Homemade wine

Jolaaled

Jolaaled wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a recipe for Turbo Cider?

There are loads on google, but thought I'd ask the experts here first!!


THANKS

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Apple juice and a teaspoon of yeast is all you need for Turbo Cider.

Thanks, Sambucus.
Do I need to add any water or sugar??..
Also, regarding the process, do i start off in the fermenting bin and then to demijohn after a week?? (I'm very new to all this homebrew stuff!).

thanks

feefeelalabelle

sorry if its posted somewhere 1000 times, but google brings all complicated stuff up for me !!!

im wanting to make some cider, i have an abundant supply of apples, bottles ect ect but havnt a clue how to make it, could anyone in the know be so jind as to give me a quick run through....if your local ill donate you a bottle xxx

Why_oh_why

I'm attempting this one at the moment

Sunnyday

feefeelalabelle wrote: »

sorry if its posted somewhere 1000 times, but google brings all complicated stuff up for me !!!

im wanting to make some cider, i have an abundant supply of apples, bottles ect ect but havnt a clue how to make it, could anyone in the know be so jind as to give me a quick run through....if your local ill donate you a bottle xxx

I`ve never made any cider but i`ve had a recipe knocking about for turbo cider for the last couple of years. If i ever manage to try it i`ll post on how it went. Google it and there are a few recipes that show up, i can`t remember which one that i have or where it actually is so i`ll probably be googling for one when i finally take the plunge.

I`ve been given apples this year that i`ve made into chutney and some apple crumbles and i`ve also been given some pears so i thought i`d try pear wine for the first time. Thats currently bubbling away in the demijohn in the corner.

I`ve still plums in the freezer from last year and i`m undecided on jam or wine for those. We`re away next week and i`m scared stiff that i`m going to miss the elderberries, i`m really hoping that they don`t all dry out as i need to pick some when we come back for wine and cordial. Normally i`d freeze them for later but the freezer is crammed full.

I did get some blackberries though and thats also bubbling away keeping the blackcurrant wine company. I`m going to be busy when we get back home

I think that if i had loads of apples i`d attempt apple wine - maybe mixing it with blackberries too. If you have lots just try different recipes to use them up. I`m sure that you will have some good results.

When i first started winemaking everything was drinkable but some were nicer than others so i have my favourites and then try others as experiments. The only thing i really have trouble with is leaving it for months once bottled, the difference in taste is amazing.

I`m rambling again now which is not much use to you sorry

SD

Sunnyday

Theres a vid here on cider making, you could juice your apples and use that instead of the juice in cartons http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKBBOwm5UjE

It doesn`t tell you what to do once its ready on that vid but when its finished there are links to other vids which you can follow.

Looks straight forward really, just be sure to bottle in plastic bottles and keep letting the air out if you want a sparkling cider - don`t let them explode everywhere

Good luck

SD

feefeelalabelle

thanks for that will have a look now

sunnyday you seem like a good person to know lol i have an abundance of apples but am just starting out with jams and things, if you have any tried and tested recipies you would like to pass on i would greatly appreciate it, (cheeky i know) im fed up with trawling google following the recipies which are confusing and contradicting xxxx

have just been looking how to make cider it says i need a presser, grrr maybe can use the food processer instead of a juicer and presser ? so check i need, demi jons, sugar, apples, a valve thing, yeast ???

xxxx

Sunnyday

feefeelalabelle wrote: »

thanks for that will have a look now

sunnyday you seem like a good person to know lol i have an abundance of apples but am just starting out with jams and things, if you have any tried and tested recipies you would like to pass on i would greatly appreciate it, (cheeky i know) im fed up with trawling google following the recipies which are confusing and contradicting xxxx

have just been looking how to make cider it says i need a presser, grrr maybe can use the food processer instead of a juicer and presser ? so check i need, demi jons, sugar, apples, a valve thing, yeast ???

xxxx

Reading about it it seems that using apple juice and no sugar will work well, add sugar later if you want a really strong cider eg 8% ish, if no sugar is added it looks like you will get between 4 & 5% which i think is what i would try first sooooo - i think this is what i`d do.

Use a juicer to juice the apples OR chop them into medium sized pieces and throw them into a sterile bucket, pour on hot water and mash it all up (i use a potato masher) cover the bucket with a double thickness clean towel and stand in a corner. Next day add the yeast - think i would add a teaspoon of yeast nutrient too, give it a stir and cover up again, leave for 5 days giving it a quick stir each day.

After 5 days sterilise a demijohn, put a funnel in the top and put a sieve into the funnel, pour the contents of the bucket into the sieve and fill the dj to halfway up the shoulder and then pop in a rubber bung and an airlock half filled with water into the top.

Once its finished fermenting and you have no more bubbles syphon the liquid off the bits in the bottom into a clean demijohn. It seems that if you want a sparkling cider then you add half a teaspoon of sugar into a 2 litre plastic bottle and fill this with the cider, squeeze the bottle before putting the lid on and keep it somewhere away from people and pets - shed would be good lol, when the bottle gets hard the gas has built up in it and you need to unscrew the top to let some out. You will need to keep an eye on it and keep doing this.

Seems a bit of a faff using the apples instead of the cartons of juice but i think that the result will be much better but it will take a lot longer to do the prep. you will need tons of apples to get enough juice so at some stage i`d maybe look at adding some water.

This is like a bit of a mix between wine making and cider making but thats how i`d go about it with the apples.

If making wine you would start with about 3lb apples and i`d chop them up small and again cover with boiling water not just hot - this will help to soften the fruit, also i dissolve the (2 or 3 lb depending how sweet you like it) sugar in the water before adding so that it gets off to a good start. Mash with the potato masher and leave overnight, next day add 1 teaspoon of pectolase, one of citric acid and one of yeast nutrient. About 24 hours later add a tsp of wine yeast. I use all these ingredients from Wilkinsons in their homebrew section. I mash everyday with the masher and then do the sieve and funnel bit into a clean dj. Once its stopped fermenting is syphon it into a clean dj with a crushed campden tablet in the bottom, i put the funnel in the top and in the funnel u use a cheap paper coffee filter to get the last bits out, can take a while but worth it. When the dj is full add 1 tsp of wine stabiliser and put the airlock back in and hide in a corner for a few weeks to clear and then bottle into sterilised bottles. Some wines ie the fruit juce ones are drinkable in less than 6 weeks and some fruit ones ie elderberry and blackberry benefit from at least 6 months hiding away in a bottle, i try to leave them for a year.

I`ll see if i can find any of the chutneys online that i`ve made, i`ve made a different one this year as i`ve lost the recipe from the alltime favourite that i made last year.

HTH

SD

movnik894

Help! I am hoping someone can.
I bottled some ribena wine. One in glass bottle, One in plastic bottle. (I was short of bottles) The glass bottle had a plastic stopper and this popped out when it degassed.
The plastic bottle has a screw cap and i forgot about it. It has now swollen up and is ready to pop. One little unscrew and it will blow.
The only thing is, I am too chicken to try and unscrew it for fear of losing an eye, hand, or head.
Does anyone have any suggestions to try and reduce the pressure without the obvious please?
I do know i only have myself to blame and I should be keeping an eye.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

GooeyBlob

Sounds like you bottled too early.

You probably already know this, but it's generally not a good idea to use screw caps when bottling wine.

All I can suggest is... be careful when unscrewing the cap or you'll end up with froth everywhere. Try doing it gradually, let out a tiny little bit of air and then tighten up again quickly.

Sassia

I've just bought a wine kit and am about to start my very first batch. This thread has been so useful, thanks!