I'm thinking of having a go at homebrewing my own cider as I get loads of apples in the Autumn. I've never tried it before so am wondering if anyone has any advice/experience/knows of any good resources.
It hard work First off it hard smashing up the fruit, then you need a press. We find it easiest, to pound the fruit with an old fence post in a large bucket. Then the pulp is transferred into a press. We have bought a purpose built press. You can use a juicer, but it will take ages. You don’t get much juice out unless you have a proper press. The juice will react with your fingers turning them brown. We ferment in demijohns, its easier to stop contamination that way. Then we bottle in old Grolsh bottles. We make about 10 gallon a year like this, and its good stuff. But still not sure if its worth all the effort.
RE: It hard work But I bet it tastes better cos you made it. Always found that with Home Beer but the difference is it was a hell of a lot stronger than the 'bought stuff'
RE: It hard work No idea how strong it is. But certainly all that apple sweetness changes to alcohol, its very dry and very drinkable. Except the year we had 10 gallons of cider vinegar