How to make home made cider in a warm country?

Question

ok im in sri lanka and i want to make apple cider (the alcoholic drink they have in uk) cos they dont sell it here.

my idea is to buy pure apple juice(no additives or preservatives) from a shop and put it in a big 2 liter plastic bottle, put the yeast in, and cover the top with a balloon to collect the gas.

the room temperature here is about 27C or 80F

do i have to put it in the fridge?

please advice me. i want to do it with this equipment only, i cant find other special equipment here. thanks

Answer 1

My first bit of advice would have been to make sure whatever juice you buy doesn't have any sulfites added as they'll keep the juice from fermenting (which is why they're used in the first place).  If you can find preservative-free apple juice, then you should be set.

Second, I highly recommend finding brewing yeast to use.  I have absolutely no idea how you'd go about that in Sri Lanka, but I do know that using bread yeast can make your brew taste nasty, and a packet of dry yeast only costs about US $0.60 (at least, it does here in the States).  Mail-order homebrew supply stores may be willing to ship to you.

Finally, with regards to temperature and equipment: brewing temperature for wines and ciders is usually best around 70 degrees F (21 degrees C), so yes, your room temp is rather warm.  What that means is that the fermentation will go a little faster (good) but be more likely to produce off flavors (bad).  I'd try it once and see whether or not you like the taste.  If it tastes a little off to you, you might want to try putting it in a styrofoam box with an ice pack (not touching it, just to cool the air down) next time.  Also, if you cover the bottle with a balloon the pressure will gradually increase and/or the balloon will be blown off the bottle.  Yeast, like many other organisms, doesn't work well under pressure.  You're best off poking a few holes in that balloon.

Your cider will be non-carbonated, at least immediately after fermentation.  If you want to carbonate it, then wait until fermentation is COMPLETELY FINISHED (wait at least 7 days after the yeast seems to be done).  You'll want to make sure there's about 1.25 inches of air space at the top of the bottle; without this space, it won't carbonate properly (don't leave more than that, it can overcarbonate).  You'll also want to make absolutely sure that you're using a 2L bottle designed for soda - some bottles can't handle carbonation pressure.  Then add about 1.5 teaspoons of sugar and s***w the cap back on.  Leave it at room temperature for another week or two to give it time to pressurize; if the bottle starts to deform, then chill it quick because it's getting overpressurized.  So-called "bottle bombs" can be hazardous, so make sure you keep an eye on it and don't add too much carbonating sugar.