How to process a micro test batch of cider

[Andrew Leighton]

I have a single young Herefordshire Redstreak tree that's cropped 30 fruits this season. I want to produce a batch of juice to test but what's the best method to extract juice, press and ferment/store such a small batch, and presumably I should add some yeast (and not just hope the fruit has wild yeast). Thanks, Andrew

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Andrew Leighton

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[terryc...@gmail.com]

Hi Andrew, sorry about the late reply. I have done w few small batches of about 2 litres, sometimes to compare different yeasts in exactly the same juice. Your 30 apples should produce  2L-3L which I have found behaves just the same as larger quantities. I often produce 5L (sort of one gallon) batches. You simply need to adjust the amount of yeast etc to suit. I don;t know what the situation is in the UK but here in Oz we can buy a "flagon" (glass 2L bottle ) of cheap fortified wine for $10-$15. Throw out, drink, or cook with the cheap wine and you have a bonus 2L fermenting vessel!

[Brent Miles-Wagner]

Weck makes nice little jars that you can ferment with the gasket/lid just unsealed, there are also some places that sell fermentation toppers for them. I've found them a nice size for small home fermentation since you can get a few different sizes (700ml, 1000ml, etc) that make it so you can step down easily after primary fermentation. Then when you aren't using them you can use for storing food/canning etc. 

The main thing you need, if you are adding yeast/nutrients etc, is a precise scale! Which a lot of homebrew stores will sell, since for 700ml you're adding something like .175g/yeast.

[Mark Fitzsimmons]

If you don’t have a scratter, a juicer or food processor works fine (you might want to peel a few (half)  if using a juicer and add peels back to the juice for color & flavor). If you don’t have a press for chopped food processor pulp, after maceration for a day on pectic enzyme you can put pulp in nylon hose or paint strainer bag, hang bag over a bucket with rope and squeeze the heck out of it and twist/ wring it out or squeeze between two bowls of similar size. 2liter or 1 liter plastic bottles are fine. You can even put it in 2 bottles and put yeast in only 1 of them. A poor man’s airlock : plastic bag and rubber band on the neck. You can put them in refrigerator after a week to crash/clarify, or to control fermentation temp (can cool overnight and monitor temp during day on the counter with meat thermometer) if you really want to go crazy.