how long does hard cider last

Hello to all and thank you

I have made a few batches of mead, this fall I am going to try making Hard Apple Cider.
My question is once it has fermented and i have it bottled, how long should u let it age?
How long will it last in the 750ml bottle stored in my celler. Does it expire?

Well, the base waiting time is 2 weeks. That is just a general aging length. A lot of people think you should leave it for a lot longer to let the flavors mingle. I found that my first batch tasted better after 1 week than at 2 weeks. But it is different batch to batch. I'd say drink before a year and a half is up. That will insure it hasn't vinegared(no promises though). And if it goes bad(ie. Vinegar) you still have a lovely apple cider vinegar to use there is a plus side to everything.

I don't even touch my apfelwein til it's a year old. It's a big beverage and needs a lot of time to mellow out.

Depends on what style you are making. Generally the sweeter you stop it, the earlier you can drink it. I've got a keg in the fridge right now that I pressed just a few weeks ago. It tastes great. The drier it goes, the longer you will need to wait for the acids to mellow out.

CvilleKevin said:

Depends on what style you are making. Generally the sweeter you stop it, the earlier you can drink it. I've got a keg in the fridge right now that I pressed just a few weeks ago. It tastes great. The drier it goes, the longer you will need to wait for the acids to mellow out.

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That would explain w my cider tasted great after only a week. It only fermented for 7 or 8 days.

thank you guys this helps i think i shall make mine on the sweet side and if all works out it will be a good christmas treat

Ding... Sweet = drink soon.... My sweet cider tasted kinda funny 1-day after bottling, but was *Wonderful* 1-week later.... 3 months later -- it was pretty good, but the original appley flavor was starting to mellow out....

Dry cider seems to do way better if you let it sit a while .... especially if you bumped up the Alcohol content with extra sugar or apple juice concentrate..... That's the stuff that tastes like lighter fluid or really Sharp/bitter when you bottle.... and a year later it's delicious....

If I was going to brew up a Christmas Sweet Cider -- I would start it in November...

Thanks

John