Apple Cider season

Can’t you knock the cores out cut them up for freezing? You can process them as fermenters become available?
I’m so busy,I’ve got 6 jugs of apple juice still waiting for yeast to bond with… /:
Sneezles61

Extra work I’ll crushem whole

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Well here’s the update. I ended up crushing the fruit with my homemade press couldn’t press enough juice without crushing. Maybe someday I’ll make or buy a bladder press. I took all the fruit out of the freezer which was a mistake. By time I got to the fourth bucket they were getting to thawed. At 1st l was getting 15°brix towards the end closer to 14 for average of 14.5. That should get me about 7%ABV. I’m not going to freeze the juice to get it higher but I may do it with the pears for pear ice wine which I enjoyed

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What did you make your mangler and press from?
Sneezles61

Well the mangler I bought which was a step up from smashing with a 4x4. The press is a simple frame I made with a reclaimed screw aperatice. A pail with a bunch of wholes drilled in. The collection pan is a baking pan with a drain whole. I used to use a car jack. Oh and the foot is made of some oak I cut into a circle to fit the pail.

I was going to make a mangler out of a garbage disposal ive seen that done

That’s what mine is… works great. Shoots the pulp into a five gallon bucket which I line with a coarse mesh bag. My press I made using a trailer jack…
I found I get more juice just squishing in between a disc on the bottom and top… no sides… I had some stainless sheets I made the juice catcher from with a port that drains into a carbon…
Works well.
Sneezles61

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Im going to try that if I make a bigger press although doing the glase its not about volume. The apple pulp left over is frozen containing alot of water. I think I may thaw some and check the gravity. The juice from the unfrozen apples was 10bx so im thinking I got 50% more sugars. Normally i would get 1 gallon juice from 5gallons apple. This time I got 2.25gal of juice per 3 gallons of apples. According to my math I should have only gotten 2 Gallons. But like I said they thawed and towards the end I got a lower gravity.

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Nothing I’ve tried before… but wouldn’t you yield the same as freezing the juice? During the thaw, scoop out the ice? Or how was it ice brau found… about frozen, but the center yielded the magic?
Sneezles61

You could make something similar but there is some science about the flavornoids intensifying by freezing the fruit. Apparently the best ice wine comes when freezing the fruit for a specific time. To long and its lost to short is not good either.

Im not sure it can be replicated in a freezer but ill try

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To learn is to live… I like we have the ability to X-beerment… and get X-Cidered about it! Oh that’s punny!
Sneezles61

Well here it is


I made 5 gallons with frozen apples and 5 gallons that the apples weren’t frozen. The carboy with the frozen seemed a bit better. Anyway I blended the 2 because I thought the abv to high on the de glace. Whats nice is I still ended up 7%+ without adding sugar. Very good apple flavor. Apparently what I read was on freezing the apples you not only concentrated the sugar but the flavors also. Seems like it in this seasons offering

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Nice head retention as well. Dont usually find that in my ciders. Pushing it at 20psi

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I just started some cidre from store bought juice. 1.045.
I used safale05.
Ever dry hop one yet?
Sneezles61

I’ve dry hopped a cider once with an ounce of Citra. Didn’t seem to get much out of it. Maybe using more or a concentrated hop would provide more aroma and flavor.

I’ve made some gruit just to say I did. It was drinkable but I prefer my cider and beer seperate. I’ve never added hops to cider alone not sure why I would. Hops are for beer IMO. That said I’ve added other stuff to ciders like fruit and spices and some where alright but nothing I would like a full keg of. Call me old fashioned but I prefer my cider to taste and smell of apples.

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Just how I like my brews… tasting just like beer, well, exception is a West Coast IPA with a boat load of cascades.
I’m thinking about trying some hopped cidre, heck, seems a little way through a keg the aroma disappears so….
Sneezles61

Regrettably I haven’t done a hard cider in a long time. Hops just don’t seem like they mix with one though. Cinnamon and brown sugar in small amounts worked nice. I still would like to hear results with hopped cider.