Looking for a light, crisp summer cider recipe..

Hi there...

I am new to home brewing and have recently just bottled my first batch of Lager but I have ended up with 35 spare 330ml bottles left over so would like to try and make a simple cider.. Something light, crisp and summery that will get me through the World Cup

I have seen a recipe called 'Turbo Cider' which basically just uses Apple Juice and Yeast.. Is it really this simple?

Many Thanks

Yes it is that simple!!! I'm not sure what kind of yeast you can get a hold of where you live, but s-04, us-05 or Notty are good choices for a basic cider. If you can get non-pasturized non-preserved cider you can even just throw an airlock on it and let the wild yeasts do their thing.

Hi, thank you, I plan on getting this started asap..

I can get hold of a Cider Yeast from the Online Store I use but the sachet is for producing 5 Gallons! As I only plan on producing half this amount can I save half the yeast or does it need using up?

Also, when I get to the bottling stage, how do I know how much sugar to add to ensure a carbonated cider? I used Coopers Carbonation Drops for my Lager, could I also use these for the Cider?

Many Thanks

I just made my first cider from juice, added a champagne yeast(Higher alcohol tolerance I was told) and fermented it out in 5 days. Temperature I am afraid was way over 30c. It is Australia after all and I never use temp control. It does not seem to affect my beer so I do not worry about it.

Anyway back to the Cider, I placed it in a fridge to chill for a couple of days and obviously longer would let the Cider clear better. I fermented it under pressure and it was carbinated when chilled(OZtops) but I would think priming when bottling would work. I would use a Pet bottle until you are confident it would not turn into a bottle bomb. I am contimplating using one of my TAD bottles to ferment a batch as I have found a top that fits. It is only a 15psi one but that should give enough fiz. I should only need the two soda bombs to dispense it.
As per my signature shows I am rapt with my Tap A Draft system. I took it to a birthday party recently and were the guys impressed. Wait till I show up with Cider on tap.

The resulting Cider is really dry but a small drop of lemonade changes that. It certainly has a kick to it.

I used Red Star Premier Cuvee with just fresh apple juice and it finished pretty quick, about a week. I waited two weeks to bottle it just to be safe, I didn't have hydrometer at the time. I never even gave it a chance to age, it was all gone in a month. I'm sure it would have been better with a little aging. I've read that using a champagne-style yeast like that will give you smaller bubbles when it's carbonated, with a crisper feel. I didn't know to pay attention at the time, I read that after the fact. It does finish fast though, with that yeast. In addition to typical bottling sugar for carbonation, I snuck in some Splenda to sweeten it, since it's non-fermentable. The only people that "noticed" the Splenda are the people I told about the Splenda. Everyone else loved it.

I've got some of that yeast left over, I think I'm going to make another batch this week, now that I have a better idea what I'm doing, and try to age it with some toasted french oak I have.

You could use 1/2 the yeast, but there is nothing wrong with using the whole pack on the batch.

carbing cider is tricky. Depends on how far you let it ferment. If you plan to use carb drops then you will have to let it ferment all the way down. Otherwise it becomes a game of testing what level of carbonation it has before the bottles blow up real good. Cider that hasnt fermented out all the way has alot of sugar left...

vespa2t said:

You could use 1/2 the yeast, but there is nothing wrong with using the whole pack on the batch.

carbing cider is tricky. Depends on how far you let it ferment. If you plan to use carb drops then you will have to let it ferment all the way down. Otherwise it becomes a game of testing what level of carbonation it has before the bottles blow up real good. Cider that hasnt fermented out all the way has alot of sugar left...

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A hydrometer is only a couple of Euros. I used to be one of those people who would spend $20, $30, $40 on ingredients per batch of brew, but couldn't justify a $5 hydrometer. I finally justified it on a whim. Until you have one, you are only guessing. Using a wine yeast on just apple juice (no other added sugar) is a pretty safe bet that it will be dry in 2 weeks max, assuming you follow the directions for that particular yeast.


To the OP, and off-topic, what did you think about the carb pellets? I've heard mixed reviews, they certainly would be convenient. My LHBS gal told me "I stock them because people buy them" which tells me she doesn't approve.

Fletch78 said:

A hydrometer is only a couple of Euros. I used to be one of those people who would spend $20, $30, $40 on ingredients per batch of brew, but couldn't justify a $5 hydrometer. I finally justified it on a whim. Until you have one, you are only guessing. Using a wine yeast on just apple juice (no other added sugar) is a pretty safe bet that it will be dry in 2 weeks max, assuming you follow the directions for that particular yeast.

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Using a hydrometer is the only way to ferement, otherwise its all just guessing.

Hi guys, thanks for all the comments..

I like the idea of the Champagne Yeast with smaller bubbles so I may give that a go..

I have a Hydrometer but my knowledge and confidence is still low as I am a self confessed newbie

So here is my plan, I would appreciate it if you could please point out any possible flaws..

Empty 13 Litres of 100% Apple Juice to the fermentation vessel and pitch a sachet of Champagne Yeast and take the SG…

Add the airlock…

Add the heating belt around the vessel to achieve around 22c (without the belt the temp is around 15c)…

Leave it for a couple of weeks and take a Hydrometer reading, and again the day after, (once the Hydrometer reading is consistent over a couple of days it has stopped fermenting?)..

Bottle using half a teaspoon of sugar per bottle (330ml) and leave for a couple of weeks…

If I have anything out of line here or should be doing anything different please let me know )

Many Thanks,

Wine yeasts and champagne yeasts can tolerate much lower temperatures than beer yeasts. My experience with cider suggests lower temperatures means a cleaner ferment. Fermentation takes longer but conditioning takes less time. I treat mine like lagers.

I would recommend using some yeast nutrient like diammonium phosphate and fermenting around 14 -15 degrees Celsius. If you are able, cold condition the cider for a week or more once primary ferment is complete. This means placing the fermenter in a fridge at around 2 degrees C.

Do not be tempted to bottle early. If you are kegging you can stop ferment early. if you are bottling, the only way to achieve this is with sulphites which I hate (I can taste them and they make hangovers terrible for me).

Champagne yeast will ferment the cider bone dry. If you want a slightly sweeter cider you can play around with other yeasts or you can add some lactose in at the beginning of fermentation. You can back sweeten with lactose or apple juice too - I prefer to do it at the start. If you use lactose, boil it up with some water and allow it to cool before you add it.

Generally ciders require some ageing (read months) before they taste good although I've found slower ferment plus cold conditioning makes drinkable cider happen much sooner.

Hi, thanks for your reply.. When you say you treat yours like Lagers what do you mean? I have just bottled my first Lager (first homebrew) and I fermented it at 22c as the instructions said. Is it better to do Lagers at a lower temp?

Unfortunately I don’t have a fridge large enough to hold my fermentation vessel Are there any other methods I could use to 'chill' it down?

Hmm, I like a dry cider but that's not really what I am looking at making this time. Maybe I will stick with the cider yeast and see how that turns out..

So basically once primary fermentation is finished (2 weeks?) I ideally want to rack off and chill for a few weeks before I bottle? Would I still be ok adding half a teaspoon of sugar to the bottles to allow it to carbonate?

Sorry for all the questions guys, you are being very helpful though

Many thanks,

brobins said:

Hi, thanks for your reply.. When you say you treat yours like Lagers what do you mean? I have just bottled my first Lager (first homebrew) and I fermented it at 22c as the instructions said. Is it better to do Lagers at a lower temp?

Unfortunately I don’t have a fridge large enough to hold my fermentation vessel Are there any other methods I could use to 'chill' it down?

Hmm, I like a dry cider but that's not really what I am looking at making this time. Maybe I will stick with the cider yeast and see how that turns out..

So basically once primary fermentation is finished (2 weeks?) I ideally want to rack off and chill for a few weeks before I bottle? Would I still be ok adding half a teaspoon of sugar to the bottles to allow it to carbonate?

Sorry for all the questions guys, you are being very helpful though

Many thanks,

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Some kits are called 'lagers' but will come with an ale yeast. The difference between lagers and ales is the yeasts used to ferment them (different species) and the conditions under which they operate best.

Ales generally operate best between 17 and 24 (roughly - 18 - 20 is the most often recommended range). At this range they produce flavours that are considered desirable. Below this range they start to slow and become dormant, above it they start to produce unwanted flavours and chemicals. There are some exceptions - some ale styles are deliberately brewed at higher temps (eg saisons).

Lagers are generally brewed between 7 and 12 (although slightly higher may be ok) and produce a much cleaner tasting profile. To lager means to store or to store cold and after ferment has finished lagers are supposed to be stored cold for a period of time. You can do this with ales too.

Anyway as mentioned - some 'lager' kits will come with an ale yeast and the temp will be that of an ale rather than a lager. A real lager yeast needs to be fermented low. Generally kit instructions are pretty crap - they are for making easy beer rather than good beer. You can ferment in 4 days at 30 degrees but the resulting beer may taste horrible. You kit suggesting 22 (assuming it's really an ale yeast) isn't so bad but some recommend as high as 27/28. All my temp references are celsius by the way.

To answer your other questions - if you can't cold condition, don't worry about it. It's not essential - it just helps. Basically the cold drops the suspended yeast out and helps condition the brew. I do it to all beers and ciders. You can put the fermenter in a sink, tub or bath full of water and ice bricks/frozen ex-juice bottles etc if you want. No need to do it for more than a week although you can do it for longer (too long and you may need to add extra yeast)

If you do this, do it before it's bottled. When you bottle is when you add your priming sugar - once this is done the bottles need to stay at around 18 degrees in order to carbonate properly. They will carbonate at lower temperatures but it may take much longer. Higher temperatures are not as damaging at this stage although it's best to keep a reasonable and constant temperature if possible. Too low will make the remaining yeast dormant and the yeast is responsible for eating the priming sugar and producing carbon dioxide (fizz).

Sorry for all the info - it's not complicated so I hope that's not confusing. While I find the above helpful - if you can't cold condition or whatever don't sweat it. If the brew ain't perfect, you can always brew another one.

And don't forget the yeast nutrient.

Thanks for the info, this is getting slightly more confusing Ha ha

Ok, so I can go down the Champagne Yeast route, add some Yeast Nutrient and let it go.. After primary, if it’s too dry can I add some Splenda or something to get the desired sweetness? Before I prime and bottle?

Also, is there a rule for priming 330ml bottles? I don’t want to end up with a fresh batch of bottles bombs!

Many Thanks

brobins said:

Ok, so I can go down the Champagne Yeast route, add some Yeast Nutrient and let it go.. After primary, if it’s too dry can I add some Splenda or something to get the desired sweetness? Before I prime and bottle?



Many Thanks

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That's what I did, no issues for me. Based on a recent topic, know that Splenda in the packets is different than the Splenda in the box for baking. I used the kind in the box for baking. In America.

I didn't have the patience, but if you age it for several months, you may wish you hadn't added any sweeteners. Although they'll mask the gamey-ness of young cider before you bottle, it may overpower the smoothness that comes with even a little aging. Maybe try to sweeten a sample to taste, then add half that amount? I guess it depends on what you want to do and how you like it. Split the batch and sweeten some of them for sooner consumption and leave some dry for later? Maybe toss in some oak cubes during a secondary stage, with a cinnamon stick for a week? Coriander and lemon zest? Rib bones?

Another note: You may want to use the warming blanket long enough for the yeast to really take off before you cool it back down just to make sure it gets started strong. Otherwise, I'm in 100% agreement with the previous posters.

When I make cider I usually make a starter so it kicks off straight away. I have other reasons for doing this though as I use fresh apples for at least half the juice and I refuse to use sulphites. I also allow the cider to clarify by leaving it for 24 hours and then racking from under the crust before pitching. Thus I want to reduce the lag time as the potential for wild yeasts etc has already been increased.

This is not something you need to worry about with store bought juice though.


@brobins - Starting warmer then dropping temp will work fine too.

It may seem like a lot of information to digest but it is actually quite simple. Cider can be as simple as preservative free juice + yeast+ nutrient. The rest is just extra information which will improve it. You can make a batch, read a bit more, make another etc until you nail the process. Not every brew will be perfect but it will still be drinkable, fun to make and an improvement on the last.

In regards to Splenda - I don't know as I've never used it.

As for priming 330mL bottles - have you heard about bulk priming? Otherwise some homebrew shops sell measured scoops that have a spoon for 330 mL, 500 mL and 750 mL. It's very important to get your amounts right as bombs can be very dangerous.