noob questions

im thinking bout trying to make some hard cider but since i live in tx i cant get a hold of any real cider to start with and the stuff in the store has the preservatives in it. so my first question is can i use apple juice and if so have any of yall done so and have any tips?

secondly how long does the whole process take? (mainly fermenting and conditioning)
if i start a batch in bout a week could i have some done for thanksgiving this year?

Hey brkerner,
Theres a very good video series on youtube by this guy named Craig, He walks you through step by step on fermenting store bought apple juice into hard cider. heres the link, hope this helped cheers!

If you live in a town with a Sprouts (I'm in Austin), they do an unfiltered store brand apple juice that is very cidery.

in lubbock all we have is walmart, united, lowes, and market street (which im gonna check out)

whats the brand of apple juice that sprouts has

roughly how long does it take to ferment?
do yall bottle it in beer bottles and so do yall add sugar so itll be carbed?

It is sprouts brand. It is not cider, but if you decide to use apple juice, Tree Top is what A lot of folks use for EdWort's apfelwein. Pasteurized is good, preservatives are bad (though ascorbic acid is fine). Fermentation time will vary depending on yeast, temperature, available nutrients (add a capsule of yeast nutrient) and there can be advantages to letting it bulk age past the end of fermentation. Carbed or not carbed can be a preference issue, but you don't have to choose one or the other. My last apfelwein I bottled half, added 2 1/2 oz of corn sugar to the bottling bucket then bottled the rest.

ok went to stores and united has pure apple cider that will work.

2 quick questions
would bakers yeast work
also would those water jugs work

or should i get some brewers and a better bottle/carboy

bakers yeast- hmmm why not pay the 2 bucks for something else
jugs- yup

ok thanks for the help.

ok i started 2.5 gal of cider today. how long should i leave it in the fermentor before bottling also when i bottle it to carb it is pure cane sugar?

It's gonna be fermenting for quite some time friend. I started two separate 1gal batches about a week ago, and the air locks are still very active. It’s very common for ciders to ferment for weeks rather than beer which only ferments for days. You will have a reasonable about of lees or in beer terms "trub" on the bottom of the jugs, some will rack the cider off after fermentation and transfer to a secondary jug. Others will keep the cider on the lees because they believe it adds taste and nutrients to the cider. It's all about personal preference. Hope this helped

ok so bout 2-3 weeks to ferment?
how will i know when its done?
how long would you say to condition?

I would leave it a month to ferment out then leave it bulk age for at least 3 or 4 months b4 bottling.

How much sugar did you add to the mix??

i didnt add any more sugar to the cider didnt want to make it too strong cuz what i would like to do is to have it ready and share it with my family on thanksgiving

You could have a decent cider by thanksgiving IMO. Ferment 3 weeks condition 2 weeks and chill for any remaining time. You could try priming with brown sugar malt extract or honey. I think it would help give a lil sweetness body and flavor to it since after 3 weeks of fermenting your cider might be pretty dry. I am definitely no expert tho.

I would use an ale yeast too. But that's just personal preference

And use a hydrometer to see when it's finished. They are about 7 bucks and worth every penny

ok planning on going to the local homebrew store and picking up some stuff
what should i expect to get as a reading once its done?

also do yall prefer carbed or non carbed hard cider?
ive only had carbed store bought (woodchuck and ace (pear and apple))

how much brown sugar and or honey would you suggest to use to prime 2.5 gal

me all prefers carbed. look up a priming calculator online and use the same amount as for beer, 2 to 2.5 vol co2 is my preference
you should expect a hydrometer reading below 1.000 (before priming)

my cider had an og of 1.043 and is now down to 1.002

is that good enough to bottle it now

also on the online calculator if im using brown sugar to prime what should i use for my calcutions?

i tasted some of it and it didnt taste so good according the gauge on my hydrometer it should be around 6% abv

would crabing sweeten up the cider if not any suggestions on backsweeting and priming?

ok took another gravity reading and its still 1.002 and i havent seen any activity in the airlock lately. does that mean its done? should i bottle it or wait a lil longer or put it in a secondary? still not tasting the greatest

Dude just let it sit. I'm sure everyone has answered all of your questions on here. Cider takes a while to ferment out even when it looks like it's not doing anything. Maybe you didn't pitch enough yeast. Who knows? Just let it sit for a while,and you will have a better cider.