Shoulda bought more cider or apples!

I thought it would be fun to try making hard cider following a basic recipe, but since I had never tried a hard cider before, I just decided to make a gallon. I bought 10 pounds of apples (probably a bit less than a gallon's worth of juice), and added a gallon of fresh-pressed cider from Harry's Farmer's Market. Been happily watching the bubbles, sanitizing tools and messing with the apples. Got one one gallon glass jug ready, and have been cleaning another (will probably just buy another and a couple air locks).

Well, I decided I should try a hard cider. Bought some last night - and am thinking I should have made a bigger batch! Not saying what I make will taste as good - but hoping it will taste okay.

But Woodpecker hard cider is kinda good! Think I'll try a different brand this weekend. If I taste enough - perhaps I'll get an idea of what hard cider should taste like. Hmmmm, maybe that's a bad idea. Don't want to disappoint myself when my batch is ready.

If you like Woodchuck hard cider, you'll either need to back sweeten after primary ferment stops or you will need to stop ferment before it fully attenuates. Experiment though you'll probably like your results.