !
The only thing i did add (apart from some blood and a few finger nails) was a wine yeast. I did'nt want to take the chance that the fermentation would not start if I left the juice to its own devices and also a wine yeast will be far more alcohol tolerant. I'm not that bothered about making a string zider but at the same time I don't really want a weak one either. About 6% would be nice.
Ivanhoe and Tharg, best of luck with the pressing and subsequent fermentation. Are you using wooden barrels or have you got plastic ones? Keep the forum up to date with progress.
Al
Zider I up barkeep! |
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Gents
HMZ God
Trinidad and Tobago
2214 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2004 : 09:29:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Al Caholic
I'm not that bothered about making a string zider
- I don't think you should make a string cider either, i don't like stringy beans so if its anything like it won't be very nice. A spaghetti hoops version would be nice tho.
Still not much action for my demijohn. Its bubbling slightly so something must be happening but it's nowhere near as lively as last years. Don't really know what else to do tho, got nowhere to put it where the temperature is warmer or more constant.
ZIDER! |
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Al Caholic
Cider Bus Convert
Vatican City
145 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2004 : 13:33:24
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Are you saying you've never heard of string cider? Call yourself a cider lover.....
I wouldn't worry about your demijohn. As long as the fermentation doesn't stop altogether you should be fine  . It might just take a bit longer.
Al
Zider I up barkeep! |
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Tharg drinker of cider
Cider Bus Convert
Borneo
184 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2004 : 21:17:05
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I’ve been pressing more perry again in the Forest this morning. We did 1¼ tons of apples this afternoon, and got 125 gallons, we got twice as much juice from the pears. Keith Orchard definitely recommends macerating the fruit for 24hours, as it makes extracting juice a lot easier. The only problem you’ll have is finding something to store the milled fruit in. No yeast has gone in, and the only chemical we used was sodium metabisulphate, to kill off any rogue yeasts on the equipment prior to pressing.
And you will know us by the trail of empties.... |
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Berrow Hill Cider!
