Same actually, watching all your videos and putting the links in your vids has made me spend about $400 on things. Very thankful for the help you guys provide and the new hobby!
Hey. The sanitize the scissors guy... his mind was in the right place. Kudos to him. He will learn as he goes. He'll learn what corners to cut after time. But ill bet he'll has a lot less botched batches than the average homebrewer. Good for him😊
It is absolutely safe to let a half-bottle carbonate, but you are likely to get a half-carbonation. The air above a carbonated drink is a spring, and carbonation needs it to be compressed. Too little air space and the air gets very high pressure and can become a bottle bomb if you added too much sugar. Too much air space and the pressure doesn't rise as much because more goes into compressing the air.
I don't even drink. Why did I watch this entire video, after watching the entire other blueberry cider video? Cause you two are neat and funny. And you make it sound so good that I almost wish I did drink.
I think the sanitized scissors thing comes from a lot of the pre packages kits you can buy. They always mention sanitizing the scissors in their instructions. If Red Star would just make packets that rip we wouldn't have to worry LOL! Can't sanitize it all folks just do what you can! Can't wait to try this recipe!
If we used regular sugar, it would ferment again. That, combined with trying to carbonate would continue to ferment until the bottles exploded due to pressure buildup. So by using a non-fermentable sugar, we got a safe amount of carbonation and a good sweetness level.
Just want to say you both rock.. there are many people who make wine vids but never go over the why and how's Like the two of you do. You explain every step and show the failures (few and far between) which is why you are my go to on wine, ciders, and meads. Thanks a lot for everything you do and all the work that goes on off the camera. Shane A Chelsea, Maine
Last fall I made a straight apple cider using Safcider AC-4 for primary fermentation, but it was 3 months later (racked 3x, including off one cold crash) I had none left to add for carbonation, and used a Champagne yeast- Red Star Premier Cuvee because that's what I had on hand. I was very pleased with the results. Crisp, fruity, and with great carbonation. You've inspired me to try an apple/blueberry using frozen wild berries. I had tried once before using a blueberry concentrate, and It was not optimal.
Absolutely love you two! I've started on my first project because of watching you. A apple/pear/raspberry cider to start! Why also raspberry? That was the condition my fiancee set for me starting this hobby 😂 going to go a little nuts pretty soon and buy at least 4 more fermenting bottles because I looooooooove mead!
Awesome video, lots of great information as well as fun and humor! I don't mind the cats if they appear, and y'all having fun is so infectious! Made me smile and laugh with you. Love love blueberry, it's in my top 3 favorite (mango, blueberry, watermelon) fruits so this recipe is wonderful.
Just went to Maiden Rock cidery and orchard and had their Crabby cider. It's made from 100% mixed crabapple juice off their trees. As a cider hound seeker, I thought 8t was the best pure apple cider I've ever drank. They somehow got the essence of those apples to shine through. Bad thing was that they hadn't bottled any yet, so it was just an in-person experience. You all are getting me close to try my own, especially with that choco pomegranate wine. Yum!
Finally got my first batch of this recipe started last night 8:30 Fermenter in pan. Used full package Safale S04 and 2.5G Fermaide O. Last minute remembered need to add black tea! Stirred in very slowly but still hot. Fermenting started within an hour, supercharged airlock this morning! Thx again for a successful start to this great tasty new hobby. Youtze 2 rock!
I just bought a starter kit and all the testers bottles and Sterilizing mix To make my own Wine And cider ❤ Love your Show ! . Found You both on utube watch alot of your shows this weekends. both are knowledgeable in making homemade Brew. 😋 Just retired And have been wanting to do this .Blueberry cider sounds yummy Good 👍
Watching you two always brings a smile to my face. Thank you for doing what you do, I have a LOT of backlog to catchup on, and I intend to get through it. First ever batch of mead has been racked, second batch will be underway in the next week, all thanks to your teachings and advice
Juicing apples yourself tastes so much better than store bought in my opinion. I'm including concentrate. Done several different tests over 3 years. Fuji apples produce the best Cyser I've personally had.
Looks lovely!! For me, where I live, we have lots of fruit growers and beautiful produce in season, so I pick or buy fresh blueberries (and other fruit) and freeze them for brewing, and I freeze fresh pressed cider when I can for this purpose also. I never use Campden tablets anymore - I am still bitter about the gorgeous colour of my strawberry-rhubarb wine that was totally RUINED (bleached out) by adding Campden a few years back lol. I would rather take my chances with yeasty-beasties than do that again. My latest strawberry/blueberry/rhubarb wine is a nice dark red-pink colour and should age nicely!
I finally did it. Made a batch of cherry cider 2.3 gallons (9 litres) of cider. Also making another standard batch of 9 liters of cider. Just shy 5 Gallons of cider
Super vidéo ! Being a french retired in Belhaven NC, after doing apple cider with some Friends at Sainte Mère Église in Normandie for over 10 years, it IS better to taste any ciders (like beers!) Not too COLD, and you may have more fizz and carbonation, don't change 😂
I've only used Mangrove Jack's Cider Yeast M02 yeast for making the ciders I've done. It was recommended by our local home brew store. So far, I really like the results over the last 3 years of cider. I'd love your opinion on it! 😁 I just made a batch of cider with Transparent apples and Lambert cherries out of my yard. Holy crap! Did it work fast and furious! 5 days of the air lock burping every 1-3 seconds until my SG was 1.001. Rack, back-sweeten and pasteurized at about 6% ABV. I'll let you know next summer out of the keg & keezer. The packet states: "A high ester-producing cider strain imparting wonderful flavor depth, reveling the full fruit potential. Makes exceptionally crisp, flavoursome and refreshing ciders." From the back of the pack: Attenuation (95-100%) Flocculation very high (5/5) alcohol tolerance 17.5% (out of Auckland NZ packed in the UK). BTW, I still want to make a huckleberry cider... Someday!
That’s was pretty great. Yea I’ve had issues with natural carb. And I even got a small keg and it works better but I can’t bottle from it. It loses carb fast.
Hello guys, this looks incredible. I’m going to get some supplies tomorrow for my next few brews and this will be one. It looks nice and easy and from your reactions it’s delicious. I’m going to try the carbonation technique you used here. What an easy video to watch. Very funny and great info. Cheers guys 🇦🇺
For 1 gallon batches I have a mini keg that fits in fridge and I can pressure it up as much as I want and serve it directly from the mini keg while it sits on the fridge shelf. I know that doesn't complete the video cider bottling video but for your own drinking of the brew you can actually unbottle and put in keg and drink from the mini and no one has to know. 🙂
I've truly enjoyed watching and learning from you over the last year and a half. Including adding to my vocabulary with derica created words. The only problem is that when I view other channels I have difficulty biting my tongue. I recently watched someone make a wine from table grapes, water, various spices, bread yeast, and enough sugar to choke a horse. They go on to say that it is ready to drink after 3 days and that it is 10% abv and ready to bottle. All without using a hydrometer, mind you. O.M.G. After getting a hold of myself, I sometimes give a brief explanation of why the information is not entirely safe and or accurate, and then direct them to your channel in the hopes of clearing things up and saving them from themselves. Oh yeah, great video. Highly recommend using frozen wild blueberries. Took my wines to another level in regards of flavor and color.
Been binge watching your videos for a few months, just now decided to drop about $250 on some brewing gear :D very excited to get into home brewing. Thank you both for the content!
I do half bottles with carbonation with beer all the time. I use them as testers to see if the priming worked. I only let them sit for maybe 3-4 days and then pop it open. If i get that delightful pop i know its working and the others are carbonating nicely. There is more room for pressure in a half bottle, but there's also less brew, so it won't make as much CO2. I think its safe, as long as your bottle is good.
Hey there i started homebrewing the same time as you , i discovered your videos and have watched them weekly ever since, as a Brit and a big cider fan, dissapointed to see another failed carbonation attempt, my own opinion obviously,, My rule of thumb that has never let me down once in 5 years, 10g of sugar per litre of must, for a Us gallon i would go 40g, try it once, if i am wrong i will eat humble pie, Keep the videos coming, one of the highlights of my week
A bit more sugar might not hurt. 40 g vs the 28 we used should be fine. Our channel started 5 or so years ago but we started years before that. Just simple stuff.
You are both an inspiration, always pushing boundries, i have recently done an appel cyser methaglin that I am going to fortify it with apple jack daniels for a tasty Xmas drink I live in the Shetland islands in the uk, check us out on google Sending love from one of your most remote fans ❤
I recently got into brewing my own mead and cider, I love how to the point you guys are and how informative you are in every one of your videos. You guys have really helped me learn the craft and essentially held my hand through the scary parts like racking and gravity readings. Would you guys consider making any videos on brewing beers like lagers and ales? I'd like to try my hand at those.
Another great video. I seem to be saying that a lot, cause it's true 😁. I'll be looking for a bunch of fresh blueberries now. I searched for information on carbonation and partial bottles and the majority of replies said there should be no difference between a full bottle and a partial bottle except a possible bitter taste from excessive carbon dioxide in the container. I've never had a problem when carbonating and leaving headroom. But I'll also add, I've never made anything with strong carbonation because I think soda and beer are way over carbonated 😊👍🙏❤️
My daughter-in-law used my Little Big Mouth Bubbler to make kombucha. Is it safe to use it to make ciders, meads, and wine, or is it permanently contaminated with the kombucha mother?
1st time commenter...Great content btw. I constantly have something brewing at the house. I can say the only time I've ever used a campden tab was in a watermelon wine and I swear it gave it a funky smell. Tasted great but I couldn't get over the smell. Wasn't rot or eggs, just some weird funk. I've been scared to use them ever since.
What about adding some extra sugar to help boost the ABV during fermentation? I’m in a bit of a quandary about making meads and distilling my own whiskey, bourbons, and brandy’s.
This might sound like a dumb/self explanatory question, but would you recommend making this cider in a small mouth fermentor? I dont have big mouth ones and really wanna do this. I've never brewed something with fruit in a small mouth vessel. I mean getting the berries in and out will going to be very annoying, but it should work right?
Does costco sanitize the berries? Or why might theirs be campden-skippable Im wondering if i picked my own berries if it would be wise to skip the campden by freezing them before. I get that freezing can lyse the cell walls so could I always blanch then freeze if im worries about wild yeasts? Bsc in Micro but still learning homebrew.
Have you used carbonation drops? And can you "bulk" pasturise, say in a carboy in a water bath with a sous-vide heater, cool, sweeten, re-yeast and then bottle?
Did your blueberry mead, from last year, not come out great? Or did I miss a video. I started a blueberry cider on the 14th of July and it came out with gravity of 1.050. Within six days the airlock had stopped completely. Took a reading and it was down to 0.994. That is super crazy that we had similar results. The only difference is that because I have a tons of 71B, I used it and put my blueberries in a bag, with weights. Keep the videos coming. You two are doing awesome! 💚
Love y’all’s channel! It’s like sitting on the front porch chatting with good friends. And very informative. Question: I followed the recipe for blueberry cider and it’s only a week old. I used frozen blueberries from our yard is the only difference. But for some reason it still looks like apple juice in color. There is no blueberry color. It smells wonderful and is still bubbling away. Any thoughts on why it has not turned blueberry color like y’all’s? Thanks
I honestly couldn't say. Maybe the color just won't come out of the berries? Did you use campden tablets on the berries or any other method to sanitize?
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks for responding! No , they were picked this year and then frozen til about a day before starting the fermentation. Maybe they are just slow to release the color… it’s kinda starting to get a pinkish color. Thanks for your time. I look forward to your next video!
I finally opened my blackberry cider it tastes pretty good for being my first one but it has a off flavor I can't place it has a slight funk is how I would describe it. This one looks good
New to fermenting, Like your videos, couple of dumb question; (1)whats the conversion from grams of Fermaid O to teaspoon, (2) how do sanitize the towel you use while mixing ingredients and setting various tools down.
I suggest measuring via weight since it’s a tiny amount and makes it more accurate. We don’t. Enough sanitizer gets dripped on it. Sanitize as best you can but no need to get crazy.
Just found your channel and watched both videos on Blueberry Cider. I loved your videos! I found them to be not only informative but also very entertaining! I suspect that the Brett funk you were getting from your first brew was most likely due to the oak addition. Whenever I have used oak, especially "used" oak, I like to sanitize it by boiling(which I suspect you did) and then adding it after fermentation instead of at the beginning so there is less "food" and a decent alcohol level to suppress any yeast or bacterial growth. Just a thought. Anyway, keep up the good work!!
Found your channel a week or two ago and I'm loving every video I watch, you guys are lot more genuine and real than a lot of other UA-camrs and I really appreciate that! Stupid question maybe and I'm sure its been answered before but is this something I could do in a store bought apple cider jug or does it have to be done in a wide mouth jar? And if so why? What's the difference between using a wide mouth jar vs a small? Thanks for the awesome vids!!!!
You can use the jug it came in… but glass is safer. Less leeching of plastic into the cider. Wide vs small mouth really doesn’t matter unless you are adding or removing things that are larger than the opening :)
I've been watching your videos and decided to jump into the hobby myself. I followed all the steps and got my first batch ready. Something I did not think about was my frozen blueberries. I see you had a bowl for yours. I did not do any prep and dumped them in the gallon jug and topped them with the juice and yeast. Is this going to be a problem? I figured I would check before letting it sit for a week. What steps are recommended for adding frozen fruit into a cider. If I missed a video explaining it please let me know. I appreciate all the hard work!
Definitely going to try this recipe! Though in my case, I think skipping the carbonation steps and just using a soda stream to carbonate when we serve individual pours would be easier.
Funny how things just happen to work out. I was already thinking about getting a 1 gallon Wiess kit from Morebeer. Then one day I was out exploring UA-cam looking for information on urban homesteading or "city steading" when I came across your channel. And I'm SO glad I did! If you don't mind, I have a few questions... 1)I know you like the 1.5-gallon wide-mouth fermenter, but what are your thoughts on FastFerment's 3-gallon conical? It's not as compact as the 1.5 gallons but would help eliminate issues while racking or bottling. Can also save yeast too! 2)I haven't watched all your videos yet, but so far you've been using whole fruit like blueberries. Except for when you cut the stems out, you didn't really do much with the strawberries either. Would it help with flavors if your fruit is slightly mashed up? 3)early on in your channel's history you did a few ale videos. I haven't watched any yet, as I do watch your complete videos and some are 1 hour long! I would really like to see a fruit ale being done or better yet, I could use advice on how to turn Morebeer's Weiss kit into something that tastes like Lienenkugel's Honey Weiss.
I do not like to ferment in plastic. Tiny scratches can hold infections. Yeast are microscopic and will get the the sugars. We don’t do specific beer styles as we are not really beer makers. Instead we offer a few recipes now and then. Beer is the least popular topic on our channel historically. So we instead offer information on topics our audience wants to see.
@@CitySteadingBrews Re Ale/Beer, fair enough. Already many folks already covering it. Hadn't thought about the scratch issues. I wasn't totally sold on it anyways, at 26" tall with the stand and airlock included, it's not exactly compact as I would like.
Great video. Thanks again. No pectic enzymes or puree of the frozen blueberries in this one? You back-sweeten to taste, but have you ever tried to measure out and record for a recipe like this?
We try to use as few additives as we can. As for how much sweetening... the specific gravity reading we give is FAR more useful. If you have a different volume, even a few ounces different, the. You'd have to do some calculations to get it the same as ours if I said to add say a pound of sugar. But if you have an sg to shoot for, the volume doesn't matter.
I am going to have to try this one. Blueberry is my jam. Might I suggest watermelon for a nice summertime brew. I made a watermelon wine last year that i am currently enjoying the heck out of.
Care to share your recipe? I know watermelon can be difficult to work with. I have a 5 gallon batch going now using watermelon juice from Arizona brand and hoping it works!
We never saw any bubbles in our 5 gallon bucket fermentation and we are 5 days in. Bucket lid is secure and air tight and the room smells like blueberry bread. Only thing I was curious about was pitching the yeast on top vs mixing it in. This is our first home brew so we are anxious new parents with this brew.
I had that wierd smell before in different brands of apple juice. Campden tablets wouldn't cause that smell but the apple juice would. I think it was the brand of apple juice that you used in the other video. I always use this type of apple juice in this video
We have used it before and never had that smell. A few others said the sulfites could cause it. We haven't used them since and no smell, but that could just be coincidence too.
Thinking I need to try this with blackberries. I like carbonating with a can of condensed apple juice and using a test plastic bottle to gauge carbonation. Refrigerate bottles once plastic bottle is tight. Never had a bomb form
Just FYI, refrigerating will not actually stop fermentation. But it's about the same amount of sugars we add since most frozen apple juices are about 30g of sugar in 10 ounces.
I may have missed this in other videos, so I apologize if you've answered this multiple times. Once you have carbonated the cider for a couple weeks in the bomb shelter, how do you store it? Shelf, refrigerator? Also, how long does it last?
Guys, sorry to be a pain heh... I'm so new... I have a wine and a mead going (My first ever) My wine (Cherry with real fruit) last check at just over two weeks reads 1.000 and my mead after about a week has completely stopped bubbling haven't checked it. Should I wait to rack "just in case"? Sorry, just learning and would hate to mess stuff up... Again, thank you so very much for the education! Been watching pretty much non stop for about a week lol
@@CitySteadingBrews 🙂 I know you've said it a million times in your videos... If it's done, it's done... I think I'm just looking for the reassurance...lol I truly do appreciate you guys. Thank you!
This looks amazing!! My neighbour has an apple orchard, I’m going to pop by today to see if he has any of last year’s cider left so I can make this! Allulose isn’t available where I am, what would be your second choice as sweetener for this brew?
Absolutely love your content!! So much in fact, that I am now on my 2nd round of ciders. I have a question, and hopefully this is the place to ask… I have big floaties in my Blueberry cider? These are big chunks, not the small yeast in foam. I do have photos, but no way to post them on here… Keep doing what you do!! Take care my friends….. ✌️😎
@@CitySteadingBrews …. No on the smell, and no on the fuzzies/hairy. I shall carry on and finish this batch! Huge THANK YOU for the response. Love what you do… take care and happy holidays to you both….
I have seen some talk about using the "soda stream" to carbonate beverages instead of doing a natural carbonation. Have you heard of this technique or has anyone in the community some insight into this, any information would be appreciated. Keep up the great videos and informative content. Thanks
Those bubblers also have a medicine cup looking cap airlock and you put the sanitizer in the ring of the black lid, I use that for height to keep them in a cabinet.
What can you do to increase the carbonation? More sugar? Yeast? Years ago, my son made blueberry beer. It was wonderful! Beautiful deep purple red with a pink head and the taste was to die for. Wish he would make it again, but he’s doing mead this fall. Shared your video with him.
I have property in PA where I harvest huckleberries (wild blueberries) freeze them for my trip south.. in the fall I make wine.. Do I need to use Compton tablets to start if the berries were frozen?..
First? Editing later, after watching. LOL EDIT: Awesome scores! Last week I took sole of my meads to a farewell party. All were melomels, finished on the semi-sweet side. I live in an area where mead is a virtual unknown. Almost everyone who tasted them came to me telling me they tasted my ‘cider’. Every time I told them what I brought was actually mead. THEY LOVED THEM! The person for whom the party was took some with him to have his mother, who is from a family of commercial wine makers in Italy. He wanted her to taste my product. A few asked me if I was willing to sell them a few bottles. Nope: it’s illegal and that’s a risk I’m not willing to take. One of them however was so taken with my melomels he kept insisting. So we’re going to trade skills. My melomels for his woodworking. Happy days. Next time all of us get together I need to have a few ciders to contribute. This one needs to be in the line-up. That means I’ve got work to do. Happy days!
Blueberries are similar to bilberries. I wonder about billberry substitute in mead since I have abundance of them. It might be slighty more acidic since bilberry have lower ph then blueberry so extra honey would help.
Looking for some guidance. We put the defrosted and lightly smushed up blueberries in nut milk bag to avoid mess. Day 2 at about 32 hours and not seeing Blueberry color in must. Should I let it ride or take them out of the bag, taking care to remain sanitized?
Carbonation question : what if I backsweeten with sugar, bottle, then I check them every 12 hours or so for carbonation. When I have bubbles, I seal them up and pasteurize? I won't be shocked if it's a bad idea, I just want an explanation why lol
@@CitySteadingBrews update, I did it and they were ready to pasteurize after about 16 hours. I did lose some brew to a faulty swing top gasket 😢 but they turned out great! My wife prefers the fizz and low alcohol content, so she sends her thanks as well!
Just an idea for you, i have seen where soda is carbonated with dry ice. You could use a "pressure cooker" like what grandma used to use for canning or cooking the roast. Pour in the Mead and put some dry ice in and close it up tight then wait for an hour then bottle. if it doesn't work as much as you want, add more dry ice. (i am referencing making root beer at home method {i.e. the flavor it gives} ) This method would be interesting to see if it actually worked.
Watching you two has caused me to invest about $300 to start my own brew. I adore you two. Quirky and weird ❤
I resemble that remark.
I have paused and went to Amazon app at least 4-5 times….
I love quirky and weird❤❤❤
Same actually, watching all your videos and putting the links in your vids has made me spend about $400 on things. Very thankful for the help you guys provide and the new hobby!
ha. they did the same thing to me. my blueberry wive is bubbling away.
Hey. The sanitize the scissors guy... his mind was in the right place. Kudos to him. He will learn as he goes. He'll learn what corners to cut after time. But ill bet he'll has a lot less botched batches than the average homebrewer. Good for him😊
It is absolutely safe to let a half-bottle carbonate, but you are likely to get a half-carbonation. The air above a carbonated drink is a spring, and carbonation needs it to be compressed. Too little air space and the air gets very high pressure and can become a bottle bomb if you added too much sugar. Too much air space and the pressure doesn't rise as much because more goes into compressing the air.
thanks for your service brian.....i was in the 101st Airborne from 1979-1991...air assault soldier!!!!!!!
I don't even drink. Why did I watch this entire video, after watching the entire other blueberry cider video? Cause you two are neat and funny. And you make it sound so good that I almost wish I did drink.
Lol, thanks :)
Happy happy, joy joy! Happy happy, joy joy!
You coveteth my ice cream bar!
My mom makes absolutely DELICIOUS blueberry lemon cinnamon preserves. I could see you guys enjoying a similar flavor profile in a brew.
I think the sanitized scissors thing comes from a lot of the pre packages kits you can buy. They always mention sanitizing the scissors in their instructions. If Red Star would just make packets that rip we wouldn't have to worry LOL! Can't sanitize it all folks just do what you can! Can't wait to try this recipe!
Yup! But… I still don’t sanitize scissors for opening yeast.
If we used regular sugar, it would ferment again. That, combined with trying to carbonate would continue to ferment until the bottles exploded due to pressure buildup. So by using a non-fermentable sugar, we got a safe amount of carbonation and a good sweetness level.
Just want to say you both rock.. there are many people who make wine vids but never go over the why and how's Like the two of you do. You explain every step and show the failures (few and far between) which is why you are my go to on wine, ciders, and meads.
Thanks a lot for everything you do and all the work that goes on off the camera.
Shane A
Chelsea, Maine
Thank you, Shane! We truly appreciate the kind words and appreciation.
this has come at a perfect time.... i have 4 meads on the go and got 1 bucket free, sooooo Cider it is :D
Awesome!
Last fall I made a straight apple cider using Safcider AC-4 for primary fermentation, but it was 3 months later (racked 3x, including off one cold crash) I had none left to add for carbonation, and used a Champagne yeast- Red Star Premier Cuvee because that's what I had on hand. I was very pleased with the results. Crisp, fruity, and with great carbonation. You've inspired me to try an apple/blueberry using frozen wild berries. I had tried once before using a blueberry concentrate, and It was not optimal.
Absolutely love you two! I've started on my first project because of watching you. A apple/pear/raspberry cider to start! Why also raspberry? That was the condition my fiancee set for me starting this hobby 😂 going to go a little nuts pretty soon and buy at least 4 more fermenting bottles because I looooooooove mead!
It’s always good to keep significant others happy!
I appreciate the pH reading. Info on acidity is hard to find, and having a value paired with a result is super helpful.
To me the cats add that home love feeling...
I love the blueberries from Costco. I've been making wine and mead with them. Now, I'll be making cider. Thanks guys!
They are really good :)
Awesome video, lots of great information as well as fun and humor! I don't mind the cats if they appear, and y'all having fun is so infectious! Made me smile and laugh with you. Love love blueberry, it's in my top 3 favorite (mango, blueberry, watermelon) fruits so this recipe is wonderful.
Happy to hear it!
Love your blueberry recipe!!!! I"m all in making ciders my friends! Thank you.
Mine came out great aged about 8 weeks. Followed the recipe. Thanks
Just went to Maiden Rock cidery and orchard and had their Crabby cider. It's made from 100% mixed crabapple juice off their trees. As a cider hound seeker, I thought 8t was the best pure apple cider I've ever drank. They somehow got the essence of those apples to shine through. Bad thing was that they hadn't bottled any yet, so it was just an in-person experience. You all are getting me close to try my own, especially with that choco pomegranate wine. Yum!
did you edit out a snorting laugh? You two make me happy. I made a blueberry mead based on yours and it turned out great, I'll try this one next.
Maybe? Thought it was a cough.
Finally got my first batch of this recipe started last night 8:30 Fermenter in pan. Used full package Safale S04 and 2.5G Fermaide O. Last minute remembered need to add black tea! Stirred in very slowly but still hot. Fermenting started within an hour, supercharged airlock this morning! Thx again for a successful start to this great tasty new hobby. Youtze 2 rock!
Brian checked website and Amazon can't find affiliate link for larger Fermenter. Got one?
I just bought a starter kit and all the testers bottles and Sterilizing mix To make my own Wine And cider ❤ Love your Show ! . Found You both on utube watch alot of your shows this weekends. both are knowledgeable in making homemade Brew. 😋 Just retired And have been wanting to do this .Blueberry cider sounds yummy Good 👍
Awesome! Welcome to the hobby!
Watching you two always brings a smile to my face. Thank you for doing what you do, I have a LOT of backlog to catchup on, and I intend to get through it. First ever batch of mead has been racked, second batch will be underway in the next week, all thanks to your teachings and advice
Happy to help!
Juicing apples yourself tastes so much better than store bought in my opinion. I'm including concentrate.
Done several different tests over 3 years.
Fuji apples produce the best Cyser I've personally had.
I don't doubt it. Fuji... heh, my favorite apple!
Looks lovely!! For me, where I live, we have lots of fruit growers and beautiful produce in season, so I pick or buy fresh blueberries (and other fruit) and freeze them for brewing, and I freeze fresh pressed cider when I can for this purpose also. I never use Campden tablets anymore - I am still bitter about the gorgeous colour of my strawberry-rhubarb wine that was totally RUINED (bleached out) by adding Campden a few years back lol. I would rather take my chances with yeasty-beasties than do that again. My latest strawberry/blueberry/rhubarb wine is a nice dark red-pink colour and should age nicely!
I finally did it. Made a batch of cherry cider 2.3 gallons (9 litres) of cider. Also making another standard batch of 9 liters of cider. Just shy 5 Gallons of cider
Nice!
Super vidéo ! Being a french retired in Belhaven NC, after doing apple cider with some Friends at Sainte Mère Église in Normandie for over 10 years, it IS better to taste any ciders (like beers!) Not too COLD, and you may have more fizz and carbonation, don't change 😂
I haven’t made a brew in almost two years… I just love listening to the commentary. KEEP IT UP!
I haven't tried blueberry cider yet. I am going to try I think.
LOL Ren & Stimpy quote...very apt in this instance!
Going to try your recipe only need to translate to the metric system 🤷🏼♂️☺️greetings from Europe 🤙🏼 love you guys
I'm thinking it would be almost as good without carbonation. This looks really good.
I've only used Mangrove Jack's Cider Yeast M02 yeast for making the ciders I've done. It was recommended by our local home brew store. So far, I really like the results over the last 3 years of cider. I'd love your opinion on it! 😁 I just made a batch of cider with Transparent apples and Lambert cherries out of my yard. Holy crap! Did it work fast and furious! 5 days of the air lock burping every 1-3 seconds until my SG was 1.001. Rack, back-sweeten and pasteurized at about 6% ABV. I'll let you know next summer out of the keg & keezer. The packet states: "A high ester-producing cider strain imparting wonderful flavor depth, reveling the full fruit potential. Makes exceptionally crisp, flavoursome and refreshing ciders." From the back of the pack: Attenuation (95-100%) Flocculation very high (5/5) alcohol tolerance 17.5% (out of Auckland NZ packed in the UK). BTW, I still want to make a huckleberry cider... Someday!
I have yet to use M02, but we did use M05.
That’s was pretty great. Yea I’ve had issues with natural carb. And I even got a small keg and it works better but I can’t bottle from it. It loses carb fast.
Derica's Ren and Stimpy Robin Höerk reference made my day.
Hello guys, this looks incredible. I’m going to get some supplies tomorrow for my next few brews and this will be one. It looks nice and easy and from your reactions it’s delicious. I’m going to try the carbonation technique you used here. What an easy video to watch. Very funny and great info. Cheers guys 🇦🇺
You two are amazing! Definitely have me itching to get started fermenting something!! Thanks for doing what you do!
You are welcome!
For 1 gallon batches I have a mini keg that fits in fridge and I can pressure it up as much as I want and serve it directly from the mini keg while it sits on the fridge shelf. I know that doesn't complete the video cider bottling video but for your own drinking of the brew you can actually unbottle and put in keg and drink from the mini and no one has to know. 🙂
I did a cherry (20%) cider each week for 1 year to learn brewing ciders..... now I'm using hops in my cider.
I've truly enjoyed watching and learning from you over the last year and a half. Including adding to my vocabulary with derica created words. The only problem is that when I view other channels I have difficulty biting my tongue. I recently watched someone make a wine from table grapes, water, various spices, bread yeast, and enough sugar to choke a horse. They go on to say that it is ready to drink after 3 days and that it is 10% abv and ready to bottle. All without using a hydrometer, mind you. O.M.G. After getting a hold of myself, I sometimes give a brief explanation of why the information is not entirely safe and or accurate, and then direct them to your channel in the hopes of clearing things up and saving them from themselves. Oh yeah, great video. Highly recommend using frozen wild blueberries. Took my wines to another level in regards of flavor and color.
Yeah… a clear understanding of fundamentals is important! Thanks for sticking with us :)
Been binge watching your videos for a few months, just now decided to drop about $250 on some brewing gear :D very excited to get into home brewing. Thank you both for the content!
Welcome!
I do half bottles with carbonation with beer all the time. I use them as testers to see if the priming worked. I only let them sit for maybe 3-4 days and then pop it open. If i get that delightful pop i know its working and the others are carbonating nicely.
There is more room for pressure in a half bottle, but there's also less brew, so it won't make as much CO2. I think its safe, as long as your bottle is good.
Hey there i started homebrewing the same time as you , i discovered your videos and have watched them weekly ever since, as a Brit and a big cider fan, dissapointed to see another failed carbonation attempt, my own opinion obviously,,
My rule of thumb that has never let me down once in 5 years, 10g of sugar per litre of must, for a Us gallon i would go 40g, try it once, if i am wrong i will eat humble pie,
Keep the videos coming, one of the highlights of my week
A bit more sugar might not hurt. 40 g vs the 28 we used should be fine. Our channel started 5 or so years ago but we started years before that. Just simple stuff.
You are both an inspiration, always pushing boundries, i have recently done an appel cyser methaglin that
I am going to fortify it with apple jack daniels for a tasty Xmas drink
I live in the Shetland islands in the uk, check us out on google
Sending love from one of your most remote fans ❤
I will be making this tomorrow. I made the apple bochet last weekend and it already tastes great. I normally brew beer and needed a change.
I recently got into brewing my own mead and cider, I love how to the point you guys are and how informative you are in every one of your videos. You guys have really helped me learn the craft and essentially held my hand through the scary parts like racking and gravity readings. Would you guys consider making any videos on brewing beers like lagers and ales? I'd like to try my hand at those.
We have many beer videos!
Just tried upscaling this to a 5 gallon recipe. My first brew, hopefully all goes well.
For your first, I would have stayed at a gallon, but best of luck!
How’d it go?
Very interesting learning Thank you very much !!! Good luck !!!
Another great video. I seem to be saying that a lot, cause it's true 😁.
I'll be looking for a bunch of fresh blueberries now.
I searched for information on carbonation and partial bottles and the majority of replies said there should be no difference between a full bottle and a partial bottle except a possible bitter taste from excessive carbon dioxide in the container.
I've never had a problem when carbonating and leaving headroom. But I'll also add, I've never made anything with strong carbonation because I think soda and beer are way over carbonated 😊👍🙏❤️
Thanks!
Awesome video. I’m still learning. Btw now I know what those clear bottles are called 🎉🎉🎉
My daughter-in-law used my Little Big Mouth Bubbler to make kombucha. Is it safe to use it to make ciders, meads, and wine, or is it permanently contaminated with the kombucha mother?
Clean it really good, sanitize it fully.
I just got my hands on some blueberry honey. I am thinking about making a blackberry mead with it. Still new sorry if I get the terminologies wrong.
You're fine. Good luck!
1st time commenter...Great content btw. I constantly have something brewing at the house. I can say the only time I've ever used a campden tab was in a watermelon wine and I swear it gave it a funky smell. Tasted great but I couldn't get over the smell. Wasn't rot or eggs, just some weird funk. I've been scared to use them ever since.
Hmm… sounds familiar!
I have a Whibos! White bucket of sanitization. But it works. I put a screw on lid on it and sanitize like a wild man!
What about adding some extra sugar to help boost the ABV during fermentation? I’m in a bit of a quandary about making meads and distilling my own whiskey, bourbons, and brandy’s.
Coders are intended to be lower abv but sure you can. As for distilling, it's illegal in many places so be aware of that.
You guys are adorable! Very enjoyable to watch, and informative. So, thank you 😁
Thank YOU for watching!
This might sound like a dumb/self explanatory question, but would you recommend making this cider in a small mouth fermentor?
I dont have big mouth ones and really wanna do this. I've never brewed something with fruit in a small mouth vessel.
I mean getting the berries in and out will going to be very annoying, but it should work right?
You can, but yeah... pain getting the fruit in and out.
Great video, and thanks for using the PH meter. That helps me!
@CitySteadingBrews Question, Can you make wine from dehydrated fruits like frozen fruits ?
Yes. We use frozen and dried fruit all the time.
Does costco sanitize the berries? Or why might theirs be campden-skippable
Im wondering if i picked my own berries if it would be wise to skip the campden by freezing them before. I get that freezing can lyse the cell walls so could I always blanch then freeze if im worries about wild yeasts?
Bsc in Micro but still learning homebrew.
Freezing helps kill some things. It’s still sort of a risk, but we hated the camden tabs.
Why are you worried about wild yeast? They usually just die off from competition with the added commercial yeast.
Might be interesting to see if you can just get a wild yeast fermentation though
Have you used carbonation drops? And can you "bulk" pasturise, say in a carboy in a water bath with a sous-vide heater, cool, sweeten, re-yeast and then bottle?
We haven't used the drops, no, they are just sugar though. And... yes, you can bulk pasteurize: ua-cam.com/video/zWBU3EI-EFo/v-deo.html
Thanks for the reply. I used them for beer as they were a measured amount per bottle.
Ah, and I missed that video somehow. Exactly what I was after.
Did your blueberry mead, from last year, not come out great? Or did I miss a video.
I started a blueberry cider on the 14th of July and it came out with gravity of 1.050. Within six days the airlock had stopped completely. Took a reading and it was down to 0.994. That is super crazy that we had similar results. The only difference is that because I have a tons of 71B, I used it and put my blueberries in a bag, with weights. Keep the videos coming. You two are doing awesome! 💚
The mead was great. The more recent cider tasted great but had an off smell.
Love y’all’s channel! It’s like sitting on the front porch chatting with good friends. And very informative. Question: I followed the recipe for blueberry cider and it’s only a week old. I used frozen blueberries from our yard is the only difference. But for some reason it still looks like apple juice in color. There is no blueberry color. It smells wonderful and is still bubbling away. Any thoughts on why it has not turned blueberry color like y’all’s? Thanks
I honestly couldn't say. Maybe the color just won't come out of the berries? Did you use campden tablets on the berries or any other method to sanitize?
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks for responding! No , they were picked this year and then frozen til about a day before starting the fermentation. Maybe they are just slow to release the color… it’s kinda starting to get a pinkish color. Thanks for your time. I look forward to your next video!
I like the new carbonation method. Thanks for the video guys 😊
Hahahaha!!!! "I HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE!" Such a great movie... Thank you for that. I love it when I get your references :D
I finally opened my blackberry cider it tastes pretty good for being my first one but it has a off flavor I can't place it has a slight funk is how I would describe it. This one looks good
New to fermenting, Like your videos, couple of dumb question; (1)whats the conversion from grams of Fermaid O to teaspoon, (2) how do sanitize the towel you use while mixing ingredients and setting various tools down.
I suggest measuring via weight since it’s a tiny amount and makes it more accurate. We don’t. Enough sanitizer gets dripped on it. Sanitize as best you can but no need to get crazy.
Just found your channel and watched both videos on Blueberry Cider. I loved your videos! I found them to be not only informative but also very entertaining! I suspect that the Brett funk you were getting from your first brew was most likely due to the oak addition. Whenever I have used oak, especially "used" oak, I like to sanitize it by boiling(which I suspect you did) and then adding it after fermentation instead of at the beginning so there is less "food" and a decent alcohol level to suppress any yeast or bacterial growth. Just a thought. Anyway, keep up the good work!!
Found your channel a week or two ago and I'm loving every video I watch, you guys are lot more genuine and real than a lot of other UA-camrs and I really appreciate that! Stupid question maybe and I'm sure its been answered before but is this something I could do in a store bought apple cider jug or does it have to be done in a wide mouth jar? And if so why? What's the difference between using a wide mouth jar vs a small? Thanks for the awesome vids!!!!
You can use the jug it came in… but glass is safer. Less leeching of plastic into the cider. Wide vs small mouth really doesn’t matter unless you are adding or removing things that are larger than the opening :)
I've been watching your videos and decided to jump into the hobby myself. I followed all the steps and got my first batch ready. Something I did not think about was my frozen blueberries. I see you had a bowl for yours. I did not do any prep and dumped them in the gallon jug and topped them with the juice and yeast. Is this going to be a problem? I figured I would check before letting it sit for a week. What steps are recommended for adding frozen fruit into a cider. If I missed a video explaining it please let me know. I appreciate all the hard work!
We normally thaw the fruit. It should be fine just may take longer to start up.
Definitely going to try this recipe! Though in my case, I think skipping the carbonation steps and just using a soda stream to carbonate when we serve individual pours would be easier.
Funny how things just happen to work out. I was already thinking about getting a 1 gallon Wiess kit from Morebeer. Then one day I was out exploring UA-cam looking for information on urban homesteading or "city steading" when I came across your channel. And I'm SO glad I did!
If you don't mind, I have a few questions... 1)I know you like the 1.5-gallon wide-mouth fermenter, but what are your thoughts on FastFerment's 3-gallon conical? It's not as compact as the 1.5 gallons but would help eliminate issues while racking or bottling. Can also save yeast too! 2)I haven't watched all your videos yet, but so far you've been using whole fruit like blueberries. Except for when you cut the stems out, you didn't really do much with the strawberries either. Would it help with flavors if your fruit is slightly mashed up? 3)early on in your channel's history you did a few ale videos. I haven't watched any yet, as I do watch your complete videos and some are 1 hour long! I would really like to see a fruit ale being done or better yet, I could use advice on how to turn Morebeer's Weiss kit into something that tastes like Lienenkugel's Honey Weiss.
I do not like to ferment in plastic. Tiny scratches can hold infections.
Yeast are microscopic and will get the the sugars.
We don’t do specific beer styles as we are not really beer makers. Instead we offer a few recipes now and then. Beer is the least popular topic on our channel historically. So we instead offer information on topics our audience wants to see.
@@CitySteadingBrews Re Ale/Beer, fair enough. Already many folks already covering it. Hadn't thought about the scratch issues. I wasn't totally sold on it anyways, at 26" tall with the stand and airlock included, it's not exactly compact as I would like.
Great video. Thanks again. No pectic enzymes or puree of the frozen blueberries in this one?
You back-sweeten to taste, but have you ever tried to measure out and record for a recipe like this?
We try to use as few additives as we can.
As for how much sweetening... the specific gravity reading we give is FAR more useful. If you have a different volume, even a few ounces different, the. You'd have to do some calculations to get it the same as ours if I said to add say a pound of sugar. But if you have an sg to shoot for, the volume doesn't matter.
Have you tried the safcider yeasts? I grabbed a packet to try with my next cider instead of my 71B(east)
We did a while back. @julietardos gave us some. Worked well I believe.
Just found your channel. You guys are fun. Also that recipe looks yummy. I think I'll give it a try.
It seems to work better when you shake a few yeasties into the bottles individually
I am going to have to try this one. Blueberry is my jam. Might I suggest watermelon for a nice summertime brew. I made a watermelon wine last year that i am currently enjoying the heck out of.
Care to share your recipe? I know watermelon can be difficult to work with. I have a 5 gallon batch going now using watermelon juice from Arizona brand and hoping it works!
We never saw any bubbles in our 5 gallon bucket fermentation and we are 5 days in. Bucket lid is secure and air tight and the room smells like blueberry bread. Only thing I was curious about was pitching the yeast on top vs mixing it in. This is our first home brew so we are anxious new parents with this brew.
There is no harm in pitching on top as it should get absorbed in anyway. If you see no activity, I would open it up and take a look for bubbles.
Well I have to try to make this
great vid. I need to figure out that co2 side. I'm a carbo addict. Maybe I'll try on my skeeter pee that's in ferment right now
I had that wierd smell before in different brands of apple juice. Campden tablets wouldn't cause that smell but the apple juice would. I think it was the brand of apple juice that you used in the other video. I always use this type of apple juice in this video
We have used it before and never had that smell. A few others said the sulfites could cause it. We haven't used them since and no smell, but that could just be coincidence too.
Thinking I need to try this with blackberries. I like carbonating with a can of condensed apple juice and using a test plastic bottle to gauge carbonation. Refrigerate bottles once plastic bottle is tight. Never had a bomb form
Just FYI, refrigerating will not actually stop fermentation. But it's about the same amount of sugars we add since most frozen apple juices are about 30g of sugar in 10 ounces.
I may have missed this in other videos, so I apologize if you've answered this multiple times. Once you have carbonated the cider for a couple weeks in the bomb shelter, how do you store it? Shelf, refrigerator? Also, how long does it last?
Just on a shelf. We chill before serving. Should last a year or more.
Guys, sorry to be a pain heh...
I'm so new...
I have a wine and a mead going (My first ever)
My wine (Cherry with real fruit) last check at just over two weeks reads 1.000 and my mead after about a week has completely stopped bubbling haven't checked it.
Should I wait to rack "just in case"?
Sorry, just learning and would hate to mess stuff up...
Again, thank you so very much for the education!
Been watching pretty much non stop for about a week lol
There is no rush to rack. I would leave it. That said... it's most likely done. They can sit for months before being racked.
@@CitySteadingBrews 🙂 I know you've said it a million times in your videos... If it's done, it's done...
I think I'm just looking for the reassurance...lol
I truly do appreciate you guys.
Thank you!
This looks amazing!! My neighbour has an apple orchard, I’m going to pop by today to see if he has any of last year’s cider left so I can make this!
Allulose isn’t available where I am, what would be your second choice as sweetener for this brew?
Erythritol? Or use sugar and pasteurize?
Great inspiration! Thanks for all you guys do!
Thanks for watching :)
Absolutely love your content!! So much in fact, that I am now on my 2nd round of ciders. I have a question, and hopefully this is the place to ask… I have big floaties in my Blueberry cider? These are big chunks, not the small yeast in foam. I do have photos, but no way to post them on here…
Keep doing what you do!! Take care my friends….. ✌️😎
Probably yeast rafts. Any odd smell? Like putrid smell? Are they hairy?
@@CitySteadingBrews …. No on the smell, and no on the fuzzies/hairy. I shall carry on and finish this batch! Huge THANK YOU for the response. Love what you do… take care and happy holidays to you both….
Have you ever tried racking with a brew bag or cheesecloth over the siphon when you have fruit?
Sure. We have done that but most times just being carful works well.
Big fan of this!
I have seen some talk about using the "soda stream" to carbonate beverages instead of doing a natural carbonation. Have you heard of this technique or has anyone in the community some insight into this, any information would be appreciated. Keep up the great videos and informative content. Thanks
Some say it works but others say it makes a mess. It voids the warranty and can damage the machine too.
I absolutely love you guys and you Visio’s!!!! I’m new to the wine making world. I need all the help I can get from you!!! Thanks
Can you please share the link to the bomb shelter or a link to something like it? Thank you so very much.
It’s just a big plastic tub… this might be similar to ours: amzn.to/3rTVD0g
Do you prefer the single piece airlock over the three piece? Why?
I just like how they look?
Those bubblers also have a medicine cup looking cap airlock and you put the sanitizer in the ring of the black lid, I use that for height to keep them in a cabinet.
I really don’t like the built in airlock. Far too exposed for my preferences.
Would it be worthwhile to squeeze the lemon and add the juice (and possibly the pulp)?
If you want to. We design our recipes to work as they are shown, but you can always customize.
What can you do to increase the carbonation? More sugar? Yeast? Years ago, my son made blueberry beer. It was wonderful! Beautiful deep purple red with a pink head and the taste was to die for. Wish he would make it again, but he’s doing mead this fall. Shared your video with him.
More sugar should do it.
I have property in PA where I harvest huckleberries (wild blueberries) freeze them for my trip south.. in the fall I make wine.. Do I need to use Compton tablets to start if the berries were frozen?..
Technically yes or do as we prefer... put in some water and pasteurize at 140f for 22 minutes.
How would you go about getting more carbonation? Would you add a little bit more sugar?
That would do it, we have gone to 42g/ gallon, not sure if this one was that way or 28g.
First?
Editing later, after watching. LOL
EDIT: Awesome scores!
Last week I took sole of my meads to a farewell party. All were melomels, finished on the semi-sweet side. I live in an area where mead is a virtual unknown. Almost everyone who tasted them came to me telling me they tasted my ‘cider’. Every time I told them what I brought was actually mead. THEY LOVED THEM! The person for whom the party was took some with him to have his mother, who is from a family of commercial wine makers in Italy. He wanted her to taste my product. A few asked me if I was willing to sell them a few bottles. Nope: it’s illegal and that’s a risk I’m not willing to take. One of them however was so taken with my melomels he kept insisting. So we’re going to trade skills. My melomels for his woodworking. Happy days.
Next time all of us get together I need to have a few ciders to contribute. This one needs to be in the line-up. That means I’ve got work to do. Happy days!
Lol
Blueberries are similar to bilberries. I wonder about billberry substitute in mead since I have abundance of them. It might be slighty more acidic since bilberry have lower ph then blueberry so extra honey would help.
Couldn't say as I have never had them myself.
Looking for some guidance. We put the defrosted and lightly smushed up blueberries in nut milk bag to avoid mess. Day 2 at about 32 hours and not seeing Blueberry color in must. Should I let it ride or take them out of the bag, taking care to remain sanitized?
That's up to you. I don't think the bag will prevent the color though.
Carbonation question : what if I backsweeten with sugar, bottle, then I check them every 12 hours or so for carbonation. When I have bubbles, I seal them up and pasteurize?
I won't be shocked if it's a bad idea, I just want an explanation why lol
You can try but every check for carbonation loses carbonation.
@@CitySteadingBrews update, I did it and they were ready to pasteurize after about 16 hours. I did lose some brew to a faulty swing top gasket 😢 but they turned out great! My wife prefers the fizz and low alcohol content, so she sends her thanks as well!
Just an idea for you, i have seen where soda is carbonated with dry ice. You could use a "pressure cooker" like what grandma used to use for canning or cooking the roast. Pour in the Mead and put some dry ice in and close it up tight then wait for an hour then bottle. if it doesn't work as much as you want, add more dry ice. (i am referencing making root beer at home method {i.e. the flavor it gives} ) This method would be interesting to see if it actually worked.
The second you take off the lid you lose the carbonation.