Hard Cider

Fall and Winter come around every year and what is better than to enjoy these cooler temps with a nice spicy glass of hard cider? Nothing.

Since we've been brewing our own beer - definitely a post for another day - I've had a urge to make cider. Now I took some steps to make it easier and I'll give you the option to do it either way.

Item 1: Apple juice/cider - I like 5 gallon batches so you need enough juice or cider (cider is unfiltered juice) to get there. The hardcore way is to press your own fresh apples and use that fresh cider to ferment - I used bottled apple juice. If you're using store bought juice it MUST be preservative free and if you can get unpasteurized that's even better.

Item 2: Yeast - you have 2 basic options, cider yeast or champagne yeast. I wanted a higher alcohol content, a dry cider, and less stank fermenting so I went with Champagne (White Labs liquid WLP715). There are a few options out there so do some reading on the specific different options for yeast and what they do to the finished product.

Item 3: Sugar - Sugar is food for the yeast and creates alcohol. You're thinking to yourself: "Self, apples already have sugar in them so why do I need to add more?" I would answer you: It changes the finished product and you'll get a super dry cider if you don't add sugar - this is semi optional, I recommend so type of "Spiced" sugar (brown sugar, molasses, DME, etc)

Item 4: Spices - This is optional and up to the individual, think of spices you'd use with apples.

Item 5: Priming Sugar - This is also optional, if you want still cider do not prime, if you want bubbles prime. Follow standard priming rules for beer - brown sugar is an option to consider for some added flavor

You're fermenting sugar to make a more interesting beverage - it's a bit of a blank canvas to play with.

Now for a recipe:

5.5 gallons apple juice
2 lbs dark brown sugar
0.5 gallons water
1 TBSP Cinnamon
1 TBSP Nutmeg

Pour room temp yeast into 0.25 gal of room temp juice 1-8 hours before starting. This will activate the yeast and help get a better product.

heat 0.5 gal water and 0.25 gal of apple juice, when warm add spices and sugar, heat to a boil, let boil for a minute or two, shut off heat - This will kill anything in the spices or sugar and make sure the sugar gets dissolved.

While this is heating, jump the rest of your juice in a LARGE pot and warm up (100-120 F) so it will take the sugar better.

Pour sugar water into juice, mix well, take off heat, siphon into 6 gallon carboy.

Cool to 70-75 deg, swirl up to add oxygen, and pitch yeast.

I'm planning on 2 weeks in the primary, then siphoning off 5 gal into a secondary for 4 weeks, then bottle and age for 2-3 weeks. We'll know then how the recipe turns out.