HOW CAN I MAKE ALCOHOLIC CIDER-WITH PEARS/APPLES-in s.korea and they don't sell it, beer is good but...aargh

Question

Hi

I am in S.korea teaching, from ,manchester, and my fave drink is a pint of good ol' cider, magners/blackthorn, ANYTHING really...

...the problem is they have beer here, and spirits, and, ahem, alcopops, yes, they have hooch but no cider!!!!!

harsh

but as apples are plenty, and pears too i guess, i thought i'd just make some.

so if you could give me any good recipies/methods,
- as well as any quick ones (gaggin for a pint) it'd be much appreciated.

fizzy or not, so long as we can get drunk-ish and it tastes good!
-with no stomach pump needed!

please, any help is appreciated!
-Ed

CIDER DOESN'T USE YEAST as far as i know, people who have yeast allergies have had to give up beer for cider-so the natural yeast idea is about as far as i can stretch on that one-unless you telling me how to make apple beer-tried it, not as good.

also, i have had pear cider in ireland so...yes you can make it

Answer 1

Squeeze juice from apples/pears (easier if lightly cooked to soften, but on own not with water), put in fermenting vessel (with air lock device), add yeast, leave to ferment

Thats basically it

In answer to the reply below

1) Pears make Perry, which in my opinion is much better than cider, and I drink quite a bit of both when attending beer festivals.

2) The active yeast on apples/pears is on the skins as you rightly say, if using supermarket bought apples/pears you need to add yeast as they are treated to kill this yeast.
Only when using apples direct from the tree (preferable windfalls that are over ripe and a bit bruised) have I been sucessful without adding yeast.

As we don't knwo where the asker will be getting their apples I thought it better to air on the side of caution, it's also why I suggested lightly cooking the apples first, as you don't find many apples worth using for cider in stores as they are all too firm to extract enough juice.

Answer 2

You can take a chance on crushing unwashed apples or pears and letting them ferment naturally. However, that's a crapshoot...there's no real telling if they've got some other mold contamination or some such that's equally likely to be blowing in the wind along side of wild yeast.

If they have home brewing stores for making your own beer, I'd advise getting the yeast there (you can use wine, ale, or if they have it, cider yeast). If not, you can definitely order some online.
If you can help it, do not use baking yeast for this. Fundamentally, it works just fine, but practically, it will leave your cider tasting yeasty. It doesn't completely clear away when it's done doing its thing.

If it were me, I'd take the freshly pressed apple juice and pasteurize it by heating it on the stove until it gets to 180F and hold that for 30-60 minutes (don't let it boil). Then pour it into the container you plan on using to ferment in and let it cool to room temperature, COVERED.
When it's at most body temperature 98F/37C, add your yeast and stir the bejeebus out of it with a wire wisk to aerate (helps the new yeast multiply and do its thing more efficiently).
Cover it back up (though not air tight) and let 'er rip. Give it 2 weeks and then siphon it into another sanitized container so that you leave the sediment on the bottom behind. Let it sit for another 2 weeks before you decide to bottle or serve.

There are probably a million other niggling details to further refine the process...you can look them up while you're letting your first batch ferment...helps kill the time.

If you need a source of your brewing yeast online, my favorite is http://morebeer.com ...I'm pretty sure they can arrange shipping to Korea.
Enjoy!!!

Answer 3

I make about 400 bottles of cider a year.

You can't use pears, cider only comes from apples.

mash ripe and overripe UNWASHED apples
squeeze juice from pulp.
put in sterilised airlocked container.
DO NOT ADD YEAST ( answer above ) - real cider uses the natural yeast on the skin ( hence the unwashing of the apples )
ferment for a week or more in a warm (20c) place
bottle, add secondary fermentation sugar ( if required )
leave for at least a year

email me if you want any more details

cheers !

Answer 4

Champagne for at breakfast. Pouilly Fume/Sancerre or NZ Sauvignon Blanc for elevensis, Valpolicella Ripasso at lunch, Oregan Pinot Noir at tiffin and for dinner Ch. Musar/Ch Cheval Blanc or Petrus. And as a evening time cap Louis XIII. Or i ought to paintings my skill by both palms portfolio. Or for relaxing Herdade do Esparao.