ive never brewed anything.a six pack of crappy,over sweetened store bought hard cider is 8 bucks at 6abv.i think i can do better,with the help of some of you brew masters.i want to do a simple 5gal batch with consentates and brown sugar,but i also want to add a bit of real apple for yeast nutriant and taste(granny smith)my qustion is,how do i prep the apples?(ec 1118 i want it dry)any help would be welcome.this forum seemes to have some realy good info.ive learned alot just by reading older posts,so thank you and cheers
I don’t believe you want to boil the apples. I’ve made cider from the back yard tree and allowed it to ferment naturally. It didn’t taste the best because there was only one apple variety in it. Boiling/cooking the apples can activate the pectin and cause the cider to remain hazy.
Making it form frozen concentrate you will have a mix of apples so it should taste fine.
“dryness” is a function of the sugar content (specific gravity) you start with and the alcohol tolerance of the yeast.
1118 is the Champagne yeast? The will make a drink getting up to 17% and still be dry.
Wine yeast will go up to 13-15% and be dry.
Beer yeast up to 8-10%.
Each yeast will give a different flavor also.
You really should have a hydrometer and test jar or a refractometer so you have a clear (ish) idea as to what is happening. Knowing the specific gravity so you can replicate the drink again. Or know what a change will do to it.
Congratulations on doing a fair amount of reading before diving in. I read for about 3 months before I jumped in.
Ask any other question you get stuck on.
Do not boil. You could simply hit it with some K-meta and wait 24hrs prior to pitching.
I would pick up some nutrient, its cheap and easy.
EC-1118 would not be my first choice for cider yeast.
