Good recipes
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sashurlow
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cider + yeast + time = hard cider.
Its my favorite recipe.
Its my favorite recipe.
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My recent experiment:
5 gallons of White House apple juice from wal-mart (no preservatives)
2.5 lbs of brown sugar (yes that's quite a bit)
1 packet of Nottingham yeast.
It's turned out VERY good. If I were to do it again, I'd reduce the brown sugar by 50% for reduced alcohol and a little less "cidery taste".
M_C
5 gallons of White House apple juice from wal-mart (no preservatives)
2.5 lbs of brown sugar (yes that's quite a bit)
1 packet of Nottingham yeast.
It's turned out VERY good. If I were to do it again, I'd reduce the brown sugar by 50% for reduced alcohol and a little less "cidery taste".
M_C
dinnerstick
Well-Known Member
it really depends what you are looking for. i would suggest starting with fresh apples or at least freshly pressed cider. that of course makes cider making seasonal, like in the old days. then age it for 6 months to a year. as benjamin franklin apparently said, "give me yesterday's bread, this day's meat, and last year's cider"
many people (i guess on this site most people) use bottled juice. the strategy is the same. you need to decide what percentage of alcohol you are shooting for. as a general rule average apple juice will ferment to dry to give around 6%. for me this is perfect for cider, i can drink a few glasses without losing my marbles, but many people boost up the % with sugar. these probably need longer aging times to smooth out. any fermentable sugar will achieve this, and different sugars will give different flavors to the final product (but not sweetness). finally decide how you want it to finish. ferment completely dry and bottle carbonate = easy, or ferment dry and leave still (easy), or stop fermentation with some residual sweetness, kill yeast and have a sweet still cider (relatively easy). sweet + carbed = difficult unless you can force carb. i humbly suggest that sweet cider is overrated (although definitely guzzleable); you can't beat a dry well aged cider.
select a yeast (read the sticky at the top of the page, but wine and ale yeasts are both popular). ferment in primary and one racking usually does it. give it time to age and clear. so you don't really need a recipe, just a strategy. if you are a wine maker then it's simple. if you are a beer maker then it's simple, but don't cook the damn juice!
many people (i guess on this site most people) use bottled juice. the strategy is the same. you need to decide what percentage of alcohol you are shooting for. as a general rule average apple juice will ferment to dry to give around 6%. for me this is perfect for cider, i can drink a few glasses without losing my marbles, but many people boost up the % with sugar. these probably need longer aging times to smooth out. any fermentable sugar will achieve this, and different sugars will give different flavors to the final product (but not sweetness). finally decide how you want it to finish. ferment completely dry and bottle carbonate = easy, or ferment dry and leave still (easy), or stop fermentation with some residual sweetness, kill yeast and have a sweet still cider (relatively easy). sweet + carbed = difficult unless you can force carb. i humbly suggest that sweet cider is overrated (although definitely guzzleable); you can't beat a dry well aged cider.
select a yeast (read the sticky at the top of the page, but wine and ale yeasts are both popular). ferment in primary and one racking usually does it. give it time to age and clear. so you don't really need a recipe, just a strategy. if you are a wine maker then it's simple. if you are a beer maker then it's simple, but don't cook the damn juice!
gratus fermentatio
Well-Known Member
There are lots of recipes in the recipe section of this site:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f81/
Regards, GF.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f81/
Regards, GF.
DaleP
Well-Known Member
For yeast use either White Labs Cider Yeast or Wyeast Cider Yeast. For juice, pick the best tasting sweet cider you can find. Good cider can only be made from good ingrediants.
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As per the recipe above, this is what my end-product looks like:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/post-picture-your-pint-147768/index146.html#post2951124
M_C
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/post-picture-your-pint-147768/index146.html#post2951124
M_C
Inodoro_Pereyra
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For new cider makers, www.makinghardcider.com is a must read.
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Inodoro_Pereyra
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Yah...you're welcome...
You're gonna get me in trouble now... 11:30p and now I want a cider!!!
M_C
Inodoro_Pereyra
Well-Known Member
Yeah, so do I. And I can't touch it.
Now, just out of curiosity, your cider looks kinda dark. Did you use something to make it darker, like brown sugar, or molasses?
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Go back to original post I made (First page)... 2.5lbs of brown sugar for 5 gallons of juice.
M_C
M_C
Yeah, so do I. And I can't touch it.
Now, just out of curiosity, your cider looks kinda dark. Did you use something to make it darker, like brown sugar, or molasses?
Inodoro_Pereyra
Well-Known Member
Oops. Sorry, I didn't remember...
CidahMastah
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Holy cow pappers - I think I have seen you post this about 8-10 times
you getting a commission for web hits or something?
