Mosten - an ancient art
Even the ancient Celts fermented freshly squeezed apple juice and enjoyed fruit wine as a digestive drink. Cider is understood to mean different products, depending on the region: Sweet cider refers to unfermented apple or pear juice; in southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, cider refers primarily to fermented juice, i.e. young fruit wine.
Whether fermented or unfermented, cider is a delicious drink. As a rule, apples, pears, berries or grapes are juiced in a Fruit press juiced. The delicious fruit juice keeps for up to a year - or serves as the basis for a delicious homemade wine.
Do-it-yourself cider making: Here's how
Let's assume you want to process apples from your garden into cider. Then proceed as follows:
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Select thefruit you want to process. Apples from one garden are excellent for pressing and must. Make sure the apples are ripe - the riper the fruit, the sweeter the juice.
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Wash all apples thoroughly in a tub of water. If in doubt, clean the fruit one at a time. Rotten or moldy spots and bruises should be removed before pressing.
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Crush the apples - depending on the amount of fruit, you can do this manually, or you can use an automatic crusher, e.g. a Pome Fruit Slicing Mill for apples.
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Press the mash in a fruit press or juicer.
If you want to make pure apple juice (sweet cider), you're already done: you just need to preserve and bottle your juice.
If you are making alcoholic cider or wine from fruit, you have two options: For smaller quantities, forgo preserving and give the juice a chance to ferment sugar into alcohol. For larger quantities, mix pure cultured yeast intothe freshly pressed fruit juice. The yeast aids the fermentation process, which converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The fermenting liquid must be sealed airtight so that neither oxygen nor bacteria reach the must. When no more bubbles rise, the fermentation process is finished. The longer the wine ferments, the higher the alcohol content, which is usually between 5 and 7%.
Our tip: When making cider, cleanliness is a top priority: make sure that equipment, fermenters and bottles are disinfected and germ-free. The fruit must also be thoroughly cleaned - mold or germs will prevent the process from succeeding.
The right presses for self-musting
To ensure that your must is of the best quality, you need a high-quality press. Depending on what and how much fruit you want to process, it is worth comparing the different fruit and juice presses in detail. In our store you will find presses in different sizes and made of different materials. For apples, for example, a fruit press made of wood or stainless steel is suitable. You can also obtain delicious juice with a hydro press or a fruit mill . Alternatively, you can also use a juicer attachment , which will preserve your juice right away.
If you want to process a lot of fruit, the press should definitely be large enough . From 100 kilograms of apples you get about 70 liters of apple juice. You will need a correspondingly large capacity. After pressing, also provide a sufficient number of sterile bottles.
Do-it-yourself pressing: How to preserve your apple juice
Provided you only want to extract juice from your fruit, the juice must be preserved. This is usually done by heating. To do this, simmer the juice at 72°C for about 20 minutes until all yeast and bacteria are killed. This prevents your juice from starting to ferment. Unpasteurized, the juice begins to ferment after a few days; alcohol is produced. This makes the must still delicious, but no longer suitable for children.
Do you have any questions about the production of juice and cider or about one of our articles? Then please feel free to contact us via this form or call us at 033456 2733. We look forward to hearing from you!