I found a recipe on the web recently for something called TurboCider. Well, I gave it a whirl but made a few upfront modifications along the way. I’m no expert scrumpy brewer, but it seems that the Turbo part comes from whacking a lot more yeast into the apple juice than recommended by the Taste Police, so that was my first change.
Proper cider is made from the fresh pulp of apples, sometimes a single variety of apple is used to aim for a purer taste. This quick recipe eschews that difficult stage completely! Making pulp requires workspace and equipment that discourages the casual experimenter. By using supermarket apple juice the process is made 90% simpler at a stroke. Okay, you’ll not get a brew that’ll make the CAMRA lists any day soon but it certainly, in my opinion, stacks up well against commercial stuff like Strongbow or Dry Blackthorn.
DocDelete’s TurboCider V2
You’ll need a glass bottle with sealable lid (I find Weston’s scrumpy jars are ideal); a funnel; an old cotton handkerchief; a teaspoon; a small plastic cup; an appropriate amount of cheapo apple juice (I used Tesco value at 48p per litre) to fill the bottle; and a packet of cider or wine yeast (I used Gervin wine yeast No3 - see www.brewgenie.co.uk).
- Sterilise the glass bottle, lid, handkerchief, cup and spoon by immersing in boiling water and letting stand for around three minutes. If the glass bottle is too large to boil by immersion, put a small amount of warm water (to get the glass to temperature slowly) in the bottom, and place it on its side in a microwave oven. Set the microwave just long enough to see the water boil, and then around three minutes to produce boiling steam - this will do a good job.
Note: sterilising tablets could be used but I wanted to spend as little as possible, and keep the ingredient list to as few things as I could. - Fill your bottle to around 80% with apple juice.
- The original recipe advised using a tablespoon of yeast! I thought this excessive and liable to taste too Marmitey! I used half a standard packet (and froze the rest). You could use less and wait longer. Make up the yeast as per the packet instructions. In my case this was by mixing with a bit of tepid water (in the plastic sterilised cup) with a spoon of sugar to help things along. Adding sugar makes the final brew more alcoholic, but will change the taste. Use sparingly.
- Bung the yeast paste into the bottle with the juice - DO NOT TOP UP WITH MORE JUICE. Some frothing will occur, leave room in the bottle for this to happen without spilling.
- Seal the bottle, but not too tightly. The natural effervesence of the fermentation (production of CO2 bubbles) will tend to keep air out, along with airborne bacteria. Shake the bottle for a few moments.
- Check the brew periodically - you may hear hissing. Pressure can be relieved by loosening the lid a touch. Do not be concerned, this is a low pressure process.
- After a couple of days, resterilise the funnel, boil the handkerchief and strain the brew into another sterile container. This will clarify the mixture somewhat. Strain it back into the original bottle.
- Top up with any remaining apple juice, and try to leave only a small gap in the bottle.
- The cider may be ready to drink in as little as four days. Fermentation continues along with the production of gas for much longer. While my brew was drinkable after four days, it was much better after two weeks. Some sediment and cloudiness will occur, especially with using this much yeast. Don’t shake the bottle at any point, just leave the gunge at the bottom. Cloudiness, or “streamers” will not affect the taste.
NOTE: keep a record of variables, and experiment. Different wine and cider yeasts will yield different flavours. I’m currently trying some cheap pear juice - watch this space!
JUICE or CONCENTRATE? Most cheap supermarket apple juice is made from imported powder or concentrate. A cheaper option is to obtain this raw material and make up your own batch. It’s important to note that commercial apple juice is pre-sterilised to extend shelf-life. It will not ferment on its own without yeast, unlike fresh apple pulp.
Happy quaffing!
