Now that it's fall and the apples are ripe in my neck of the woods (New Hampshire), I thought I'd share a recipe for home brew hard cider. It's a very simple first-time home brew and it's very rewarding. I've never liked the taste of beer or any other alcohol for that matter, but a good cider is hard not to like.
Firstly, this Instructable will explain the process for producing all natural, organic, 100% hand made hard cider, an alcoholic beverage made through fermentation of apple cider.
This is for instructional and educational purposes only and should not be attempted by anyone under the age of 21. State laws may prohibit home brewing in your are. Brewing cider involves the use of active yeast culture, which may cause some food allergies and, as always when home brewing, there is always the possibility of contamination. Sterilize all containers and tools and use only fresh ingredients. And always drink responsibly.
Now that that's out of the way, let me explain the basic process. First you get a lot of apples and juice them/press them, etc. or buy a lot of apple cider (this recipe is for 1 gallon of cider). There are two basic methods after you've procured fresh, unpasteurized apple cider:
1. Put the apple cider into a container with a vapor lock and let the wild yeast that occurs naturally in apples ferment the juice into booze. (This takes a very long time and yields unpredictable results, but if you want simplicity, it doesn't get much easier than this. My instructable will deal mostly with option 2)
2. Pasteurize the apple cider with heat or Campden Tablets and then add brewers yeast (champagne yeast works well) with yeast nutrient and put it in a container with a vapor lock (takes less time to ferment and will yield a more stable cider)
In addition, just to clarify, there are 3 primary apple beverages that will be discussed here (not including applejack or apple brandy)
Apple cider - Unfiltered apple juice that contains oxidized pulp, resulting in brown coloration. Comes in many pasteurized and unpasteurized varieties.
Hard Cider (Or just Cider) - Alcoholic beverage fermented with yeast from Apple Cider
Apple Juice - In this country, Apple juice refers to ultra-filtered apple-cider that has been watered down and supplemented with other sweeteners (Such as Motts, Juicy Juice, etc.)
Terminology varies from place to place, which is why it is important to specify.
Firstly, this Instructable will explain the process for producing all natural, organic, 100% hand made hard cider, an alcoholic beverage made through fermentation of apple cider.
This is for instructional and educational purposes only and should not be attempted by anyone under the age of 21. State laws may prohibit home brewing in your are. Brewing cider involves the use of active yeast culture, which may cause some food allergies and, as always when home brewing, there is always the possibility of contamination. Sterilize all containers and tools and use only fresh ingredients. And always drink responsibly.
Now that that's out of the way, let me explain the basic process. First you get a lot of apples and juice them/press them, etc. or buy a lot of apple cider (this recipe is for 1 gallon of cider). There are two basic methods after you've procured fresh, unpasteurized apple cider:
1. Put the apple cider into a container with a vapor lock and let the wild yeast that occurs naturally in apples ferment the juice into booze. (This takes a very long time and yields unpredictable results, but if you want simplicity, it doesn't get much easier than this. My instructable will deal mostly with option 2)
2. Pasteurize the apple cider with heat or Campden Tablets and then add brewers yeast (champagne yeast works well) with yeast nutrient and put it in a container with a vapor lock (takes less time to ferment and will yield a more stable cider)
In addition, just to clarify, there are 3 primary apple beverages that will be discussed here (not including applejack or apple brandy)
Apple cider - Unfiltered apple juice that contains oxidized pulp, resulting in brown coloration. Comes in many pasteurized and unpasteurized varieties.
Hard Cider (Or just Cider) - Alcoholic beverage fermented with yeast from Apple Cider
Apple Juice - In this country, Apple juice refers to ultra-filtered apple-cider that has been watered down and supplemented with other sweeteners (Such as Motts, Juicy Juice, etc.)
Terminology varies from place to place, which is why it is important to specify.
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Signing UpStep 1: Ingredients and materials
Ingredients:
Apples (about 20 lbs, preferably of several varieties)
Champagne yeast (from a homebrew market or online shop)
Yeast nutrient (homebrew shop)
Campden tablets (optional)
1 cup Brown sugar
1 cup White sugar
Tools:
-Juicer or apple press (if you don't have either, just buy fresh cider from a local orchard)
-Glass Carboy/fermentation tank (I used a 1 gallon jug of Chianti left over from a party)
-Vapor lock (You can use a length of tubing and a cup with water, but I recommend just picking up the real thing for 1.25)
-Rubber stopper to fit your jug
-Bleach
-Funnel
-A large stock pot
-rubber hose
Apples (about 20 lbs, preferably of several varieties)
Champagne yeast (from a homebrew market or online shop)
Yeast nutrient (homebrew shop)
Campden tablets (optional)
1 cup Brown sugar
1 cup White sugar
Tools:
-Juicer or apple press (if you don't have either, just buy fresh cider from a local orchard)
-Glass Carboy/fermentation tank (I used a 1 gallon jug of Chianti left over from a party)
-Vapor lock (You can use a length of tubing and a cup with water, but I recommend just picking up the real thing for 1.25)
-Rubber stopper to fit your jug
-Bleach
-Funnel
-A large stock pot
-rubber hose
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We racked all of it a week and a half before Christmas and added Super Kleer KC clarifying agent. The cider clarified very well to a beautiful amber. The Jonathan batch ended up at 7.5% ABV and the Mac batches at 11.75%. We bottled and labeled the Jonathan batch for Christmas presents.
Last night the temperature dropped to -8 so we decided to try making apple jack from 2 gallons of the 11.75% batch. We set it outside in a stainless steel kettle. This morning I skimmed off the ice and the volume was reduced to 1 gallon. I didn't do an SG check, but I assume the ABV is now around 24%. The taste is excellent. You can tell it has a high alcohol content, but it is very smooth, but I also enjoy good bourbon and single malt scotch, so it might not be to everyone's liking. Just another thing to try if you live in a cold climate (or have a freezer). Apparently apple jack was common in the north country during colonial times!
Fermentation rate was way slower than last year and after 4 weeks had pretty much stopped. Transferred to glass carboys, SG was ~1.030, or ~6.75% ABV. We wanted to end up with dry still cider at an SG of close to 1, so we added 4 tsp. Yeast Nutrient dissolved in boiled water per 5 gal. It kicked the fermentation into high gear and all the carboys have been bubbling away for a week now.
Just wanted to add this comment in case anybody's fermentation stalls halfway through.
This year it is soooo dry and "alcohol" tasting. I used the same champagne yeast both years plus it was the last pressing of the season...the cider was really sweet! I don't get it? I used 5 lbs of sugar for 5 gallons of cider.
We drank 2 of the 5 gallons over the holidays, it was 4 weeks old and had 2 rackings. It yielded a great buzz w/no hangover but we ended up making spritzers with sprite to really enjoy it.
Is there any way to sweeten it up at this point? It's done brewing (needs to racked again!) and ready to bottle. I'd appreciate any help here! Thank you! :)
I would be interested to know how you did it last year w/o the 5 gallon carboy, since I am struggling to come by such a thing. Did you simply use a smaller volume carboy (something I already have) and adjust the ingredient amounts accordingly whilst keeping the ratio the same, or did you use a different container?
Thanks for your help! :)
I'm trying to choke down the last of the brew. :( Soooo dry!
As for my process, I did low heat pasteurization for all 5 gallons. Slow and tedious but better than the Camden tablets in my opinion. To the last 2 gallons of hot cider, I dissolved the 5 lbs of sugar. Let it cool, then added the yeast. Topped w/the airlock valve and watched the "party" start. That's it. Rack it every 2 weeks and enjoy.
I'm doing 10lbs of sugar this year. Hope it's better!
You need to add an unfermentable sugar. When making beer we do this by adding adjuncts that contain sugars that yeast can't ferment. Two unfermentable sugars that we beer brewers us are: Maltodextrin and Lactose. Both will be available in extract form from your local homebrew supplier. The latter, Lactose, will provide a light sweet flavour, akin to what you would taste in milk. You'd want to stay in the 10% range (estimated from your specific gravity readings) and experiment from there. Hope this helps.
Champagne yeast has a very high tolerance for alcohol, but a yeast with a lower tolerance (a lager yeast, or a kolsch yeast, etc) will go dormant well before you run out of sugars.
When using beer/ale yeasts you will need to use a yeast nutrient (like FerMax), because fruit juices (or honey, if you choose to use it as an adjunct sweetener; when using a wine yeast) don't have the potassium and nitrogen needed to make strong cells in the reproductive (known as "lag) phase.
I am a first time brewer, and I decided (due to the recommendation of many brewers) to try three micro-batches the first time. Though the suggestion was to use multiple types of apples, we have Haralson trees in our back yard, so I used those for the juice.
After sanitizing the equipment, I filled each of my three gallon carboys with juice from the apples, added 1/2 tsp of pectinase, and a crushed campden tablet, with varying amounts of added sugars (as per other suggestions online).
Question 1: After I added the campden tablets, I covered the carboys (sealed); campden tablets release SO2, which is what kills the microbes. . . was I supposed to not cover them during this step?
For the sugar added, each of my containers were as follows:
A: 1 cup white, 1 cup brown sugar
B: 1 cup white, 1/2 cup brown sugar
C: 1/2 cup white, 1 cup brown sugar
I did not check the pH/gravity of the solutions, as I did not have pH strips, or a hydrometer.
After 2 days, I pitched the yeast (using a Wyeast sweet mead/cider yeast) into each of the 3 containers, after letting it sit for 3 hours (as per instructions) and confirming (by inflation of the bag) that it had been activated.
By the next morning, container C was bubbling at a noticeable rate (about 0.2 hz bubbles), while the other two had no pressure differential (as noticeable per an S airlock). After another day, I pitched additional yeast into both A and B, and waited a day to check them. (at which point C was at about 1 hz bubbles)
A day after the additional pitch, B has started bubbling at a rate of about 0.01 hz (almost unnoticeable) and A has yet to move.
Question 2: What could be causing A or B from taking the cultures?
(A few notes:
I pitched C first from the premade packet, which was made to treat 6 gallons, then B, then A;
though I had shaken the packet of Wyeast yeast, it sat for about 50 seconds before I pitched it;
the packet included nutrient for the yeast;
As I stated before, the S airlocks were in place immediately after the campden tablets were added;
My concerns were mainly that maybe SO2 was still in the environment when I pitched, and that maybe either the yeast or the nutrient in the packet was not evenly distributed through A, B, and C, though an even amount was delivered from the packet to each, due to quick separation (I haven't looked into their relative densities, or anything))
Thank you for your help! ~Steven
i have been making cider for years until like 3 years ago when they passed this stupid law where it has to be pasturized now. if i wanted apple juice i would buy it in the store.lol. anyway if you can press your apples on your own without having it pasturized you do not need any yeast or yeast nutrients at all. the bacteria in the cider is what makes it work and then the sugars you add turn to alcohol. i add 1 1/2 pounds of sugar per gallon of cider. i use a 14 gallon demilume glass jug so i add 12 gallons of cider then white sugar 12lbs and then brown sugar 6lbs and then a juice concentrate and a couple other ingredients. then place all in my jug put the bubbler on top and let it work. when its done bubbling i bottle it. i tried it with yeast and i didnt care for it at all. it worked way to fast and tasted like crap. so me and my uncle built a homemade press and now the hard cider making resumes. hope this helps.
I have been brewing cider and wines for a few years (perry, apple cider, peach cider). I strongly suggest that you use a cider yeast if you want to preserve more of an apple flavor. I have used various forms of yeast in the past, and none are as good as cider yeast, especially if you are making cider, not apple wine (i.e. as long as the alcohol content is under 8%). If you are making apple wine, use the champagne yeast or cote de blanc. Stay away from beer yeasts. Moreover, certain yeasts will die and not function once the alcohol content is over a certain level, so NO BREAD YEAST!!!
Wyeast has a great liquid cider yeast that includes the nutrient.
Hydrometers, PET bottles, air-locks, stoppers, and fermentation buckets are not expensive. If you are going to invest the time to make cider, you should invest the money. There is nothing like waiting months to drink cider, and having to pitch the batch because you cut corners. Trust me, my wife has complained about the amount of $$ that I pour down the drain being impatient/ cutting corners.
Making cider is fun and a hobby that will make you a superstar amongst your friends (trust me). Just keep notes, do sufficient research, and don't cut corners.
P.S. You can make your own equipment. However, it is difficult to do so if you do not have a sufficient frame of reference.
You have to stir up the cider after before you add the yeast. This ensures that oxygen is in whatever you are trying to ferment. Yeast need oxygen for the aerobic phase of fermentation. That's where they consume the oxygen and multiply.
Another important note is to make sure that the temperature of the liquid is 78 deg f or lower before you pitch / add the yeast.
I would not add table sugar or brown sugar. If you want to increase alcohol level I would add extra light dry malt extract which you can get at a home brew store. The yeast can handle this sugar a lot better than table sugar.
Am wondering about how the big boys do it. If they are limited to a volume of apples wont they make it into a high alcohol cider, let it mature then dilute it down to around the 5-8% mark??
Anyone any info on this???
For the alcohol content I assume that cider is similar to beer (and wine) in that it all has to do with the sugar content before and after the fermentation. I'm sure the big companies know exatcly what the sugar content needs to be to make a consistent product and they adjust it every time.
If you have a hydrometer you can measure the specific gravity before and after fermentation to calculate the alcohol content. I don't know how fermentable all the natural sugars are in cider. A beer with a starting gravity of ~1.05 will be around 5% alcohol when finished. To adjust gravity / sugar content - add 1 pound of sugar to raise gravity ~0.005.
If you have 4 batches to make - maybe try different starting gravities and see where they end up.
After pitching my yeast, I stored my carboy in my closet over night but the temps got a bit cold (mabe 65f max) now nothing is happening no bubbles in my airlock. What should i do?
I just bottled my first-ever four bottles of hard cider. Now that they're capped, the flavor will no longer change, correct? I'd like to try aging it longer, but if capping is the end of it, then I'll just go ahead and put 'em in the fridge! Thanks.
1) what can I use in place of "campden tabs" to carbonate my cider.
2) can I "make" a hygrometer?... or will I have to buy it on the internet?
3) when you say "entire" packet of yeast do you mean 10 grammes?
Please help gang... it looks like you are having an awful lot of fun and I would like to join in.
I have found the alcohol content and flavor can be amended simply by adjusting the amount and types of sugar and adding different types of fresh fruit. Trying to make everything too complicated tends to make everything, well...too complicated. Good luck!
Glad to hear you're getting into brewing cider in Brazil! Maybe you'll start a national trend. I'll see if I can answer your questions;
1. Campden tablets are used to pasteurize your cider, not to carbonate them. I think you're thinking of carbonation tablets sometimes used in beer brewing. You can use heat to sterilize your cider, as I suggested in the recipe, or you can order Campden tabs. For carbonation, you can use priming sugar or carbonation tabs, but you will want to calculate the specific gravity/alcohol content in order to use the right amount -- otherwise you'll have bombs on your hands. There are some good comments on carbonation and priming sugar on this thread and some even better resources out there online. It's a tricky business and I'm not necessarily the most qualified person out there :)
2. Making a hydrometer is relatively easy (http://www.ecawa.asn.au/home/jfuller/liquids/hydrometers.htm) , but it can be tricky to calibrate. I would recommend either buying one online, or simply winging it by following the recipe exactly :)
3. The yeasts that I typically use come in 5 gram packs and are good for 5 gallons of wort, but every yeast is different. If you don't have access to champagne or white wine or cider yeast, you can probably make do with something else, but I can't say from experience how much will be effective. Fortunately the amount of yeast that you use is not of great importance, as long as you're somewhere in the ballpark. Way too little yeast may take longer to get going, and way too much yeast will result in more silt/yeasty flavor, but unless you're way off, you probably won't notice a difference.
Hope that helped. My advice would be not to worry about it to much your first time. Cider is a very easy and cheap beverage to ferment and you can always improve your technique over multiple batches.
I'm making a list of needs now and off shopping for basic parts tommorow. I've got 5lit water jugs to start with and will end up making a vapour lock of some description (heh), but thanks a million for the Hydrometer site.
As far as yeast goes I've had to start with cooking yeast (which is bubbling away nicely) and one site that I looked at suggested a very heavy dose, but I like the idea of an approximate 1gram/ gallon of wort, that sounds more like it.
Am I right in thinking that with a yeast and "yeast nutrient" (please explain the difference) I'll be looking at about 3 months till I'm drinking it?... when can I start tasting it? ... heheh, sorry, a little too eager maybe!
I'm going to re-read your blog, but thanks again... you've opened my eyes to a whole new game ;)
Yeast nutrient is made of food-grade dehydrated urea. It's not needed, but it contains nutrients (ammonium ions) that keep the yeast healthy and productive. Probably something you'll want to pass rather than make yourself.
I haven't used cooking/baking yeast, but I know it can be done. Between 1-2 grams per gallon should do the trick.
Some friends are sending me some toys from the UK to help with the first couple of Batches. I hope to get the various campden tablet ingredient and Yeast types copied and batched by a pharmacy here... then we're off... till then baking yeast will do.
The apples gave me two half-gallons of apple cider and I've yet to rack and taste the results. I'm going to try pears next and will share the results, but I'll stain it first and leave the carboys inside a dark garbage bag or large cooler to ensure any blowouts are contained.
much appreciate your advice.
ps i have been advised to leave it in there for 5 to 9 days, any other suggestions.
The problem is that my cider tastes quite tart after two weeks and I am afraid it will turn into vinegar. Is this common? Will the cider get sweeter with time? Is there anything I can do? I did put about 7 cups of brown and white sugar into the cider before fermentation.
The only way your cider could technically become apple cider vinegar is if bacteria find their way into your cider and start munching on the sugars or alcohol. Provided your corks are intact and your wine bottles were clean when you put your cider in, you should be fine.
However, I've noticed that if you let your cider (or any other fermenting beverage) sit on the sediment for too long you'll begin to notice off flavors. This could be contributing to your cider's flavor as well. I may've racked my cider three or four times the first time around trying to get rid of sediment.
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1. I want to add pectic enzyme (to clarify), can I add this at the same time as the Campden tabs?
2. How long should it sit with the pectic enzyme before adding my fermenting yeast?
Looking forward to this and thanks for all the great tips.
You should add your yeast when you press the apples to make sure you have a good starting fermentation.
If you are going to use campton tabs then they are for stopping any small amount of fermentation before you bottle the cider. unless you want some sparkle in it.
Have a look at the different finished ciders, ie conditioned, non conditioned, still, sparkling.
I dont add anthing but yeast & sugar in different amounts.
Am going to a cider festival at the wknd to ask lots of questions, hopefully i will remember the answers after lots of tasting!!! will let ye all know about any cider secrets!!!
(btw Iadded pectic enzyme to one batch and it hasn't impacted fermentation at all. i'll let you know how the final product looks).
Making our second batch tomorrow night, apples are picked & in a 500 gallon trough itching for the scatter mill & press!
Advice to anyone is dont panic with cider making!!!
Rack into another demijohn & then fill it up all but to the top with water, boiled if you want, I am lucky enough to have our own water & add it straight from the tap!!!
I have 10, 5gallon demijohns all bursting with cider.
I have added diferent amounts of sugar to them,
some are completly raw cider & will be left alone.
The others will have different amounts added to find out the best flavour for me.
We made 10gal of cider in two 5 gal demijohns on thurs one of these we left natural the other we added 1lb/gal of sugar, I will taste them once they have finished fermenting!
Another tip i do is to just put some cotton wool in the top of the demijohn while there is a vigerous fermentation, that way there will be no risk of it going bang!!
Remember there is not a lot you can do to stop it making a good cider!
My question would be this; if you're bottling in beer bottles and your cider is primed, can you just measure off 12 oz with a measuring cup and pour that volume into your bottles without having to worry about bottle bombs? I don't have a bottler or racking cane, and I'm not sure if this is accurate enough to keep my bottles from exploding.
use a hydrometer to calculate starting gravity and finished gravity
when it stops working it should be finished
http://www.amazon.com/500-Amber-Flip-Cap-Bottles-pack/dp/B002Y2951C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1315323186&sr=8-4
A bit expensive to start with but they are nice to have in general. You can also usually find 1 liter ones for fairly cheap.
I would use a food-grade plastic tube rather than a measuring cup, and fill from the bottom of the bottle up--prevents too much oxidation.
Having lived where I live for the last 6 years which is fortunate to have 2 pear trees in the rear garden I finally decided to do something with all my pears this year rather than let then dissolve into the ground. I picked a dust bin full of pears and following another internet guide I did the following:
Washed and chopped pears into smaller chunks
Pulped into a mash
Pressed mash using a smashing press borrowed from a friend.
Sterilised a fermenting buckets and managed to press 3 gallon of pear juice!
Added 3 campden tablets (1 per gallon)
Added some pectolase yeast nutrients and Wine yeast as per directions.
Left the perry fermenting for 4 days (all bubbling etc happened)
The instructions then told me to siphon this off into Demijohns with Airlocks for the second stage of fermentation.......
This is where I think it may have gone wrong.... Since I have put the juice into the Demijohns all bubbling has stopped - I am now at day three in the demijohns and not a bubble! It this right??
Also should the airlocks have any fluid in them (water ??)
When I siphoned from the first barrel I left all the sediments in the bottom of the barrell (did not siphon this into the demijohns)
My instructions state wait for the bubbling to stop (takes about two weeks depending on the temp) and then move to a cooler location (garage etc....) for a further few weeks before bottling - Mine aint bubbling!!!
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- for 1 gallon, I usually only use about 1/4 of the yeast packet or even a fifth
- I don't think apple cider really needs yeast nutrient though I have never used it. I've never had a fermentation stall on me.
- with fresh apples, I generally just wash the heck out of them, juice them, and don't pasteurize. I add well-activated yeast and it gets to do the majority of the work, while a little wild yeast adds some character (I've never had this go wrong, and this is how some wineries operate)
- I would stress sanitation more--EVERYTHING that comes in contact with the cider should be sanitized, including the juicer elements (mine are all dishwasher safe, so I usually run it through on sanitize right before starting)
- Rather than racking, I generally just wait until fermentation stops (when SG doesn't change over 2 days)--this is usually just 2 weeks or so which is fine for letting stuff hang out with the sediment. Then I bottle with priming sugar or add apple juice concentrate. Check for "priming sugar calculator" on google for charts. Then it's best to let the bottles age for a few months. I like using 1 liter grolsh bottles with flip-top lids.
- I have had fun results adding the following to kick up alcohol: dextrose (corn sugar), regular sugar, honey (you will want to rack in this case and will need a long bit of more time), fructose (cheap and matches the primary sugar in apple juice), and my favorite is just adding a can of frozen apple juice concentrate
- you CAN use ale and/or lager yeasts with great results--lager in particular works well but will require the right temperatures and you need to age the heck out of it.
- I would strongly advise against any sort of heat pasteurization - it radically changes the flavor, at least to my taste buds
- most store apple juices are made without preservatives, added sugar, or added water. Added vitamin C is not a problem.
- Whole Foods, for about $7, sells 1 gallon glass jugs of unfiltered, cold pasteurized apple juice. Makes a very convenient, easy, and cost effective source. It's a tarter than typical organic juice that benefits from some added sugar.
Harpoon (a Massachusetts Brewer) has an apple cider made solely from Apples and Yeast--it's dry, crisp, light, and smooth. Also about 4% alcohol. It makes a good "standard" IMO.
Just some things to throw out there! I'm lucky in that I really like cider in all spectrums of the results--from tart&dry to sweet&mellow to even a little sour/funky, so I feel pretty confident goofing off with it.
I also know that there are some filtration systems that use a glass tube and UV rays to filter fish tank water.
Could 2+2=awesome?
The better flavor of the unpasteurized cider with the benefit of not adding bacterial cultures to your intestines?
Brilliant!
Have you read the recipes drink Kefir water on this site?
Theoretically it can be fermented fruit juices with this inoculation of apple juice too. A result resembling cider.
Have you tried? If so, it gives it?
Bonjour.
Avez-vous déjà lu les recettes de boissons Kéfir d’eau sur ce site ?
Théoriquement on peut faire fermenter des jus de fruit avec cet ensemencement, du jus de pommes aussi. Un résultat qui ressemblerait au cidre.
Avez-vous essayé ? Si oui, que cela donne t-il ?
The other important factor is attenuation. Some yeast will ferment more completely than others. In other words it will at up all the sugar vs. leave some behind. This will change the character of the beverage as well. This instructable suggests champagne yeast. That is a high attenuation yeast, so the cider will be dry to very dry. I prefer a cider that is not quite as dry, so I use a different cider yeast (the liquid ones mentioned) or even US-05 ale yeast.
It is all a matter of personal preference. I would use 1-gal jugs and make some batches side-by-side with different yeast. Then you will know what you prefer.
Another tip on taste from yeast and fermentation is the temperature you ferment at. That is important and should not be glossed over. I would say 70 is a max. I would keep it ~65 as the fermentation itself will generate some heat. As fermentation finishes, you can raise it up around 70.
Cheers and good luck.
We brew cider in an oak cask from late october / mid november till it is fully brewed. Then we bottle it and open the 1st bottle only "after the 1st song of the cuckoo !…" , so goes the saying !…
Watch the cork and have several hands each with a glass : if the cider is highly carbonated the cork will leave a hole well a dent…) in your ceiling and 3/4of the contents will be flooding table and ground before you can fill the 1st glass …
Another alternative to boiling is to get some sulfites from a homebrew/wine making shop, though I've not really read into the specifics of it. It will kill any wild yeast and bacteria present in the juice, though.
I have not had a problem finding cider (not from concentrate) in 1-gallon jugs at our local Walmart (we live in Colorado). There is no potassium sorbate on the label, but the cider has been pasteurized. I have not added any additional sugar to the must so far to keep the alcohol content low (adding extra sugars at the beginning will not make your cider sweeter unless you intentionally arrest the fermentation before finishing - extra sugar at the beginning will increase your alcohol content), but will probably backsweeten when the fermentation is done to balance the tartness of the cider.
I don't have a complete brew log yet from these batches, but I'm thinking the typical cider is probably about 5% alcohol - so I'd start with a SG at about 1.050 and add a little yeast nutrient to keep things going.
Another comment would be to add Pectic Enzyme - if you don't add this at the very beginning (about an hour before adding yeast) and mix thoroughly, you'll have trouble getting the cider to clear out later. It's cheap and easy to find at a home-brew store.
For the berry flavor, I'm thinking of adding 1lb of thawed and mashed blackberries to the must at the start of secondary fermentation (again, you should probably pre-treat the berry mash with pectic enzyme) and letting them sit in the carboy until it's time to bottle.
Thank you for the help in advance!
Thanks.
I have used tap water in both of the applications that you mentioned with no problems. It depends where you live though. Hard water, chemically "softened" water, chlorine, fluoride and factory runoff will all probably have some effect on your yeast. Best bet is to go with something you know is safe, like distilled or bottled water, that way if you have a problem you can more easily diagnose it.
I just wanted to say, (without wanting to offend anyone interested in this calculated method) that my dad has been making delicious, warm you from the inside hard cider for years, with only the following:
1 gallon jug of fresh unpasteurized cider (with ~ an inch removed)
to which he adds:
1 cup regular white cane sugar
1 cup white powdered sugar
1 cup brown sugar
and a handful of raisins for flavor
he puts a balloon over the jug opening, lets it sit in a dark corner for ~ 3 months, then just pours the liquid out carefully and leaves the sludge at the bottom.
Just a different more simple method I guess?
Idophor is best.
Calculating the ABV
Say our brewer crafted a high-alcohol beer. The OG measured at 1.080, and the beer stopped fermentation with a FG measurement of 1.011. Simply subtract the FG from the OG and multiply by 131.
1.080 - 1.011 = 0.069 x 131 = 9.039%
So we've got a 9 percent alcohol by volume beer. Easy!
My cider has been fermenting for 48 hours and there are no bubbles in the airlock. There is gas in the air lock, as the liquid has been pushed into one chamber, but no bubbles?!
Also, I did not add sugar, as it says it is optional, I put 2/3 package of yeast, but the juice did not fill the my 1 gallon container completely, it arrives just below the shoulder of the container.
Should I add sugar? Is it too late? Please help.
Thanks
Thanks
Also i did not monitor temperature but during the day room temp was around 25C and at night it dropped to a high of 15 so in theory yeast should have stopped at 18-19 but the natural yeast in B kept growing away while A stalled and kicked back in when temps got back up to 20C.
So to short answer your question yes you multiply all ingrediants ... except the yeast it would be happy with just a single packet of yeast.
Mix you liquid and sugar measure with hydrometer.. when your liquid stops "foaming or bubbling" fermentation has stopped measure again with hydrometer and it should be at 1.000 meaning there is no sugar left ( giving you a dry wine/cider.
To figure alcohol content check out thi site http://www.grapestompers.com/articles/hydrometer_use.htm
Again a lesson i learned on my first beer kit.... followed instructions on the package added sugar yeast waited 15 days tasted like beer.... but infact it was just bubbling from sugar and yeast was dead. so i had non alcoholic beer tasted ok but no matter how much i drank there was no buzz.
Wow that's a big batch! And yes, this will work fine. Pasteurized cider without preservatives is actually the ideal cider to buy as it will be free from bacteria but it does not contain any additional chemicals that will mess with your yeast. As long as the ingredients say "Juice from Apples" and nothing else (i.e. no potassium sortbate, etc.) you should be fine. I just did a 6 gallon batch with cider like this from Trader Joes and it came out perfectly.
Thank you for the quick response and the good news! I was able to get a good nights sleep knowing my raspberry cider batch was okay. I make monthly big batches while the orchard is in pressing season and add a couple gallons of my home grown raspberries to the must. Nice color and flavor. I always add sugar at bottling but it doesn't always carbonate- but always tastes good. Thanks again.
also yes this way would cut down contaminating the batch or atleast thats my hope. Let me know what you guys think/ find out.
No, technically this is not necessary. If you have multiple carboys, that is perfectly legitimate. I just tend to have all of my carboys in use at any given time so it's easier for me to siphon into another receptacle (such as a sterile 5 gallon bucket), clean out the carboy and then siphon back in.
If that's the case, with the UV pasteurized cider containing no preservatives, can you simply add the yeast and yeast nutrient and let the magic happen?
i myself am just starting fermenting so i'm really just parroting other information i've found. i have 2 carboys so i'll be trying one with just the wild yeast and one with champagne yeast (no nutrient though) in the next day or so.
people are saying to just put it in plastic bottles in a cool place and add suger for carbonation, but if i did this would my plastic bottles not explode??
any help is greatly appreciated!!
thanks.
Search online for Orchards and your State, and the word cider, and you will find orchards that grind and press apples for cider, where you can purchase it unpasturized or flash pasturized, without any preservatives, and in bulk prices too. Make sure to add sugar to a specific weight of 1.10 or up to 1.2 and the yeast will produce alcohol in concentrations sufficient to sterilize the end product... except for possible contamination by vinegar yeasts which eat alcohol. The recommended campden is to prevent those vinegar yeasts. Cooking to pasturize is not recommended, as it will change the flavor to that of cooked apples, but flash pasturized cider will not have cooked flavor due to the very short time involved in the heating process.
http://athensga.craigslist.org/for/1606345224.html
I personally prefer a bubbly cider, but making still cider is relatively easy and will make bottling a little less hazardous. Once the cider has reached the appropriate alcohol levels and the fermentation has stopped/slowed to a crawl, rack the cider off, add one crushed campden tablet and leave it in a sealed carboy for 2 more weeks. The campden tablet will halt fermentation, preventing carbonation when it comes time to bottle and keeping the cider on the sweet side (the yeast will not be able to eat up excess sugar).
Bottle, allow to mature for 4-5 months, chill, serve.
Why must the cider be racked off to undergo this next fermentation? Could it simply be left for another couple of weeks in the same container? I am told you should not expose cider to air but at some point in all that I read it says to move it ,thus exposing the cider to air????
I'm trying to make an all natural cider and have a lot of questions , the more I read the more questions I have?
Some exposure to air at this point is fine because primary fermentation has ended and your product is about 98% as alcoholic as it will get, which means you're not so worried about your fragile yeast colony being taken over by harmful bacteria.
AB
As for priming sugar, dextrose, glucose or sucrose will do the job (the former two being corn sugars). I've tried priming sugar, honey and brown sugar before (never white... something about it weirds me out). The only one I wouldn't recommend is honey. For some reason it just produce much carbonation, but that could have been due to human error.
AOS
I really appreciate the information, although I am still fuzzy on a few things:
1) So, after fermentation has stopped, you siphon out of the carboy, clean the carboy, and then put the cider back in to clear? Then, after it clears, siphon it into another container, add the sugar, and bottle it? I guess I could use another large container!
2) I bought the juice from Whole Foods in 1 Gallon glass containers. Can I bottle the cider in those? Will they be too weak? Is there a way to keep the carbonation in without capping? Maybe a cork or something. If not I can always go out and get a capper and some bottles.
Again, thanks for the info AOS.
- frenchstix
I have a couple questions:
1) After it is done fermenting (SG of about 1.0) how do I use the rack and siphon. I get the siphon, but what is that cane for?
2) I am going to siphon it into the original glass containers (after sanitizing), but can I just leave those to clarify?
3) I have read that to get some carbonation you have to put in a little sugar before bottling. How much should I add so that I don't create a bomb?
4) Should I then age it bottled and carbonated or do age it before I put in the extra sugar?
I would appreciate any information from the experts. Thanks!
- Frenchstix
1) The cane, assuming your using an auto-siphon, serves two purposes: It provides a more steady, controlled intake due to its rigid form (i.e. it's a lot easier to siphon off the booze without dipping into the yeast/mash at the bottom with a pole, rather than a flexible tube) and it provides a chamber to build up the pressure needed to start the siphon. If your cane looks like a wide section of tube with a smaller one inside of it that can slide in and out like a trombone, its an auto-siphon and to get it started, put the cane tip in the liquid and then pump the telescopic section in and out of it with the other end of the hose in your secondary container. Suction will build up inside of the chamber and pull the cider through the tube. After this you don't have to pump anymore. Physics will handle the rest.
2) Not sure what you're asking here. Yes, you should sanitize your carboy before you put the cider back in and then allow it to clarify for another week before racking.
3) The rule of thumb is 1 Oz. of sugar for every gallon you fermented. 5 gallons, 5 oz.
4) You generally want to age your cider in the bottles with the priming sugar rather than in the carboy, simply because you may not have enough yeast left to finish bottle fermentation if you do. The result would be a still, overly sweet cider.
Hope that helps. Good luck! Sounds like you're in the game.
AB
Kate
I would say it's unlikely that your cider will have been invaded by harmful bacteria in 30 hours. It's actually less likely than a lot of people think (though its certainly a possibility). The major reason to use a vaporlock, in addition to keeping bacteria out, is to prevent naturally occuring acetic bacteria (minute levels in your cider are pretty much unavoiable) from fermenting aerobically. Aerobic fermentation will cause your ethanol to turn into acetic acid (vinegar). By keeping the vapor lock on, the yeast creates a cabon dioxide atmosphere, which prevents acetic acid from producing vinegar.
Also thank you for teaching us this! Without you (and lifehacker) I may never have thought to homebrew! <3<3
You can mix the nat yeast with your yeast and it will be fine. You are missing out on lots of natural flavors!
As long as you only top off during primary fermentation, it shouldn't be an issue. The potassium sorbate will most likely end fermentation after this point (in fact, this is a great way to intentionally end fermentation, which may be useful in some cases).
Theoretically the yeast will just eat the sugar until the alcohol levels become high enough to turn the environment toxic and starve them to death (poor little guys). That's what you want. At best, it's an inexact science in the home setting (which is part of why homebrew is so exciting). Things get complicated when you start adding variables like this. I would say upping the yeast concentration might give you a little more leway, but you do run the risk of having a slightly yeasty brew if you don't properly rack and filter after the first fermentation or add enough cider in the topping. On the other hand, adding too much extra cider might result in incomplete fermentation.
In most cases I use good ole redstar as well, with the nutrient, by juice is never heated, never sulfited. I feel that I want the true character of the fruit. But, of course, do what feels comfortable to you.
I would also strongly recommend against the use of bleach [even diluted.. it's toxic], if you are making the trip to the homebrew store, they have several safe products for cleaning your bottles and tools. I use B brite... which is an oxidizer...[similar to oxiclean].... and when you are done... it's basically harmless... but you do want a good rinse.
while I don't dose my juice, I do soak, scrub and rinse every vessel and tool and surface that is involved in the process.
In the spirit of Mr. Pollen, I encourage everyone to meet the people growing the apples you use, talk to them, look them in the eye.... and always return with a bottle of the finished product.
However, that being said, I just used Star San for the first time when making my cider the other day and it is infinitely easier to use than a bleach solution. It's a no-rinse acidic sanitizer that you don't even have to worry about the suds it makes after you're done (though I did rinse most of them away).
i'm not as scientific as you guys though... i'm using an old Mr. Beer keg i picked up at a yard sale for a few bucks, as my fermenting tank... works great... already has the spigot so i don't have to siphon...
i'm thinking of trying some other fruits... an old timer down the road makes all kinds of different drinks using this method
i stopped by a package store on the way home and when i couldn't find any hard cider, i asked the gal at the counter, turns out she loves the stuff and introduced me to her favorite. when i got it home, i did an A - B taste test, the commercial brand VS my home brew... guess what!!! i LIKE MINE BETTER!!! i think theirs is too sweet. but i might be biased? ya think? :)
when your all done and you dont want your cider to continue to ferment, you can add a sorbate, i use potassium sorbate to stop fermentation.
Also, you could easily turn this recipie into cyser (apple mead) by using about 2 lbs of honey instead of sugar.
Thanks on the prompt response, though (it's actually late enough here that I'm seeing the infomercial for the Jack La Lane power juicer, ahh irony). I'll give the grocery store cider a shot, and luckily there's an organic food store nearby if it doesn't.
Works well and is easy to clean. Had another brand and prefer Jack's.
That surprised me. Go for it.
EnsPulver
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~gunning/scrumpy/makingit.html
http://acpcommunity.acp.edu/Facultystaff/hass/oc2web/Lab/exp/sulfa/image23.jpg
Keep in mind the flask on the left would have to have a hole in its stopper to allow the gas to leave, and the tube would have to be submerged in the water.
Another option is to use a balloon (a very large balloon) with a tiny hole in it
http://www.cavemanchemistry.com/cavebook/images/figmead4.jpg
Yes. You can use a blender to juice your apples, though this is going to be very labor intensive. A juicer seperates pulp from juice, so you only need to squeeze the pulp to get the excess juice still left in it, where as with a blender you would need to squeeze all of your juice from pulp. At this point it will probably be less of a hassle to just buy a gallon of unpasteurized fresh cider from a local orchard. It's only about 5.50 and definitely worth it for the time it'll save you.
No, the tank does not have to be glass, though it does have to be of food grade material (i.e. food grade plastic or glass). Many home brew stores sell 5 gallon buckets made of food grade plastic that will be a lot cheaper than glass. If you use regular plastics you could experience BPA leaching or even lead contamination, which causes all kinds of problems from dead yeast to poor flavor to cancer and other medical problems. Always make sure your container is safe to use with food.
Vernors, it might be best to take a look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation_lock You can pick up a bunch of different types online or at your local homebrew supplier along with a drilled stopper to fit the top of your brewing vessel. 5 bucks well spent.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation_lock
Just found this thread and with all of the brewing knowledge displayed here I really hope it is still alive.
I'm started my first batch of apple cider 9 days ago and plan to bottle tonight, so I'd appreciate any quick recommendations.
I used all natural apple juice from Henry’s and regular baker’s yeast for this 6 gallon batch. I realize that baker’s yeast is not the best yeast for cider but it worked for a friend and I wanted to get started without hitting a homebrew shop. The airlock started going crazy after a couple of hours so I knew I’d done something right.
I tasted it a couple days ago and the cider is very dry. My wife liked it but I prefer something a little sweeter. What I’d like to do is bottle half of the cider (about 3 gallons) as is and I’d like to sweeten the other 3 gallons a bit before bottling. Need advice about how to bottle and sweeten. I have a siphoning tube and a funnel. For the first 3 gallons (non-sweetened) my plan is to add half a teaspoon regular white cane sugar to each bottle (22 oz) and then siphon the stuff directly from the carboy into the bottle (using the funnel). For the remaining 3 gallons, how should I sweeten it before siphoning into bottles and how much sugar should I add to each bottle for the carbonation? I was thinking I could heat up and dissolve a cup or two of sugar in water and pour that directly into the carboy and mix it around. Then siphon into the bottles. 1) How much sugar should I add to the 3 gallons to sweeten it up a bit? I want it sweeter than the non-sweetened cider but don’t want to overdo it. Is 2 cups to much? 2) How much sugar should I add to the bottles for the carbonation? I think it should be a little less than the half teaspoon I used for the non-sweetened ones because I will add sugar to the cider in the carboy, or do I even need to add any sugar to the bottles because the fresh sugar in the cider will be enough to carbonate it.
This rookie greatly appreciates your quick responses!
Thanks!
brian
Could I use an herbal sweetner like Stevia? We have some of that in the house.
What about an artificial sweetner like Splenda?
But I do love the taste of sugar and don't want the cider to taste too far off rom it.
I suppose I could measure a little sweetner directly into a bottle with cider to see how it will taste, and if I like it I can just do the same for the remaining bottles.
Or I can just add sugar to taste afterwards opening the bottle as you suggested.
I'll experiment tonight and let you know how it goes.
Thanks!
brian
I've also heard of people using splenda to sweeten wine. Do some experimentation and let us know.
Matt
You could sweeten your cider with something that yeast doesn't ferment. Lactose (milk sugar) isn't fermented by yeast and you can buy that at a home brew store. I've also heard of people having luck with xylitol or other sugar alcohol based sweetners.
otherwise you could always just bottle it all dry and sweeten the cider after you open a bottle.
Don't be put off by the comments about wild yeast - I've had a lot of success fermenting apples with wild yeasts - remember, people made booze this way for thousands of years.
Containers - use only glass, brewing grade plastic, *glazed* pottery or stainless steel - do not use aluminium, it will be attacked by the acid in your brew.
An airlock is vital because not only does it let gas out and keep contaminating bacteria out, it also keeps the brew anaerobic, this prevents oxidation of the brew and even more important prevents your brew turning into vinegar [an aerobic process]. Get an airlock - they're cheap.
I add honey to the raw cider and let the cider sit in the fridge. When I get a good sediment, I filter the mixture, put it into a clean container and add more honey. After about 4 filterings, I make a final filtering and cork it.
The first time I tried this, I used a flexi-straw as a pipette to draw up a little bit. I dropped it on my tongue and my tongue went numb.
(Is this normal? I hope so!)
An addition would be: If you plan to filter your cider it won't matter how much yeast you use as they will die when you hit around 14% and then can be filtered out with the rest of the sediment.
But it looks like you enjoy your cider au natural which means you get to enjoy faster and with less effort, haha!
I've heard of an Austrian cider which you drink while fermenting! I wonder if you drank this sooner if you'd get the same effect?