Making Cider, Stringers Cider Day 2011

Well, Third times a charm. Making cider this year was certainly different. With new and improved cheescloths, a steel frame suitable and we got to the point where the jack could not put any more force on the stack of cheeses. We were hitting 60-70 litres of apple juice a go with much less effort than last year. The noise is rubbish but its the only way to get this capacity automated for £200! We got through washing, milling and pressing 5 1/4 lots from 10am to 5pm with an hours cleaning up at least. 350 litres of apple juice in barrels and now off to start collecting again for another go in two weeks. Filled two big barrels nearly ready to ferment into cider. Need to look at the float switch thing again but the idea is sound. Need a one way valve on the pump to stop it feeding back and I think were there. The added sides on the cheese form worked really well and allowed us to almost throw scoups of milled apple into it without it going over the sides....the stuff on the floor was from all the throwing.......not from falling out of the cheese form! PH was 3.4 in the filled one and 3.5 in the less filled one. SG was 1.057 so it should ferment to 6% plus. sulphited with 5% stock solution at half the amount recommended for that PH. Roll on march 2012! details in craft cidermaking by andrew lea, a must get book.