Cider Making Resources

This webpage provides an abridged and to the point overview of the process. In fact upon second look it seems there is a ton of useful information at this site.

The Real Cider and Perry Page
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider

Cider Making
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/cider.htm


Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider, Third Edition (Amazon referral link)
I keep coming back to this book to figure out my barrel issues and understand the process of making hard apple cider. While I think I generally understand the process it helps to have a dead tree version to revisit and provide context.

CvilleKevin's extensive experiments with juice, sugar and yeast documented on the Homebrewtalk forum...
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/results-juice-yeast-sugar-experiments-83060/

Lazy brewer watches summer thunderstorm...

Yeah, the cider awaits a keeper and well, apparently I'm not fit for the job. At least not for the past few weeks. Instead I sit next to the screened window feeling the cool moisture laden breeze rush in over my arm. Noticing the luminescence of daylight objects as the rays of the sun bounce around to fall pink and orange lighting up the green with surreal glow. It grows darker and wetter. Thunder takes the stage now.

The cider will have to wait.

Added favorite news reader items to sidebar...

I use a news reader to keep up to speed on the happenings in a few areas. I mark the interesting ones so I can go back to them later if necessary. Truth be told I don't really ever go back to them. (well, maybe once or twice) So, I thought that maybe others would find these items interesting too. Maybe that will justify my clicking on the little like button. Or not, you never know.

The topic included are...

• smattering of homebrew related blog postings from over 50 blogs
• occasional craft beer related posts from a select few blogs
• computer related stuff from SlashDot
• posts from LifeHacker blog (computers, self-help, life, etc.)
• interesting gadgets from Cool Tools blog
• select items from Hacker News
• maybe a good buy or two
• etc.

So, if you're interested, check out the sidebar. If you want to follow it directly in your reader, here's the Atom feed.

Cider specific gravity unknown, adding fermentables...

...because, I just haven't been down to check it. I'm expecting it to be below 1.010 and falling. Now's the time to add more fermentables. At least for me it is time. You can add them any time you like. I have an semi-open fermenter and want the CO2 to keep being produced so it pushes the oxygen away and prevents the wrong creatures from turning my cider into vinegar. Things I have in mind...

• basswood honey from Northern Brewer
• belgian candi sugar syrup
• organic cane sugar
• sugar in the raw
• table sugar

Of course I'll need to make some space for this stuff. I have...

• carboys (glass and better bottles)
• soda kegs
• used 4 gal liquid malt jerry cans

Type to you later :-)

Cider fermenting, SG 1.034 and dropping...

At some point I need to decide what my abv is going to be. I'll probably split this up into a couple different types of cider. I'll ferment most of it dry and some a few levels sweeter. Probably just keep tasting it each day as the SG drops and when it gets to the right level of sweetness I'll mark that down as my target gravity and add the amount of fermentable sugar necessary to bring it up to a certain abv. That will bring the SG up again. Then I just wait until it gets to that target SG and rack it and crash cool it.

At least that's the plan. Of course this could be easier said than done with multiple batches going on at once.

Cider story part one coming....

Didn't realize there would be more than one part, but, once I started typing I surprised myself. Maybe we could say it takes a village or something like that.

I've updated my brewing tools links...

Find these items at your local homebrew store like Artisan Homebrew. I have also included links to Amazon via associate referrals. In most cases I own the exact product I link to. I also have some links to other online stores here as well.


~The Complete Joy of Home Brewing
~Brew Pot
~Long Spoon
~Taylor Digital Cooking Thermometer/Timer
~Mesh Bags for Steeping Grain
~Digital Kitchen Scales
~Oxo Good Grips Medium Silicone Spatula
~Hydrometer
~Auto Siphon Pump for Beer or Wine
~Tubing
~5 Gallon Glass Carboy For Beer or Wine Making
~Airlock & Bung
~Kegs
~CO2 Setup
~Picnic Taps
~Faucets
~Bayou Classic KAB4 High Pressure Banjo Cooker
~Beer or Wine Carboy Hauler

If you've been following you'll note that I've taken an interest in cider making. This book covers making cider, using a barrel, growing apples, cultivars, pressing, etc. So far I'm really enjoying it.

~ Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider, Third Edition

Our cider story...

I'll get around to posting the story sometime in the next day or so, but, I just wanted to send a big thank you to everybody involved. Gavin, Bill, David, Big Greg, Young Greg, John, his wife, and Paul helped with this effort. Let's hope it tastes as good after I ferment it as it does now :-)

Find us on Facebook...

If you are on Facebook, this is for you...

Find Beer Bits 2 on Facebook

Facebook has hijacked this website. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

If you click on this link you may indeed be taken to Facebook where "friends" are positive and people "connect" with each other and well you get the picture. Proceed at your own risk. No lifeguards are on duty.

New book - Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider

I'm getting started with this book. I'll let you know what I think. I've already learned a few things about acidity that I didn't know.

Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider, Third Edition
(Amazon Link)