Cider making - juicer, this juicer lets you put in 3 medium sized apples at once! Very fast… To make pear cider, use pears and top up with apples, I’ve used 75% pear, 25% apple, then add the cider yeast and get the specific gravity to 1055 (use a hygrometer and mix in sugar until the SG rises to that level). Pears have more tannins than apples - this affects taste and can make the pear cider more bitter.
1. use ripe-ish apples - sweeter apples give better flavour
2. juicers are great for small quantities, eg 20 litres, any more, you might need to make a cider press!
3. measure the specific gravity of the pulped juice - should be 1055 - get it up to this by adding a bit of sugar (2 1/2 ounces sugar raises gravity of 1 gallon by 5 degrees)
4. for English cider use ale yeast, for Normandy-style cider use wine yeast
5. malo-lactic fermentation that occurs after a few months helps cider lose its sharpness
