4ish% abv.
If you have any questions………
You will need:
6 Pineapples
1 to 2kg raw sugar
a food processor
a large stock pot
cider or champagne yeast
yeast nutrient
some sterilizing solution
a fermenting barrel (around 25 to 30ltrs)
a hose
a kitchen cloth (Jay cloth)
some string, rubber band or even a zip tie
some plain old white sugar
OPTIONAL:
A keg and CO2 to carbonate the cider in
How to:
Cut up the Pineapples into small pieces
In a large stock pot dissolve all the sugar in a few liters of hot water.
Run the fruit through a food processor in batches until very smooth and add to the sugar syrup.
Top up with some water if required until the stock pot is nearly full. Bring it to a good rolling boil, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is stuck on the bottom of the pot. Once it has reached the boil turn off the heat and immediately cover tightly with tin foil. Leave to cool until the syrup is below 40 degC (this normally is overnight).
Everything that touches the syrup and cider from now on MUST BE STERILE. Or you run a good chance of making some bad vinegar.
Add 1 packet (1 tbsp) Champagne yeast to the syrup. You can use any brewing or wine yeast that you want. I use champagne yeast as it is very robust and very clean. I have used American ale yeast with some good success but if you are using a beer yeast ferment it at a colder temp (18 ish degC).
Clean and sterilize a barrel or bucket. You will need something around 30ltrs. Talk to your local home brew shop for an appropriate sterilizer for you. 4Tsp of bleach in 1ltr of water will work in a pinch. I use a solution similar to Starsan in a pressure washer.
Pour the syrup into the barrel. Top up to around 24 ltrs with cold water. Try to do this from a height to mix some air into the barrel. This added air will give the yeast the oxygen it needs in the beginning to reproduce before it starts turning the sugars into alcohol.
Leave the barrel somewhere warm (18 to26 deg C) to ferment. I use a temp controlled fridge at 24.After a couple of days check for sweetness. You can use a hydrometer or just taste it. I normally do both. Mine nearly always takes 7 to 10 days.
Once fermented to your liking cold crash in a fridge at 3 degC for at least 24hrs. If you don’t have a fridge big enough you can siphon it off into smaller vessels to fit them in a fridge.
Once cider is cold mix one tsp of Gelatin into a large glass of cold water and dissolve using a microwave. If you don’t have a microwave you can do this by stirring into hot water, it just takes longer. Add this warm mix into the cold cider. These finings will help any floating bodies in the cider to sink to the bottom. And will aid the cider to become crystal clear in the keg. Leave it alone for another 24 hrs minimum.
Now the cider is ready to keg. If you want or need to bottle it I suggest a quick google or even better have a chat with your local homebrew store. Clean and sterilize a keg. Sterilize your siphon hose or auto siphon. Get a kitchen cloth folded in half and tie it onto the end of your siphon hose to make a little bag at the end of the hose. This will catch any little bits you may suck in from the barrel.
Add your sugar to the cider , first making it into a syrup. I like between 150g to 250g of sugar depending on the sweetness required.
Siphon into the keg. Purge and carbonate to your desired pressure and saturation.
Consume often in large volumes. I find it gets better if you leave it in the keg a couple of days to settle out and condition.