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LOW

CARB

LOW

SUGAR

CRAFTING PERFECTION

Southern Tap premium kits are created from the purest and best ingredients money can buy for the undefinable taste of a dry craft cider that’s both better, and better for you. You deserve full dry flavour, low carbs, no nasties and not feeling like an old sock the next day – you got it.

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LOW CARB & LOW SUGAR

A premium home-brew with 50% less sugar than other ciders means you – and dozens of your closest friends – can enjoy a tasty few without the usual repercussions: 

 

  • Less terror of a too-tight belt
     

  • No massive sugar hit or added chemicals means no throbbing headache
     

  • Enjoy the natural sugars of real fruit varietals 
     

  • Fancy a sweeter brew? A little added sugar will still be lower carb than other ciders

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100% QUALITY APPLES

Southern Tap uses only premium authentic cider apples from both France and Hawke’s Bay. Favoured by top cider brewers from around the globe, they’re renowned for that dry, traditional craft taste developed by the ancestral brewers of Europe.

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100% NATURAL FRUIT FLAVOURS

This is the good stuff. We import the best real fruits from their countries of origin all around the world for premium concentrates that reward you with delicious flavours, aromas and a unique dry, home-brewed cider experience. 

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ORGANIC BIO YEAST

  • High fermentation and pressure tolerance for sparkling production — both primary and secondary fermentation.
     

  • Strong alcohol tolerance, highly robust
     

  • Excellent riddling properties and fast flocculation
     

  • Emphasises varietal character with fresh citrus/lime flavours.
     

  • Low nutrient consumption
     

  • Produces moderate levels of SO2 to suppress MLF.
     

  • Vegetarian and vegan friendly.

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ORGANIC NUTRIENT

The perfect compliment to our organic bio yeast when brewing ciders.
 

  • Protects and enhances varietal aromas and flavours.
     

  • Inhibits the formation of H2S and reductive off-flavours, supports glutathione production of yeast leading to increased stability of ciders and wine, Facilitates an east MLF due to lowering the SO2 production by yeast.
     

  • Highly complex, lower purification level so ideal for clarified juices.

NOTE: Glutathione is a natural antioxidant that has been shown to protect against browning and enhance the fruity nature of aromatic ciders.

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STEP 1:
PREPARE EQUIPMENT

IMPORTANT: READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE STARTING

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THIS KIT CONTAINS:

  • 1x 1.5L (2kg) bottle of apple or fruit cider concentrate
     

  • 1x sachet of organic yeast
     

  • 1x sachet of organic nutrient

IN ADDITION, YOU'LL ALSO NEEED:

  • A fermenter (25L minimum)
     

  • Brewing sugar (dextrose)
     

  • Airlock
     

  • Stirrer
     

  • Hydrometer
     

  • Bottles or keg for filling
     

  • 1x Campden tablet (optional but recommended)
     

  • A carbonation method: Your carbonation method will vary depending on whether you’re bottling or begging. Talk to your local home-brew store for advice.

IMPORTANT BREWING NOTES:

Make sure your equipment is properly cleaned and sanitised before starting.

 

Minimise your cider’s exposure to atmosphere and sunlight as much as possible.

 

Read each step carefully and have patience during the process, and you’ll reap the rewards of the best home-brew cider on the market (in our humble opinion).

STEP 2:
BREWING YOUR CIDER

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ADD THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS TO YOUR 25L FERMENTER:

  • +2L of hot water
     

  • 500g of brewing sugar (dextrose) and stir well
     

  • The full 1.5L bottle of the French Cider Apple concentrate
     

  • Refill the 1.5L concentrate bottle to the top with hot water, swirl around to ensure you get all the ‘appley’ goodness, and pour into the fermenter
     

  • 15L of warm water (25°C – 30°C)
     

  • Give everything a good stir to mix well

AFTER A SWEETER CIDER? (THIS STEP IS OPTIONAL)

We think our recipe creates a perfectly balanced, smooth fruit cider. However, it’s your brew and therefore your call. For a sweeter cider:

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  • Add up to 500g more sugar (dextrose) to the fermenter (additional to the 500g you’ve already added) and stir well

 

Please note that adding more sugar (dextrose) will increase the alcohol level of your finished cider.

FINISH CREATING YOUR BREW:

  • Add the yeast and nutrient to the fermenter and stir well to ensure both have broken down and not formed solids
     

  • You can activate the yeast and nutrient in other ways – see southerntap.nz for details
     

  • Put the lid on the fermenter, fill the airlock with water and insert into the lid

STEP 3: 
FERMENT, CARBONATE & BOTTLE

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THE LAST STEPS TO CREATING YOUR INCREDIBLE CIDER:

For best fermentation, place your brew somewhere with a consistent temperature that doesn’t exceed either side of 16°C – 26°C. The fermentation process is complete when there are no more bubbles in your brew, normally 7 – 11 days (depending on brewing conditions). After 6 days take a hydrometer reading. When it measures between 1.000 – 1.002, congratulations, your cider is done.

NOTE: We have taken the time to pasteurise our fruit concentrate, but to avoid even the slightest possibility of a ‘bottle bomb’, crush in a Camden tablet at the end of fermentation, just to be safe.

CONDITION YOUR BREW FOR BEST RESULTS:

To get the best tasting cider possible, condition your brew by placing it somewhere dark and cool – below 10°C is ideal –  for approximately 14 days (crash-cooling in a fridge is best). This helps the sediment, yeast and bitter compounds to drop out, creating a clearer brew. You can also add a clearing agent at this point (eg. Isinglass Finings) – talk to your local brew shop for options. A hazy cider is also good – again, your cider, your call. Your final alcohol percentage should be approximately 4.8% – 5.4% depending on brewing conditions and whether you added more sugar (dextrose) to your brew.

CARBONATE YOUR BREW:

Carbonation puts the fizz in your cider. There are many different ways to carbonate your brew depending on whether you’re bottling or kegging. We recommend talking to your local home-brew store for the best method. Once sorted, bottle or keg your brew, and enjoy.

STEP 4:
CHILL & ENJOY

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GO ON — SHOW OFF TO YOUR FRIENDS & SHARE A TASTY COLD ONE YOU CRAFTED YOURSELF

You’ve followed every instruction to the word. You’ve paced the room, counting away the seconds while the magic unfolds. And now’s the moment you and your hopeful, thirsty friends have been waiting for. Grab that cold one, craft cider brewer. It’s time to celebrate.

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