TITLE: Making cider, bottling update
DATE: 2018-11-06
AUTHOR: John L. Godlee
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We bottled our cider, after sitting in the demijohns for 42 days.

  
![Demijohns](https://johngodlee.xyz/img_full/cider_2/demijohns.jpg)

Here is a breakdown of the volumes we got, in total I estimated it 
at 44.5 litres:

Fruit:

-   LS - Lady Sudeley - West Farm
-   BM - Bramley - David Burk's
-   GE - Green Eaters - Mike Cooper's
-   GD - Green Dessert - Mike Cooper's - Have a few cooking apples 
mixed in, maybe 5-10%
-   P - Pears - West Farm

Yeast:

-   S - Sweet - Bulldog Brews Cider Yeast
-   M - Medium - Brew Store Premium Cider Yeast
-   D - Dry - Fermentis SafCider
-   B - Generic dried bread yeast
-   P - Pear peel

  fruit                            yeast   amounts
  -------------------------------- ------- ------------------------
  30% LS, 70% GD                   S       9 bottles
  30% LS, 70% GD                   M       8 bottles
  30% LS, 70% GD                   D       8 bottles
  50% BM, 50% GE                   M       10 bottles
  50% BM, 50% GE                   S       8 bottles
  50% LS, 50% GD                   P       7 bottles
  50% LS, 50% GD                   B       3 bottles + 1 demijohn
  50% LS, 50% GD                   D       9 bottles
  50% LS, 50% GD                   M       6 bottles
  50% LS, 50% GD                   S       9 bottles
  100% LS                          D       7 bottles
  100% LS                          S       1 demijohn
  100% P                           M       5 bottles
  25% BM, 25% GE, 35% GD, 15% LS   D       6 bottles

By siphoning them, I got to try most of the demijohns. They 
certainly had different flavours, some were more flavourful than 
others, but hopefully they will mature into interesting ciders.

Sterilising the bottles took the majority of the time. We took the 
approach of rinsing with hot water, shaking some sterilising fluid 
(campden tablets dissolved in water) thoroughly in each bottle, 
then rinsing with cold water.

  ![Sterilising 
bottles](https://johngodlee.xyz/img_full/cider_2/sterilising.jpg)

I think we should leave the bottles for another couple of months 
before we start drinking in earnest, as with previous experience 
I've found that they get better over time.

  ![Filled 
bottles](https://johngodlee.xyz/img_full/cider_2/bottles.jpg)

  ![Labelling the 
bottles](https://johngodlee.xyz/img_full/cider_2/labels.jpg)

We also made a mixture bottle of everything that spilled out of the 
demijohns into the bucket. Mega-mix Volume I.

  ![The mega-mix](https://johngodlee.xyz/img_full/cider_2/mix.jpg)