Brewing your own brew.
It has always sounded like such a delicious, sustainable, independent thing to do. And I've finally given it a try!
However, upon tasting my cider, I found that while the apple flavor is there, and it has a decent kick, it's almost more bitter than dry. I like cider to be dry with just a little sweetness. This is more like bone dry petrified apples with a kick in the face to boot. So...I'm back to the drawing board and determining not to repeat my obvious mistakes while searching out the not-so-obvious. If it's something you want to try, I recommend these excellent directions from instructables.com. I also recommend the following tips based on my first-timer blunders:
-Juice enough apples to begin with. Don't get lazy partway through and say, "meh, prolly good enough." Or at least reduce the rest of the recipe.
-Take care not to boil your cider if pasturizing on the stovetop (boiling prevents sediment from settling - not good).
-If you're juicing your own apples, clear the pulp out of your juicer at regular intervals. I ended up with a bunch of pulp in my mixture. And....then didn't bother straining it, either.
I'm sure you have more sense than this!
However it goes for you, hope you enjoy the adventure of the process.
Any brewing or cider making tips you may leave in the comments would be greatly appreciated.
