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It'll just make it stronger. The juice is little more than water and sugar anyway.

The timescale there is terrible, though. One thing good cider really needs is time. I wouldn't recommend even thinking about drinking a cider before 3 months and mine have been best after 6.

My 5 litre batch is about 4 months old and it ain't good, although a little better than what it was like at 2 months. I reckon I overdid did it on the tea.

Either way I doubt I'll be making cider again.

The quality of cider is down to the quality of the ingredients that goes into it. Using Lidl juice for cider making is really coming in at the bottom end. Yes you'll make a cider and with some work it can be adequate. For the best ciders you need a blend of decent apples with some sweet (40%), some sour(40%) and, if possible, some bitter(20%).

Most juice in cartons would be on the sweet side with only a little sour. This leaves the ciders a bit thin and bodiless. Some people add mushed up cooking apples, but this is not that great as the mush does not easily let go of its juice unless pressed (otherwise ciders makers wouldn't bother pressing at all).

If you're going to use lidl juice, I'd add 200g of unsulphited raisins to the demijohn (unsulphited is important as the sulphites kill your yeast). Some people add tea instead (a cupful of strong black brew is commonly used). These additions will add tannin to the juice which can benefit the overall mouthfeel and preceived body.

When bottling I'd do a taste test and, if too sharp, I'd add Splenda (or lactose if artifical sweeteners are not your thing). If you're going for a sparkling cider, this sweetenner would be in addition to the sugar your adding as priming sugar.

When it comes to drinking time, the lidl cider will sometimes still end up a bit sharp. If so you can add some apple juice as a back sweetener and as a body improver.

Irrespective of the apples used, or the juice used, no cider is worth drinking until at least three months have passed since fermentation began. Maybe more. I'm not ready to bottle my own and it was pressed in Novemeber. Maybe in another month. Maybe in another three.

/J

I find my lidl's Scrumpty Dumpty sharply sour, 6 months after fermentation. Not undrinkably sour for me, but I've enjoyed Rodenbach Grand Cru <!-- s:-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:-) -->

It was:

Lidl cloudy apple juice 94%
Lager Malt Grain 4%
Caramel Malt 60L 2%
Black Tea bags 15.00 g
Pectolase 15.00 g
Yeast Nutrient (AKA Fermax) 15.00 g

OG 1.053
FG 1.006



I guess I'll need to backsweeten it with honey for ladies upon serving. Anybody experienced it too? It's certainly not acetic-type sourness, rather citric acid like.

Cheers for that info. I made a batch yesterday with tesco apple juice. I'm gonna try a batch with the lidl apple juice also, might put in a cup of tea with that batch. When you say a warm room how warm is warm? Our house is a tad on the cold side id say around 18-19 degrees C. Think thats warm enought or should I invest in one of those Demi John heaters?
Once again cheers for all the advice!

That temperature sounds perfect.