apple cider

[sponge]

hey

hopefully over the next couple of days, i will be putting down an apple cider

i read a recipe somewhere (sorry to whoever's it was for me not being able to acknowledge you for it), but it involved about 4L of apple n pear juice, raspberry cordial (i think it was the 90% stuff), 2kg of sugar, and then the extract kit and of course, the water, and i have decided to give it a try as i was after making a cider which was quite sweet so that the ladies who come over but dont enjoy beer (what a shame) could still indulge in an alcoholic beverage

i was also keen to get it at a reasonably highish alcohol content, just so that i can take a few longnecks of it somewhere and have a good night, without having to take a whole bagful of them (if, god forbid, i dont feel like beer for some reason).

here are just a couple of questions i had on the subject;
1. what brand do people recommend for apple ciders?
2. should i invest in a premium yeast for to achieve this higher alcohol? if so, what sort of yeast should i be looking for? would also using a packet of dry enzymes help this?
3. will that be enough sugar (i was planning on just using white sugar as ive read that it helps boost the whole cider taste) to achieve a reasonable sweetness? should i use brown sugar, raw sugar, or some other sugar like lactose/dextrose instead?
4. is it worth boiling sum grated granny smith apples with the rest of the primary ingredients to enhance the apple flavour?

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

cheers, sponge

[drsmurto]

Carpet bombing the forums...... not that thats a bad thing mind.

I make cider from juice, not kit.

But a mate of mine who started brewing late last year has been doing ciders mainly. All from a kit, one that contains artificial sweeteners which i have been known to get on my soapbox about. They are very drinkable and he has been adding juice instead of just water.

Not too sure on the raspberry cordial. I would suggest you are better off adding raspberries. Or use the apple and blackcurrant juice for something a little different.

Increase the alcohol content by either adding more sugar or if it was me, reducing the volume to say 18L. More flavour, more alcohol.

The only way to get sweetness in your cider is to use a kit with artificial sweeteners or add a truck load of lactose. Best way to 'impress the ladies' is to mix the cider in the glass with a touch of either apple juice (sparkling) or maybe some lemonade. Will be nicer IMHO than the artificial sweetener taste which can take time to dissipate.

Cheers
DrSmurto