Assassins Creed + OUYA

General

I used http://geckoblue.livejournal.com/284897.html to get my OUYA controller working with AC2.  I then thought it might be interesting to try with the original game.

I dug around and found the key mappings at

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Assassins Creed\DefaultBindings.map

Then added the exact same code as for AC2.  The game played like I was drunk, spinning and impossible to control.  I eventually managed to get in to the options and hit the “Defaults” button for the OUYA which appeared to load my mappings and the game worked fine after that. Hitting defaults was somewhat of a struggle without the ability to move down.

Racking off Perry

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500D_1821The recipe from cider-making.co.uk said it would have a specific gravity of 1.010 at the end of fermentation, and it was spot on.  The recipe says rack off and bottle.  I am not sure if this is rack off, wait a bit, then bottle; or bottle straight away.  500D_1820Either way, I needed the temperature checking demijohn for my cider  so racked off (moved in to a new demijohn) it would be.  There was a lot of sediment, meaning that the racked off demijohn was rather far from the top (nearly a litre down).  I now know you can top up with sugar water at this stage.  I wasn’t sure how much sugar to put in but after internal debate I decided that sugar with og 1.030 would be about right to keep the overall alcohol content the same.  I will do the calculations another day.

Like the cider earlier, I tasted this brew.  It was actually not that nice.  Just that bland homebrew sort of taste.   Maybe it is the yeast, maybe it just needs to age.  Off to the garage it went, already bubbling away as the sugar was digested by the remaining yeast.

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Off to the garage

 

Newport Cider – with bramley yeast

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The new cider batch with the first batch bottled behind

The Newport apple juice had rested with its campden tablet for about 24 hours (this kills off the nasty stuff).  Today I checked the gravity.  It was at 1.044 and needed to be 1.050.  My table says 1.044 is 19oz sugar per gallon and 1050 is 21oz sugar per gallon.  I therefore had to add 2oz of sugar.  I dissolved some in warm water and poured it in.  A thorough stir and the og was spot on 1.050. Hurrah.  I added some pectolase to break down the pectin (this stops some sort of haze forming – not really sure), added some yeast nutrient and then did something new.

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The yeast/juice mix before I returned it to the main demijohn

I reused the yeast from my first cider batch.  I just poured some juice from the new demiohn in to the must at the bottom of the old one, swilled it around and poured it back in to the juice.  I had not choice if I wanted cider yeast.

I then realised that the recipe said that the demijohn should be at 20°C – the Brew Belt could come back in to play.  Yay.  Also it would be nice to have a temperature band on the demijohn.  This meant that I would have to peel it off the perry (bad idea) or rack off the perry (good idea).  I racked off the perry easily enough (more later) poured the concoction in to the new and carefully cleaned demijohn, wrapped it in the brew belt, and switched on the timer (15 minutes in 45).  For once, checking regularly is allowed, since I have to keep an eye on the temperature and want to see the yeast working.

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In situ with the brew belt, temperature strip and timer. In a pan in case it overflows – which can happen if it gets a little over enthusiastic after a couple of days.

Cider bottling

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I was going to shuffle the cider on to a new demijohn today so that I could use the yeast at the bottom to start the new “Newport” batch.  When I carefully carried it in from the garage (trying to avoid twisting and bumping) I thought it looked pretty clear.  My instructions said that I should bottle it at this stage, so I went through the process again like yesterday, sterilising my tube and filling the bottles evenly.  The batch looks pretty clear and the specific gravity was 1.002.  500D_1812This batch has an interesting history, recorded in my initial scribbled notes.  It was 1.040 then I had added a mysterious 113g of sugar (which looks like 4oz).  113g turns out to be the sugar needed to raise one gallon at 1.040 to 1.050.  I had worked this out from the sheet in the hydrometer.  So, the gravity went from 1.050 to 1.002 – according to the sheet this means that the final alcohol content is about 6%, which is spot on right.

I then added one heaped teaspoon of sugar to each bottle and topped them up a little with water so they looked about the same height so looked nice and even.  It wasn’t much water so I don’t think it will affect them much at all.  I remembered to have a little taste as well.  It was much less harsh than last time.  Almost drinkable.  Another few weeks and it will be worth a try.  A little shake to get the sugar dissolved and off they go to do their fizzy magic for a few days.

500D_1816I left the must at the bottom  in the hope that can be my cider yeast for the next batch.

 

 

 

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Frothy after a shake to get the sugar dissolved

Raw white wine

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Not too bad actually
Not too bad actually

I drank some of my first Miller’s Gate wine with dinner last night.  We had a bought bottle to compare with – nothing special.  Whilst you couldn’t say mine was not wine, it was certainly rather dry in comparison.   But it was drinkable and got drunk.  With the right food it might be ideal.  I’ve just got to learn how to make wine sweeter I guess.