JeepGuy

Recipes 

Hey, I'm kinda new here and have only got my second batch of beer in a secondary now, but I'm kinda interested in ciders. What does it take to make a cider? If I had to guess, I'd say that you boil up an amount of apple juice, add some spice to it if you like then cool it, and pitch some yeast in. After a while bottle it and wait for it to clarify and carbonate. Is that the basic process here? It might be fun to try if it's really pretty simple.

<edit> also I guess... what temperatures are needed to do it? can I just let it ferment in the same closet I let my ales ferment in?

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"Fermentation and civilization are inseperable." -John Ciardi, poet

Alx Rains

Recipes 

What's with the boiling the juice? I do a fair bit of cider brewing and haven't ever boiled the juice. A good yeast will help. Whitelabs "English Cider " yeast improved mine to no end
alx

JeepGuy

Recipes 

I'm just sort of going off of what I've done to prepare my ales. Just thought boiling may remove some impurities or something. I might try it now with out boiling. So....will just a jug of juice from the store work? If I buy it in the glass jug, could I pour out a little to drink to leave room and simply ferment in the jug, leaving my primary open for my next ale?

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"Fermentation and civilization are inseperable." -John Ciardi, poet

david_42

Recipes 

Basic cider

Take fresh juice without preservatives, add yeast.

Spiced cider

Take fresh juice without preservatives, add yeast and spices.

Some people use campden tablets to kill the wild yeast, but this will leave sulfites in the cider.

Cider will ferment down below 1.000, but takes longer than ales to complete.

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Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

JeepGuy

Recipes 

Can I bottle and carbonate it as I have done my ales?

__________________
"Fermentation and civilization are inseperable." -John Ciardi, poet

mpetty

Recipes 

Yes you can. Some people do, and some people don't.

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Drink beer for the beer!

Primary: What Ale experiment with a friend (10-gallon batch, two fermenters, two yeasts: American Hefeweizen and plain Hefeweizen)
Secondary: None
Bottled Yellow Dog Ale | Oatmeal Stout (1st mini-mash) | Cider: Plain Apple Juice | American Amber Ale| California Common, American Pale Ale
Up next: Extra Special Bitter and another spiced cider

Alx Rains

Recipes 

Yeah, Bubbly Cider is much nicer, and keeps the girlies happier

Caplan

Recipes 

If you use fresh juice that's preservative free but has been pasturised you won't have to worry about wild yeasts