/diy/ - Do It Yourself

[Anonymous No.518563]

heres a simple /diy/ cider recipe for you people who want a nice drinkable product in about 4 days (few more if you want it carbonated)

required materials
>100% apple juice or cider no chemicals added as it will kill the yeast. The last batch I used was apple and eve turned out well

>plastic air lock
fuck the balloon shit costs a $1.50 i understand the /diy/ aspect but believe me you are much more likely to have a infected batch with that shit.

>Your choice of specialty yeast depending on what you like your cider to be like dry or sweet. I used champagne yeast very aggresive this will be higher in alcohol 5 or 6% but dryer with hints of some sour very good if thats your thing. Again fuck using bread yeast the yeast i used cost 1.50$ buy it you cheap bastard


now that you have your materials this is the simple process. use half of the yeast packet per gallon of apple juice or cider, shake vigorously to mix in the yeast . Cut a hole in the top and place your air lock in the jug filled with sani water or vodka. Place in a dark room 65-70degree f, no direct sunlight and wait 24 hours for fermentation. You will see the shit no denying it will be chug a lugging like some shit if not get another pack of yeast that other one was dead. after 4-5 days or when the chugging slows put that bitch in your refrigerator. Wait till its cold then have a glass mmmm mmm bitch some solid cider that costs
juice 2 gal 7$
yeast 1.50$
airlock 1.50$
10$ two gallons

ive been brewing for 2 years and recently stumbled across this method and it is the least time consuming for a tasty product that ive come across. If you let it ferment any longer you will need to rack it to a secondary for months this is drinkable in days and isnt hobo wine level but is not magners cider level (best fucking cider imho called Bulmers for you yurope bastards)

any questions?

[Anonymous No.518569]

It's called Bulmers in Ireland, where it's actually brewed. The rest of the world using magners is fucking retarded.

[Anonymous No.518573]

>>518569
not really retarded they dont own trademark for it outside of ireland although it sucks that they don't probably quite confusing for people that don't know. Either way its an amazing product I fucking love magners/Bulmers (mericanfag here)

[Anonymous No.518586]

>>518563
can you elaborate on the "your choice of specialty yeast"?

you mention champagne yeast, but what other types since your frown upon bread yeast?

[Anonymous No.518592]

>>518586
yes I can. I recommend english ale yeast as your other option or other types of wine yeast. Do not pick a lager yeast unless your house is very cold and i don't know how a lager yeast would work with a cider never tried. Lager yeast ferment best at 40-50 f while ale works best 50-70f which is a easier temperature to obtain.

the ale yeast wont eat as much alcohol making it less alcoholic but sweeter. On the other end the wine or champagne yeast will make it dryer but more alcoholic. If you want to get fancy you can take a hydrometor test but that costs more and if your getting into the hobby i say my 1$ method is your best bet. If your friends like cider they will probably enjoy this. My two good friends who i sampled this with loved it and choose to drink this while we had a supply of german Oktoberfest available (hofbrau, spaten, Hacker-Pschorr, and paulner to be exact) we all work in industry related jobs beer stores and bars respectively and regularly taste dozens of products. Not internet dick waving just pointing out that this is your best bet for making something people can enjoy without going out buying a mash tun etc

[Anonymous No.518680]

I think I'm gonna try this next weekend.

Good work, OP!

[Anonymous No.518740]

I find Bulmers too sweet. I'm more a Strongbow man.

[Anonymous No.519836]

Thanks op, I've known you could do this for a while but I remembered this post as I happened by my local homebrew shop. I picked up a few packets of champagne yeast, airlock and stopper for 5 bucks will do this tomorrow!

[Anonymous No.519863]

>>518563
>>518592

How big of an issue is temperature? Kind of shitty living conditions here that I don't really have a fine level of control over the temperature of.

Also, the airlock/jug of water/vodka bit is slightly confusing.

If you have an airlock, do you still need the jug of water/vodka? Or is the water/vodka a "ghetto rigged airlock"?

Living on a shoestring budget here but I do love me some cider. Don't want to burn a paycheck's worth of "fun money" on a bad batch of something.

[Anonymous No.519867]

Hello fellow ME 309 classmate. Enjoi your class.

[creditunionfag No.519899]

>>519863
>>519863
You can put vodka in the airlock. I think the point is to put sterilizing water in there for extra prevention for contamination. You can do something like 1 part rubbing alcohol 3 parts water or something. You can also use things like Borax/OneStep sanitizer to water to keep germs out.

[Anonymous No.519956]

>>519863
On a budget, just put it wherever has the most stable temperature not in direct sunlight (basement, closet etc). If it's colder than recommended it will just take longer.

When I brewed beer I put the bucket in a large closet cardboard box, with a space heater plugged into an outlet with a $10 temperature control. Fire hazard aside I would not recommend this now, I would get a small aquarium heater and place your bucket/carboy into a larger plastic storage container filled with water with the heater.

[Anonymous No.519973]

>>519956
Cold isn't an issue, it'd be more on the warmer edge of the stated temperature range, but as long as it's decently flexible that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

As far as storage goes, would you recommend filtering out (and potentially reusing?) the yeast from the gallon jugs when I transfer them from the brewing area to the refrigerator? Or are you relying on continued fermentation to keep them "safe"?

I should probably dig up a homebrew sticky somewhere and read through it, haven't done anything like this before.

[Anonymous No.520233]

>>519836 (cont)
Bought non-alc cider to devigrinize yesterday. After only 12 hours it's bubbling and fizzing like crazy!

The only thing I messed up was not having enough room at the top and some blowoff got into the airlock which I cleaned out. Can't wait!

[Anonymous No.520259]

>>519973
>are you relying on continued fermentation to keep them "safe"?
what happens when it's not "safe"?

[Anonymous No.520284]

>>519973
>>520259
I think by "safe" meaning contaminated by things other than yeast. You could use ~half cup of a previous batch to start the next as long as you keep the yeast healthy, this is how sourdough is made. I would be slightly concerned with consistent results though. The yeast is so cheap to buy, but give it a try if you are interested.

I was just doing to calculations on my Tree Top batch to see what kind of ABV it will yield. According to other internets, the 312g sugar / 2.88 liters = 108.3 brix (?), and ~18 to 20 brix is 1% ABV so in total about 6%.

Now, the Redstar Premier Cuvee yeast I bought are tolerant up to 18% ABV. I'm pretty sure 18% hobo cider would taste like burning asshole but 6% seems low to me so I'm going to toss in an extra cup of sugar (+200g) which should push it to just under 10%.

[Anonymous No.520292]

>>520284 (cont)

>>519973
>>520259
Sorry totally misread this somehow. After a few days the alcohol content will keep any contaminating germs at bay for short racking times. Traditional cider may be secondary fermented for months however, so you need to be extra careful about sanitization. I'm not sure but IIRC the only point of racking to a second fermenter is to remove the dead yeast that accumulates out of the bottom which, while totally safe, can dominate the subtle taste of cider/wine/beer with yeasty flavors.

[Anonymous No.520317]

>>518563
Well this is convenient, I don't even have to start a thread.

When I was reading about how to make apple cider elsewhere, I came across mention of applejack. The traditional method of making cider to applejack was to freeze it slowly, removing he ice from the top as it formed. This concentrated the cider, but at the same time it's apparently not the safest thing, as it causes a concentration of fusel alcohol/fusel oil.

A lot of sites had debates over the legality of this method as well, since it had the potential to create very high concentrations of alcohol while also having the fun side effect of blindness. Apparently, if the ABV is below 24%, it's still legal in the US. At least this is what the internet tells me, and it's never lied before...

Is there any way that you know of, within your experience, to filter the final product to make it safer, or another method by which to reach the same basic result that can be done quick/easy at home?

[Anonymous No.520349]

>>520292
>>520284
>>520259
By "safe" I was referring to how long it would take before it would start growing shit that could fuck you up when you drink it.

My intention to get rid of any lingering yeasty flavor is filtering the cider post-ferment into another container which gets tossed in the fridge for storage/consumption.

Thinking really fine cheesecloth or a coffee filter or something for filtering it through to remove the yeast.

Being a solo act who doesn't drink a ton, a single gallon should last me a week or two. Mainly concerned if it's a "bad" idea to filter the cider for refrigerated storage for up to two weeks before it's drunk, or if keeping yeast in the mixture and slowly churning away would keep it "safe" for as long as I'd need it to be.

Sorry for the wall of text.

[Anonymous No.520356]

>>520349
The yeast are perfectly fine to ingest. Once they run out of sugar or are put in the fridge they will simply stop / hibernate. It should keep in the fridge as long as regular cider would.

There's no real downside to pulling the yeast out after primary fermentation, and it will help the cloudiness/taste. The traditional method is just to let it sit during primary fermentation in which the dead yeast will settle to the bottom, then syphon the liquid into another container using a hose without getting into the much at the bottom. But just being careful not to agitate it while you pour and filtering the bottom quarter with filters would probably work fine as well.

[Anonymous No.520520]

>>520317
In reference to this: Ice Wine

From what I understand, it's the same basic "freeze to remove water" process, but it's done before fermentation. As such, there apparently isn't any concentration of the fusel oil.

Only thing is, I think it makes it have a lower ABV%.

Basically, I'm just looking to make some like ~20% applejack and not die in the process.

[oldie No.520658]

So. I got some yeast. Turbo yeast, 115g, enough to make 25 litres of 13% to 17% alcohol. (5 kilos sugar = 1, 7 kilos = 17%)
For apple juice, it's home made, but there was some sort of acid added to it to prevent it from fermenting naturally (no yeast, it was boiled as well) when it was sitting for 3 days before freezing. Will it still work?

[Anonymous No.520767]

>>520658
If it has preservatives added to prevent yeast growth my guess is you are going to have trouble. Try it out with a small cup and pinch of yeast and test.

[oldie No.520783]

>>520767 #
Uhh, will try a two litre batch. How long should I wait for results? Also, how long can I keep an open bag of yeast before it goes bad?

[Anonymous No.521011]

>>520783
It should have heavy bubbling action within 12-24 hours. Make sure you either have plenty of room at the top or put your 2-liter in the bathtub because it foams up an extra 10-20% in volume at first.

The dry yeast should last quite a while, just try to keep other things from getting inside and put it in the fridge.

[Anonymous No.521023]

>>519863
>10$
>full paychecks worth of fun money
top lel

[Anonymous No.521040]

Can you explain what you mean by the airlock and the bottle of sanitized water?

I assume the airlock is the plastic apparatus, but that makes me wonder what purpose the other two jugs serve. Are they just nigger-rigged airlocks?

[oldie No.521075]

>>521011
The yeast is most definitely working. I have a problem tho, as I was moving the bucket with my cider/juice in, the lid came off. (It is airtight, don't worry) I took the oppoturnity to add a bit more yeast and add another 200-250g of sugar for a lil' bit higher alcohol content. I closed the lid asap, and put it in a shaded area. It is still bubbling, even more than it did when the lid came off. What is the biggest risk with this lil.. accident?

[Anonymous No.521342]

>>521075
Honestly you are fine. Even if by some chance a small piece of dust or something got in by this point the yeast is already multiplied into the quadrillions, and also the alcohol is raised which will make it hard for regular germs to propagate.

You really only need to be surgical about about cleanliness if you are fermenting for more than a week or two, and generally with low proof beer such as lager (which can take months). Some decently strong cider you will fridge after less than a week is gonna be okay.jpb

[Anonymous No.521629]

>>521342

Sweet... So, it's bubbling every 4th second now (almost, sometimes 3.5, sometimes 5), I assume that's a good speed?

What about methanol then? Any risks of dangerous doses in this batch? I wouldn't want to find myself blind just because I decided to make some own cider :P

[Anonymous No.522475]

>>521629
That sounds a bit slow for the first 24 hours, but as long as it's bubbling should be okay. Mine was going about 1 bubble per second at around 12 hours, but depends on temperature and the tightness of your seal etc.

Mine has been going around 5 days and has slowed to about 1 per 10 seconds. I think I'll taste/fridge it tomorrow.

[oldie No.522492]

>>522475
Ah.. Mine is down to once every tenth second now as well... Is it mandotary to fridge it? Can't really fridge it due to... special conditions. Any words on the methanol tho?

[Anonymous No.522495]

>>522492
As long as the alcohol content is decent it should be okay for at least another week or two. Beyond that you are likely at the mercy of your sanitation.

I've never heard anyone becoming sick from spolied homebrew, but I did have a glass though you will taste it, it just tastes "off".

There'e no danger from methanol from homebrewing. Any sort of distillation however you have to be careful but I don't know anything about that. I have a friend who built a still though I might start trying to get into helping him.

[Anonymous No.522667]

>>522495
This is probably my last post here. Could I bottle it in plastic bottles? I didn't really think about that problem before now, and I can't really go out and buy/obtain glass bottles, even less the lid things. So, could I pour it into a standard 1.5L plastic bottle and a .5L plastic bottle or will that be bad? They'd be soda bottles, by the way.

[I am moot hear me roar No.522670]

>>522667
That is fine, i made some stuff when i was 16
>inb4 yesterday

We just got into drinking but had no jobs,

>5 gallon fermenter
>5 litres of tesco value apple juice
>5 jars of cheap honey
>5 kilos of sugar
>turbo yeast

cleaned everything with sanatiser. heated the honey in the jars in a pot then added everything to a big pot, mixed and brought it the heat up, do not boil honey though, skimmed the foam at the top.

Pitched my yeast in warm water and sugar when i started then when the mix was cool enough i stirred it for a good 10 mins t get the oxygen in.

The thing blew gas like an air compressor, i kept feeding it sugar for about a week until it almost died, then bottled it with a touch more.

The just near exploded in the plastic litre bottles when you unscrewed the lid but tasted ok. and at about 14% it got us all good and drunk for a pound a litre.

good times

[Anonymous No.522682]

>nice drinkable product in about 4 days
Nothing will be "nice" in 4 days.

My best cider trick is to brew it from concentrate, mixed to double strength. With higher alcohol content, it keeps better, and since you have to dilute it to drink it, you can just brew it flat and mix it with soda water instead of worrying about pressurized bottles bursting.

[Anonymous No.522783]

>Cut a hole in the top and place your air lock in the jug filled with sani water or vodka.
>sani water or vodka
>vodka
normal water will do fine and don't waste vodka for an AIR LOCK

[Anonymous No.522800]

>>522667
Why not just keep it in the original container? It sounds like your intention is just to get you/few friends drunk with it so I woudn't worry about presentation/bottling

[Anonymous No.522822]

>>522682
Subjective but calling bs on this. I just tasted my 6 days set up from >>520233 just now and it's not stellar but surprisingly good. Dry and strong, probably about 9% with the added sugar. The only thing it needs now is some carbonation and refrigeration and I think it might reach the next level.

Going to buy 4 more jugs today.

[Anonymous No.522898]

>>522822 (cont)
Final update unless I get really drunk on this or something. Here is what my bathtub looks like right now.

captcha: umbomp Look

[Anonymous No.523008]

hey its cool to see that my thread is still going and glad some people tried it. Went hiking for a few days and just got back to the interwebs

>methanol level in cider when brewing
you dont have to worry about methanol levels in cider as they are very low as with any homebrew. The only time you need to worry about distilling and you did your batch and drank the first 3 oz or so of your 5 gallon distilled batch because it acumulates first since it boils around 140f instead of 175 for the good alcohol. It is important to note that the risk of going blind is a myth that is perpetuated by people to get them not to distill there own alcohol and the treatment for methanol poisoning is in fact ethanol. Im not going to go further on that but if your interested try the home distilling forum.

>using turbo yeast
I do not recommend that it will eat all the sugars and you will have a very high alcoholic drink that tastes like ass, if you want that make sugar water booze instead.

>danger of brewing this
homebrewing is very safe and as long as you dont drink mold (you will see it) you will be fine. One problem you can run into depending on your cider is it not being pasteurized. This could make you really sick without fermenting it although thats rare to.

>do i need to refrigerate it?
yes if you would like it to be ready in 4 or 5 days it needs to be refrigerated. This is called cold crashing and slows down the yeast almost to a dead stop. They are still living though. If you leave it out it will keep fermenting and will take anywhere from 6 months to a couple years to mellow out and taste decent.

>522682

depends on your point of view i have bottles of mead and apfelwein that are gonna take years to mature but this isnt bad at all and probably the best "quick" experiment you can do. I have nothing to gain from this other than to spread my love of homebrew im not selling you an ebook or anything.

[Anonymous No.523018]

>>523008
let me rephrase my statement on alcohol related blindness. Its not a total myth but most of what you here was people adding chemicals to their homemade alcohol for a quick profit and those who distilled through and engine block, a common practice during prohibition and a bad idea. Its just not as common as you think and if some hill people can make it you could to if you wanted to and you read up.

[Anonymous No.523869]

what would happen if I just made it with water and sugar? Ofcourse yeast as well, but you got the point.

[Anonymous No.524119]

>>518569
Bulmers is bomb as hell, I had some the last time I was in Dublin and I wish I had a good way to get it here in the states.

[Anonymous No.524136]

>>524119
Bulmers is sold in the states under the name Magners. A lot of Irish pubs have it on tap, and you can find it in bottles all over the place. Pretty sure the only place its sold under the name Bulmers is Ireland. Enjoy, mate

[Anonymous No.524582]

Right now I have a big jug of apple juice that hasn't been opened and also some bread yeast.

If I combine these will I still get a drinkable product in the end? I'll of course also source some brewing yeast, but I might experiment with this.

[Anonymous No.524584]

>>524582
Yeah go ahead. Post the results

[Anonymous No.524585]

[Anonymous No.524586]

>>520520
>520349
Applejack will leave you way more hungover than applebrandy because the heads and tails (fusel oils, nasty alcohosl) are tossed during distillation. Better to just drink the cider, I say. I've never distilled, but I've made applejack. Rough stuff.

[Anonymous No.524588]

>>523018
Nothing that you could homebrew can kill you or blind you. I've drunk all kinds of spoiled batches and never got sick. I've never seen a mold grow, only bacteria and yeast. Just don't drink that part.

However, if you are distilling you could accumulate a bunch of methanol or whatever else is in heads and tails and mess yourself up. Or make a still with lead parts. Or just drink enough ethanol to die. That's the most likely scenario.

[Anonymous No.524591]

>>518592
You can use lager yeast at any reasonable temperature, it will just finish faster and have different effects on the drink. I've only made a couple ciders and I used english ale yeast. Maybe Whitbread?

[Anonymous No.524596]

>>524584
Well I couldn't find my airlock so I made one out of a bottle like in OP's picture. It was airtight when I blew on it pretty hard and I lathered it with hot glue so I hope it holds. The tube is pretty big so it should flow alright.

I washed all the shit in 1:10 bleach, but I didn't give it much attention when cleaning the bleach back off, I rinsed it quickly with water, will this be a threat to the yeast? I can just pull it off and clingwrap the bottle and clean it again I suppose.

The juice said it had some kind of acid controller, not sure how that will affect it, but it says it was made from 100% fruit juice as well.

I'll go to the shops tomorrow and have a look for some good shit, this will be my improv batch that I don't really give a shit about, but if it works I'll be pleased.