Home Brew Cider

[mole trapper 1,646]

Matt, it's quite funny reading this as whenever we do our regular jaunts up to Dorset we drive through your village and that really nice looking pub on the side of the road, I always wonder if you're in there having a tipple! Now I know you have no reason to be in there at all.

When I was still drinking I used to do full mash, proper ball ache really but I wanted to feel I'd done the whole thing by myself.

Now we have this place the first thing I did was plant an Apple orchard and a pear orchard, God only knows what I'm going to do with all the apples now, I planted all different juicing varieties.

[birdsallpl 6]

Now we have this place the first thing I did was plant an Apple orchard and a pear orchard, God only knows what I'm going to do with all the apples now, I planted all different juicing varieties.

 

I made myself a cider press a few years ago. I use a garden shredder to mulch the apples. With just my few trees and my neighbours single tree I usually get about 10 gallon. ( lasts me a few weeks and lovely).

Catching it at the right time during fermentation is the art of cider making in my view. I try to catch it at about 5% when it is not too dry. I have had some at 8% but it was to dry for me. Give it a go.

[chris87 297]

Should be bottling a coopers wheat kit tommorow. My first attempt (fingers crossed) itl be ok

[Matt 160]

Matt, it's quite funny reading this as whenever we do our regular jaunts up to Dorset we drive through your village and that really nice looking pub on the side of the road, I always wonder if you're in there having a tipple! Now I know you have no reason to be in there at all.

When I was still drinking I used to do full mash, proper ball ache really but I wanted to feel I'd done the whole thing by myself.

Now we have this place the first thing I did was plant an Apple orchard and a pear orchard, God only knows what I'm going to do with all the apples now, I planted all different juicing varieties.

 

Hardly ever there these days J.

 

I'm full time on the moles back on Exmoor at the moment

 

Funnily enough that pub has had a bad run. 4 landlords in less than 2 years, and I can't remember the last time I even went in there. If you find yourself in North Devon give me a bell and we'll have a pint.

[Matt 160]

Should be bottling a coopers wheat kit tommorow. My first attempt (fingers crossed) itl be ok

 

Good luck with that

 

Chaos here tonight.

 

Bottled up the Hambledon Bard kit before it got stupidly strong, and I'm just running 40 pints of Youngs Harvest Bitter into a barrel.

 

Elderflower picking on Sunday, so watch this space

[mole trapper 1,646]

Funny enough were off picking elder flowers today also, herself made a gallon of cordial yesterday, the ones today will be going into strawberry jam. We've had a brilliant year on the strawberry front.

Matt, would be great to meet up, but mine would be a pint of Orange juice "yuk" these days.

All I can say is thank goodness we've found good tasting alcohol free wine.

[chris87 297]

 

 

Should be bottling a coopers wheat kit tommorow. My first attempt (fingers crossed) itl be ok

Good luck with that

 

Chaos here tonight.

 

Bottled up the Hambledon Bard kit before it got stupidly strong, and I'm just running 40 pints of Youngs Harvest Bitter into a barrel.

 

Elderflower picking on Sunday, so watch this space

how did you get on with the elder flowers. Il be trying a wine with them this year hopefully. I didnt get to bottle the coopers yet how will that affect it would you think?

[Matt 160]

 

 

Should be bottling a coopers wheat kit tommorow. My first attempt (fingers crossed) itl be ok

Good luck with that

 

Chaos here tonight.

 

Bottled up the Hambledon Bard kit before it got stupidly strong, and I'm just running 40 pints of Youngs Harvest Bitter into a barrel.

 

Elderflower picking on Sunday, so watch this space

 

how did you get on with the elder flowers. Il be trying a wine with them this year hopefully.

 

The elderflower situation is not good

 

I spent ages picking a bucket full of the things whilst I was gathering some firewood.

 

Whizzed back fully loaded down with firewood on the back of the bike, and my precious bucket of flowers and the saw on the front and parked up in the field in front of the house to unload. As grub was ready, and my stomach was rumbling, I made the foolish decision to leave unloading the bike until after I'd eaten.

 

Upon my return, said bucket of precious flowers was stuck on the head of a bullock, who'd found a free snack!

 

I've not had the chance to pick any more yet and the season is rapidly disappearing. I'm just off for a quick visit to Wiltshire to see the wife for a few days, so I'm hoping there'll be some flowers left on my return.

 

I didnt get to bottle the coopers yet how will that affect it would you think?

You may struggle to get any secondary fermentation from it if you've left it too long.

 

Get it bottled ASAP and say a little prayer as you do it

 

 

Anyway, this thread has kind of inspired me.

 

I do quite a lot of brewing, and was wondering if there would be any interest in a blog on here detailing what I do as I do it. We could all learn and share ideas together if there is any interest?

[chris87 297]

 

 

 

Should be bottling a coopers wheat kit tommorow. My first attempt (fingers crossed) itl be ok

Good luck with that

 

Chaos here tonight.

 

Bottled up the Hambledon Bard kit before it got stupidly strong, and I'm just running 40 pints of Youngs Harvest Bitter into a barrel.

 

Elderflower picking on Sunday, so watch this space

how did you get on with the elder flowers. Il be trying a wine with them this year hopefully.

The elderflower situation is not good

 

I spent ages picking a bucket full of the things whilst I was gathering some firewood.

 

Whizzed back fully loaded down with firewood on the back of the bike, and my precious bucket of flowers and the saw on the front and parked up in the field in front of the house to unload. As grub was ready, and my stomach was rumbling, I made the foolish decision to leave unloading the bike until after I'd eaten.

 

Upon my return, said bucket of precious flowers was stuck on the head of a bullock, who'd found a free snack!

 

I've not had the chance to pick any more yet and the season is rapidly disappearing. I'm just off for a quick visit to Wiltshire to see the wife for a few days, so I'm hoping there'll be some flowers left on my return.

 

I didnt get to bottle the coopers yet how will that affect it would you think?

You may struggle to get any secondary fermentation from it if you've left it too long.

 

Get it bottled ASAP and say a little prayer as you do it

 

 

Anyway, this thread has kind of inspired me.

 

I do quite a lot of brewing, and was wondering if there would be any interest in a blog on here detailing what I do as I do it. We could all learn and share ideas together if there is any interest?

cheers was trying to wait to buy bottles but id say im just going to have to start washing out bottles. Any good tips on cleaning smelly bottles that were not rinsed out. I for 1 would be very intersted in a blog !!

[Matt 160]

If the bottles are really bad (shite stuck to the bottom), put a teaspoon of sand into them with some warm soapy water, and put your hand over the top and give them a damn good shake up.

 

You can also mix a gallon of cleaner steriliser solution and put three or four inches in the bottom and leave them overnight.

 

I'm quite fussy about bottles; I soak off labels and scrub them with a scouring pad to get rid of the remaining glue, and also run them through a dishwasher for the first time. After that, it's childs play. I just rinse them a couple of times with clean cold water and then sterilise them just before I bottle up.

[steve66 3,075]

picked up 40 pint kit of geordie mild for £6.99 from morrisons , thought that was cheap

[Matt 160]

picked up 40 pint kit of geordie mild for £6.99 from morrisons , thought that was cheap

It was

 

You've done well there; and as a bonus it's a lovely pint

[Brewman 1,190]

If the bottles are really bad (shite stuck to the bottom), put a teaspoon of sand into them with some warm soapy water, and put your hand over the top and give them a damn good shake up.You can also mix a gallon of cleaner steriliser solution and put three or four inches in the bottom and leave them overnight.I'm quite fussy about bottles; I soak off labels and scrub them with a scouring pad to get rid of the remaining glue, and also run them through a dishwasher for the first time. After that, it's childs play. I just rinse them a couple of times with clean cold water and then sterilise them just before I bottle up.

I got 240 magners bottles from my local and soaked them in to lots over night in the bath then gave them a good shake and rinse before washing them in 40 bottle batches and then sterilising with VWP..

Absolute testicle ache but I only need to rinse them now.

Haven't done any for a while but I will be doing some come august time hopefully, a Blackrock cider and a coopers pale ale.

[Brewman 1,190]

A blog would be gyood Matt.

[chris87 297]

Cheere matt and brewman im going to get them soaking now and hopefully my brew wont be ruined by tommorow when i bottle. I just pressed the lid of the bucket and there is still gas in there would that be a sign that it might still be ok and will secondry ferment? Im a week and a day past the week recomended in the fermenting bucket . If it does secondry ferment when bottled will it be any different to a same batch that was bottled in the recomended week. Cheers again lads its great to be able to get advice of people way more experienced!!