Are these instructions valid?

Heya!

Just wondering if these instructions on this website can produce alcoholic Cider. I'm a little worried because the website doesnt mention any filtering or transfering to another bottle.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4575163_hard-cider-scratch-one-week.html

Why not look in the cider recipe section from the main page here?? I would trust the info here long before I would look at that ehow page/site... Besides, I wouldn't drink something that's made that way, since learning about fermenting. If you want to make a 1 gallon batch, do it up right.

I'll probably be looking to make some hard cider in the fall, when the base cider is being offered again.

I would also worry about that other site's recipe since, as you alreayd mentioned, there's a complete lack of most of the steps taken when making hard cider.

Actually, after reading a few of the recipes posted, I think I might start a small batch this week... Just need to get a jug to ferment in and start it up. Figure a 1 gallon batch will be a good start... It will at least let me see if I want to make a larger batch later.

Thanks for the advice.

Are there instructions on this site on how to make a small batch of cider? I'd like to try something small, like a regular 2L bottle worth. Nothing too big, incase something goes... not as planned.

Also, thanks again for the quick reply.

Yes. It doesn't HAVE to be transferred to another container, but you probably need to drink it before it gets too hard, 'cause the plastic might not hold in the CO2 well, so it might explode, and you might not want to drink the sludge at the bottom.

Just scale it down to how much you're looking to make... I would go with a 1 gallon batch size as a proof of recipe, or to see what it's like. Actually, I probably will. Just need to get some yeast to ferment with. Right now I have two packets of EC-1118, which goes up to 18% ABV (or in that area)... I don't think I want it that high. So, I'll probably go with something like D47, which would stop around 14%. If I do it right, I can get it to almost 14%, add a bit more sugars (to prime) but with enough left so that it will have some sweetness to it, then bottle it up and let it finish there.

I think the biggest thing you'll need to figure out is the SG of the actual cider you're going to use. Once you have that, you can add sugars to get to the ABV you want... You'll need to pick a yeast that will give you the ABV you want too (I would use Lalvin yeast)... If you let it ferment all the sugars out, and let it age a while, it will age so that it has some sweetness return to it. If you want it carbonated, then you'll want to make sure you don't go to the alcohol tolerance level of the yeast.

Check with people that have done this already to see how things turn out with the different options. I'll be making my first batch soon, so I'll be learning the details as I go... Knowing the mechanics of things helps, to a point. Past that, experience tells all.

LVBen said:

Yes. It doesn't HAVE to be transferred to another container, but you probably need to drink it before it gets too hard, 'cause the plastic might not hold in the CO2 well, so it might explode, and you might not want to drink the sludge at the bottom.

Click to expand...

I plan to make mine in a gallon glass jug... I won't ferment in anything that won't hold up to the pressures created when fermentation happens... Better to spend ~$5 on a glass jug that you KNOW will hold up, then use a cheap plastic bottle that might work, but might now (and make a mess in the process).

Thanks for the tips guys! If this all goes well, I plan on trying some Lemonade instead of cider. Sounds like it could be deadly. In a good AND bad way.

I'm stoked for when my hard lemonade is done... It's moving along nicely... From the other that have made it, I know it could take a month before fermentation is complete...

I went with the 3 gallon batch size (carboy)... Recipe I used is:
6 12oz cans pink lemonade concentrate (comes out to being equal to 44oz of sugar from all 6 cans, so that makes the liquid ~61% sugar when mixed to the instructions)
4# store brand honey
water to make 3 gallons total volume
1-1/2tsp DAP
pot. bicarb to offset low PH (putting it into the 3.2-3.4 range). Be careful there, even mixing it in water first will make it foam like a mad dog... Put it in someplace safe (like the bath tub) before adding, and have a blow-off tube setup and ready.
Aerate the must, before pitching in the yeast. Also work to get the honey fully into solution and take an OG reading (I wasn't able to, so I don't really KNOW my OG).
Hydrate your yeast as per it's directions (I picked Lalvin 71B this time, but D47 would also be a good choice) and pitch in.
Install blow-off tube setup and let it rest.
Check on it daily, aerating at least once a day.
Blow-off tube will be necessary at some point, when it foams up on it's own. Good to have installed from the start.
Once fermentation is complete (about a month from when it went active) taste and decide if it needs more sweetness or not. Keep in mind, if you let it bulk age, it will get better. Some of the edge could come off of it over time.
If you want it carbonated (I do) then it will probably be more dry initially. Bottle in something that can handle the carbonation. Beer bottles, Grolsch bottles, Belgian bottles, small champagne bottles all should work. I believe you don't need to use brown bottles for this. I'll probably mix mine up some, just to be different. Of course, I'll be printing out labels for it.

Something to think about too... I might pull off about 1 gallon and add some dried cherries to it for 5-7 days before priming and bottling that part. You can do something along those lines too, if you want. Any flavor combination that you like, or think will be good, is fair game. Just have log entries for it, so you can repeat the recipe later if it's a hit.

I expect mine to be done fermenting before the end of March. Probably ready to drink around end of April... Expected ABV is about 12-13%... Certainly is NOT "Mike's" product here... :rockin: Going to enjoy seeing how my sister, mother, and brother in law like it... Since they seem to like Mike's hard lemonade, we'll see how mine compares (I've not had Mike's yet)...

OG estimate is 1.089. If it ferments fully, that will make it 12.1% ABV as it stands now... I'm giving serious thought to adding another pound of honey to it. That would make the OG 1.101, and 13.7% ABV... I'll probably carb with 3oz of raw sugar to get 2.5-3 CO2 volumes (need to get a temperature reading on the fermenting must)...

I made my first cider using the recipe from www.motherearthnews.com. Just search: hard cider. Turned out excellent, but very dry. I've since learned to backsweeten w/1 tbsp per gal "Stevia in the Raw", and it is wonderful. To date I've always used wine yeast (DV-10, Lalvin 1118, Cote des Blanc), but I plan on using Notty or US-04 in the future. I will not use Cote des Blanc again; it just didn't measure up to the others.

Sorry, that amount was 1 tbsp/quart.