Turbo Cider 17/18

Date Bottled: 10/06/13

ABV: 5.5%

Recipe: 4 litres of Tesco Value Juice from concentrate, 200g Caster Sugar, 2 tsp Malic Acid, 1 tsp Pectolase, 1 strong cup of tea (made from 2 tea bags)

Yeast: Wheat Yeast

Presentation (Colour): Nice and fairly clear light cider, with a slight scrumpy "look" to it. Very little sediment, but managed to pour some into the glass, giving off the "tornado" haze that is seen in the picture, making it seem more scrumpy-like than it is. In the bottle, it looks fantastic. [8/10]

Aroma: No evidence of yeast at all, a nice subtle apple aroma that is akin to the original juice [7/10] 

Taste: Not too far away from the original apple juice flavour, with the Wheat yeast giving a more stronger taste I feel than traditional cider yeasts do. Rather nice. [7.5/10]

Fizz: Slight fizz initially, enough to dance on the tongue and keep it interested when drinking. [7/10]

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Verdict: Quite a successful attempt this one. The alcohol % is just about right for the strong juice flavour, as the wheat yeast seems to bring out more flavour than traditional cider yeasts. Need to be careful though when pouring (as with all homebrews) to ensure sediment is kept in the bottle as this will affect the flavour and appearance in the glass.

Turbo Cider 17/18 - 5.5%

Turbo Cider 5

"Turbo Cider 5"

SG: 1.044
FG: 1.015

ABV: 3.8%

Date Bottled: 23/03/13

Recipe: 1/2 litre of Cranberry Juice, 4 litres of Waitrose Apple Juice, 1tsp Wine tannin, 1tsp Yeast Nutrient

Yeast: Youngs Cider Yeast

Presentation (Colour): Slightly murky, but very much a nice cider colour. [8/10]

Aroma: No evidence of yeast at all, but a very slight hint of tannin [6/10]

Taste: At this stage, it's not undrinkable, but has been overpowered by the tannin. There is still a slight apple "hit" in there, but quite disappointing overall. Will revisit in a month or so. [5/10]

Fizz: More of a scrumpy really with only a slight initial fizz. [6/10]

Overall Score: 6.5/10

Verdict: At 4 months old at the time of testing, by now this brew should be quite drinkable. It is, however overpowered by the Wine tannin and is perhaps TOO low in alcohol content to take that tannin taste away. I would do it again, but make it a more stronger brew next time at around 5.5% to 6% and maybe add some Malic Acid into the mix, as the more successful apple cider brews seem to be those with added Malic Acid. I DO very much like the slightly orange colour though, and I put this down to the added Cranberry Juice.

Turbo Cider 6

"Turbo Cider 6"

ABV: 4.7%

Date Bottled: 23/03/13

Recipe: 1/2 litre of Cranberry Juice, 4 litres of ALDI Apple Juice, 1tsp Pectolase, 1tsp Wine tannin, 1tsp Yeast Nutrient

Yeast: Youngs Cider Yeast

Presentation (Colour): Slightly murky, but light cider colour. Very pleasant [8/10]

Aroma: No evidence of yeast at all, and no hint of tannin, unlike it predecessor, TC5. A sharp smell, but not appley. [7/10] 

Taste: This cider was created at the same time as "Turbo Cider 5" (reviewed earlier), but with a different apple juice that had more sugar content, hence the slightly higher end ABV. Not really much of an apple taste, but quite dry and drinkable nonetheless. Again, with no Malic Acid added (that is actually in REAL cider apples) to help recreate the flavours released from those apples, not a big surprise it has ended up as it has. [6/10]

Fizz: Again, more of a scrumpy really with only a slight initial fizz. [6/10]

Overall Score: 6.5/10

Verdict: This brew is SLIGHTLY more drinkable than "Turbo Cider 5". This, I suspect, is most likely down to the end gravity, producing a higher alcohol content. What is missing is that "tang" that you get from using REAL cider apples. lessons have been learned that Malic (or citric) Acid should be added to ALL home brew Turbo Ciders to bring out more of the flavours in the brew.

"Jammin' Juice" Turbo Brew

"Jammin' Juice"

ABV: 4.5%

Date Bottled: 22/03/13

Recipe: 4 litres of Tropical Jammin' Fruit Juice, 1tsp Pectolase, 2tsp Malic Acid, 1tsp Wine Tannin, 1tsp Yeast Nutrient

Yeast: Youngs Super Wine Yeast

Presentation (Colour): Very similar to the original colour - "orangey" tropical fruit juice. Very little sediment [7/10]

Aroma: No evidence of yeast at all, smells very much like the original tropical fruit juice [7/10] 

Taste: This has essentially come out exactly as I would expect it to. it is basically alcoholic fruit juice and there is only evidence of a very slight alcohol taste. [7/10]

Fizz: An initial hit of fizz, but not overpowering. [7/10]

Overall Score: 7/10

Verdict: This was VERY much an attempt to do something different, other than the usual bog-standard apple brews. There is no evidence AT ALL of yeast flavours within the brew itself, which is most likely down to the type of yeast used. A refreshing summer drink though, which I quite like, but not what I would consider a "session" brew.

"Jammin' Juice" - 4.5%

"Summer" Brew

"Summer" Brew

I've seen this recipe posted elsewhere on the net, and it seemed interesting, so I decided to give it a go.

"Summer" Brew - nice and fruity!

The recipe for this batch is as follows, with an SG of 1.061 and finished at 5.1%:

2ltr Asda Apple And Blackberry Juice
2ltr Asda Apple Juice
0.5ltr Asda White Grape Juice
150g of sugar
5 cloves
Half a stick of cinnamon 
A cup of strong tea (2 tea bags)
Cider Yeast With Sweetener

Lidl "Vitafit" Brew (TC20/TC21)

So, I tested a month old brew yesterday that I made with 3.5 ltrs of Lidl "Vitafit" Juice and 1/2 litre of Cranberry/Raspberry and I have to say, it's the best one so far at so "young" an age. REALLY smooth and lots of flavour. I'd give it an 8/10 if it had more fizz, but fizz is REALLY light on it, so 7.5/10 I would do this one again

New Facebook Group

http://www.facebook.com/groups/turbocider/

SAMSONS West Country Cider Kit

ABV: 3.8%

Date Bottled: 07/04/13

Recipe: N/A

Yeast: N/A

Presentation (Colour): Nice and fairly clear light cider. Very little sediment [8/10]

Aroma: No evidence of yeast at all, a nice subtle appley aroma [6/10] 

Taste: A very smooth cider - I would question the authenticity of the "West Country", as it's not on the strong side and perhaps could have done with a more stronger yeast, or more sugar, not an awful lot of flavour, but a nice drink. [7/10]

Fizz: Excellent fizz on this one. [9/10]

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Verdict: A very successful kit cider. The yeast seemed to die out quite quickly, even though the temperature was controlled, which is a little disappointing, giving a very light and relatively low-alcohol cider. Would definitely do this again, perhaps using a different yeast next time.

Samson's West Country Cider (from a kit)