cider recipies

so im new to brewing and i really want to get in to making hard cider so can someone please give me some easy recipes and equipment by the way im low on income

 

If you are REALLY low on income, I would suggest a modified EdWort's Apfelwein. Take a gallon of decent, preservative free cider or juice, heat a pint or so of it in a sauce pan with a couple cups of regular table sugar and put back into the jug. Pitch some montrachet or champagne yeast and attach some sort of airlock. Not the quickest turnaround on these types of ciders, but it is easy, cheap and rewarding.

If you have a little more money to spend, I would get a Better Bottle brand carboy (or any other #1 or #2 plastic carboy, Nestle started selling their spring water in #1 plastic late 2011 around me), and do a proper EdWort's Apfelwein. It's a sticky over in the wine section.

Also, try searching for "Drunken Emu Hard Cider." I just did a modified version of this that was drinkable after two and a half weeks. That recipe is a great base, and easily modified.

 

my friend gave me some hard apple cider and it tasted sour

 

Hi! I'm new to brewing too. I am starting my first batch of cider ever tomorrow. Here is the recipe I aim to use.
5 gal apple cider (no preservatives)
2 lbs light brown sugar
2 lbs clover honey
1 or 2 packs of dry champagne yeast (you might consider rehydrating the yeast)
3/4 cup corn sugar (priming sugar)

Boil one gallon of cider long enough to dissolve all the brown sugar and honey in it. Then pour everything (cept the corn sugar) into your fermenter, make sure it's well aerated (I'm just gonna stir it with a big spoon) and then let it sit for 3 weeks. Next, mix in the 3/4 cup of corn sugar until it disolves and then bottle 'er up! Let the cider sit in the bottle for at least 1 week.

Might not be the cheapest hard cider recipe, but it seems straight forward and sounds simple! Good luck!

 

Basic equipment:
Bucket fermentor W/lid, airlock, plastic tubing, bottling wand, bottles, crown caps & bottles...

Or you could just buy swingtop bottles & avoid the crown capping equip.
You'll need a couple of things like yeast, juice, sugar, yeast nutrient/energizer and at some point you'll want to get a carbouy & proper sized, drilled rubber stopper. That's about it, sounds like a lot, but it's not.

As far as recipes go, have a look here:
Cider
I'd say try apfelwein or graff to start, they're both easy & inexpensive.
Regards, GF.

 

You may not want to boil that 1 gallon of cider. If you do, you will have a hard time getting your recipe to clear.

 

Thanks for the tip DWavs! I'll try to slowly heat it up and stir like crazy until I get all of the sugar and honey dissolved.

 

If you want to make cider, why would you use an apple wine recipe?
Apple cider, yeast and time is how you make hard cider. Adding sugar just gives it more alcohol turning perfectly good cider into wine.

 

Good point. I got 3 gallons going with nothing but the cider and yeast.

 

So Cider is low alcohol and wine is higher? Can they both be sparkling?

 

I think for it truly to be a cider, the alcohol content should be less than 7.5? (going from memory)

 

my recipie i have used for a couple years now and most people dig it
5gal of walmart NSA Applejuice
1.5 brown sugar
1/2 tbsp applepie spice
Safale-04
dissolve spice and brown sugar in some apple juice on stovetop
mix well
pitch at 68deg/F

I keg it, but its prob same bottle conditioned

really good mixed with beers too, at a halloween party this year we made half pumpkin ale/ half cider and was great

 

so i tryed my cider for the first time to day and it tasted sour and nasty

 

Cider will be pretty sour and tart when it's young. Its pretty drinkable at 3 months much much better at 6 months.

My experience sofar has been the sourness Starts to drop off faster after 3 months of aging. I plan on 6 months for all of mine now before i pull them out of the dark to share.

 

how do i know if my hard cider has alcahol in it i useed apple juice bread yeast and surgar

 

The best way is to use a hydrometer before and after and compare the readings.

 

so i smelt my hard cider to do and it kinda smells like rubbing alcohol should i be worried

 

This cider has only aged a little over a week in the bottle. The flavor is already good. Tastes like apple cider but gets you buzzed fast like wine... Approx. 11.35% ABV!

 

I would think it should had been since it had only been 6 days since you first started this thread!

 

I'll be in this boat in a few more days

Hopefully 'sour and nasty' still meant it was drinkable. Seat of the pants alcoholic content after 6 days?