Butch
Active member
Equipment
Kubota 2410, RC60-24B, FL1000- kubota hydrolic front snow blade- plug aerator
We are all into maintaining our "Orange Iron" and we do draw from a well of knowledge on this site
. This may not be the place for this but I have found it has helps keep my blood pressure in check when wrestling with an ill Kubota and it DOES take the edge off on the cheap.
Here it goes...
Apple Jack or Orange Jack with an Attitude
The object is to make very good hooch on the cheap.
First…. I start with a 30 gallon polypropylene container with an open top with a tight fitting lid that can be taped along the lid seam to make it air tight. If you are going to go to all this trouble may as well make it worth while. The other items you’ll need are;
2 cups of lemon or lime juice
2 packets of EC1118 wine yeast
1 oz. Pectic enzyme
1 Fermentation container “(i.e. poly drum) bubbler” vent
30# Sugar
Thermometer
1 Roll electrical tape
You can get the yeast and enzyme at any brew shop or on line for about $6.00.
I use “How Do You Brew” in Newark, DE.
www.howdoyoubrew.com
DO NOT USE METAL CONTAINERS.
Second…. Get hooked up with a supermarket to secure their daily “culled throwaways”. I get a bushel of very good apples or oranges for a $1.00 and average 2 bushels a day if I want them.
Third…. Sterilize the poly container and rinse it several times. If wild yeast gets started it will ruin your batch…. Keep everything clean.
Fourth… secure about 2 ½ bushels of apples and run them through a blender to puree consistency and store in the poly container. This makes about 15 gallons of mash. Stir in the Pectic enzyme cover and let set for 24 hours stored in a warm location 70 to 80 degrees F.. During the wait do two things.
A. Take about ½ cup of the apple mash and put it in a ½ gallon jar with 2 tsp of lime juice. In a separate container prepare 1 quart of sugar water by putting one cup of sugar in a quart of water (non-chlorinated) making sure it is dissolved to a clear liquid. Pour the sugar water into the ½ gallon mash jar and allow it to warm to approximately 76 degrees F. Once warmed, pour the packet of yeast in the sugar water/mash mixture and stir well. Loosely cover the jar and place it in a warm location for 24 hours.
B. While waiting the 24 hours drill a hole in the poly container lid to accommodate the bubbler vent stopper. Once done place the lid back on the poly container with the vent in place.
Fifth… Dissolve the 30# of sugar in approximately 15 gallons of non-chlorinated water until the sugar solution is clear. Make sure the solution is around 75 degrees F and pour it into the apple mash container and stir vigorously. I use a portable drill and a drywall “mud” mixing paddle…. It works GREAT.
Now it is time to “pitch” the yeast in the poly mash container. Take the ½ gallon sugar/mash/yeast jar and pour it into the 15 gallons of apple mash and stir very well. Dissolve Cover, with bubbler vent in place, and seal the lid seam with a turn of electrical tape.
Sixth… the next day remove the tape and lid and with a clean “something” gently stir the “cap” that formed overnight back into the mash. Replace the lid, bubbler vent and tape seal. In a few hours you’ll observe the vent starting to bubble as carbon dioxide is formed during fermentation. Keep the poly container warm and observe the bubbler over the next 10 to 14 days. Do not disturb it during this time.
Seventh… once the bubbler has almost stopped bubbling it is time to pop the top and strain the solids from the liquid in the container. I use a mesh screen sieve. You will need to have a couple of very clean temporary containers on hand to store the separated liquid wine. Yep… I said wine… about 11 to 14 % ethanol at this time. The best containers I have found are the 5 gallon water cooler bottles because if you wanted to invest approximately $10 more in you apple jack endeavor and purchase a couple or three more bubbler vents you could use these jugs to clarify the wine. In any case discard the strained solids and place the captured wine in a sealed container(s) with bubbler(s) in place and allow the suspended solids to settle over the next 30 or so days.
Eight…. carefully siphon off the more “clearer” wine from the sediment in the container. This is called racking.
Ninth… unless you have a distillation apparatus the next best way to increase the ethanol concentration in the wine is to remove the water through fractional crystallization (i.e. freezing) . Place some wine in a plastic container (do not fill it completely), loosely cover it and place it in a freezer. After a period of time remove it and carefully skim of the ice and allow the wine to melt (don’t forget to keep it covered). Refreeze the same wine and repeat the process until there is no more ice forming, as ethanol does not freeze at freezer temps. This will make around 5 gallons and really should be stored in a glass 5 gallon water cooler jug as to make sure a plastic jug could leach yucky tasts in the homebrew.
Tenth…. Keep a drinking glass handy… you now have apple jack that should be around 30 to 35 percent alcohol or 60 to 70 proof.
It is best if allowed to age with charred oak chips, however it does not usually last that long…. Bottoms Up!
Ps…. Think apples are good…. Wait till you try oranges and the like….
. This may not be the place for this but I have found it has helps keep my blood pressure in check when wrestling with an ill Kubota and it DOES take the edge off on the cheap.Here it goes...
Apple Jack or Orange Jack with an Attitude
The object is to make very good hooch on the cheap.
First…. I start with a 30 gallon polypropylene container with an open top with a tight fitting lid that can be taped along the lid seam to make it air tight. If you are going to go to all this trouble may as well make it worth while. The other items you’ll need are;
2 cups of lemon or lime juice
2 packets of EC1118 wine yeast
1 oz. Pectic enzyme
1 Fermentation container “(i.e. poly drum) bubbler” vent
30# Sugar
Thermometer
1 Roll electrical tape
You can get the yeast and enzyme at any brew shop or on line for about $6.00.
I use “How Do You Brew” in Newark, DE.
www.howdoyoubrew.com
DO NOT USE METAL CONTAINERS.
Second…. Get hooked up with a supermarket to secure their daily “culled throwaways”. I get a bushel of very good apples or oranges for a $1.00 and average 2 bushels a day if I want them.
Third…. Sterilize the poly container and rinse it several times. If wild yeast gets started it will ruin your batch…. Keep everything clean.
Fourth… secure about 2 ½ bushels of apples and run them through a blender to puree consistency and store in the poly container. This makes about 15 gallons of mash. Stir in the Pectic enzyme cover and let set for 24 hours stored in a warm location 70 to 80 degrees F.. During the wait do two things.
A. Take about ½ cup of the apple mash and put it in a ½ gallon jar with 2 tsp of lime juice. In a separate container prepare 1 quart of sugar water by putting one cup of sugar in a quart of water (non-chlorinated) making sure it is dissolved to a clear liquid. Pour the sugar water into the ½ gallon mash jar and allow it to warm to approximately 76 degrees F. Once warmed, pour the packet of yeast in the sugar water/mash mixture and stir well. Loosely cover the jar and place it in a warm location for 24 hours.
B. While waiting the 24 hours drill a hole in the poly container lid to accommodate the bubbler vent stopper. Once done place the lid back on the poly container with the vent in place.
Fifth… Dissolve the 30# of sugar in approximately 15 gallons of non-chlorinated water until the sugar solution is clear. Make sure the solution is around 75 degrees F and pour it into the apple mash container and stir vigorously. I use a portable drill and a drywall “mud” mixing paddle…. It works GREAT.
Now it is time to “pitch” the yeast in the poly mash container. Take the ½ gallon sugar/mash/yeast jar and pour it into the 15 gallons of apple mash and stir very well. Dissolve Cover, with bubbler vent in place, and seal the lid seam with a turn of electrical tape.
Sixth… the next day remove the tape and lid and with a clean “something” gently stir the “cap” that formed overnight back into the mash. Replace the lid, bubbler vent and tape seal. In a few hours you’ll observe the vent starting to bubble as carbon dioxide is formed during fermentation. Keep the poly container warm and observe the bubbler over the next 10 to 14 days. Do not disturb it during this time.
Seventh… once the bubbler has almost stopped bubbling it is time to pop the top and strain the solids from the liquid in the container. I use a mesh screen sieve. You will need to have a couple of very clean temporary containers on hand to store the separated liquid wine. Yep… I said wine… about 11 to 14 % ethanol at this time. The best containers I have found are the 5 gallon water cooler bottles because if you wanted to invest approximately $10 more in you apple jack endeavor and purchase a couple or three more bubbler vents you could use these jugs to clarify the wine. In any case discard the strained solids and place the captured wine in a sealed container(s) with bubbler(s) in place and allow the suspended solids to settle over the next 30 or so days.
Eight…. carefully siphon off the more “clearer” wine from the sediment in the container. This is called racking.
Ninth… unless you have a distillation apparatus the next best way to increase the ethanol concentration in the wine is to remove the water through fractional crystallization (i.e. freezing) . Place some wine in a plastic container (do not fill it completely), loosely cover it and place it in a freezer. After a period of time remove it and carefully skim of the ice and allow the wine to melt (don’t forget to keep it covered). Refreeze the same wine and repeat the process until there is no more ice forming, as ethanol does not freeze at freezer temps. This will make around 5 gallons and really should be stored in a glass 5 gallon water cooler jug as to make sure a plastic jug could leach yucky tasts in the homebrew.
Tenth…. Keep a drinking glass handy… you now have apple jack that should be around 30 to 35 percent alcohol or 60 to 70 proof.
It is best if allowed to age with charred oak chips, however it does not usually last that long…. Bottoms Up!
Ps…. Think apples are good
…. Wait till you try oranges and the like….
