Beginner Cider Recipe?

[nolzpolz]

I a new to brewing and am looking for a tried and true semi-sweet, 5 gal. cider recipe. Sharing and gifting to friends this holiday season and want something unanimously enjoyable/drinkable. Any ideas?

 

[CKuhns]

Look through the cider recipe forum. Pretty sure you will find something that wil work.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forums/cider-recipes.81/

 

[Kickass]

My go to 5 gallon batch:
5 gallons store bought juice
1/2 pound brown sugar
Yeast nutrients
10 grams D47 yeast
Ferment dry

Stabilize with k-sorbate and k-meta

Back sweeten with 1 can apple juice concentrate, 1 1/2 cans pineapple concentrate, 1-2 Tbsp cinnamon extract (cinnamon sticks soaked in vodka for a couple weeks), and a little powered wine tannin for balance.

It’s crazy easy, quick and really tasty. Finished about 7% abv and is semi-sweet.

 

[Chalkyt]

Do you want it carbonated? Carbonation adds to the mouthfeel of the cider.

For a simple, slightly sweet carbonated cider, try try S04 yeast with your choice of apple juice (read all the warnings on the forum re not having any chemical preservatives in the juice). Bottle when the SG is about 1.006. S04 can stop anywhere between 1.002 and 1.004 depending on the level of alcohol produced which is a bit like having 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in a cup of coffee. Unfortunately where fermentation stops above 1.000 is a bit unpredictable so you get what you get.

The potential carbonation ranges from spritzig to champagne like, depending on where it stops. Adding some sugar so that the starting SG of the juice is 1.050 or higher will help the S04 to stop above 1.000 (i.e. the 1.050 generates a high level of alcohol above 6%) In the worst case if it fully ferments, the C02 would be around 3 volumes or about 45psi i.e. not enough to cause bottle bombs.

This approach is a bit quick, and unsophisticated but it works and only takes a month or so until it is ready to drink.

Perhaps try a smaller batch (1/2 - 1 gallon first) to see if you like the outcome.

 

[Kickass]

@Chalkyt made some good points regarding carbonation. OP what are your packaging and carbonation intentions?

 

[425508h]

Hi Nolzpolz,

I’m new to brewing cider and the best recipe I’ve come across so far is:

16 litres Woolworths apple juice (off the shelf)
4 litres Coles cloudy apple juice (from the fridge)
2 kgs dextrose
1 packer yeast nutrient
1 packet S04 yeast.

Keep checking the SG until it reaches 1.012 and then cold crash it so it keeps the sweetness.

Really simple but really good.

 

[nolzpolz]

Do you want it carbonated? Carbonation adds to the mouthfeel of the cider.

For a simple, slightly sweet carbonated cider, try try S04 yeast with your choice of apple juice (read all the warnings on the forum re not having any chemical preservatives in the juice). Bottle when the SG is about 1.006. S04 can stop anywhere between 1.002 and 1.004 depending on the level of alcohol produced which is a bit like having 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in a cup of coffee. Unfortunately where fermentation stops above 1.000 is a bit unpredictable so you get what you get.

The potential carbonation ranges from spritzig to champagne like, depending on where it stops. Adding some sugar so that the starting SG of the juice is 1.050 or higher will help the S04 to stop above 1.000 (i.e. the 1.050 generates a high level of alcohol above 6%) In the worst case if it fully ferments, the C02 would be around 3 volumes or about 45psi i.e. not enough to cause bottle bombs.

This approach is a bit quick, and unsophisticated but it works and only takes a month or so until it is ready to drink.

Perhaps try a smaller batch (1/2 - 1 gallon first) to see if you like the outcome.

I'd like to make some that are still and some that are carbonated. Thank you for the advice

 

[nolzpolz]

Hi Nolzpolz,

I’m new to brewing cider and the best recipe I’ve come across so far is:

16 litres Woolworths apple juice (off the shelf)
4 litres Coles cloudy apple juice (from the fridge)
2 kgs dextrose
1 packer yeast nutrient
1 packet S04 yeast.

Keep checking the SG until it reaches 1.012 and then cold crash it so it keeps the sweetness.

Really simple but really good.

My go to 5 gallon batch:
5 gallons store bought juice
1/2 pound brown sugar
Yeast nutrients
10 grams D47 yeast
Ferment dry

Stabilize with k-sorbate and k-meta

Back sweeten with 1 can apple juice concentrate, 1 1/2 cans pineapple concentrate, 1-2 Tbsp cinnamon extract (cinnamon sticks soaked in vodka for a couple weeks), and a little powered wine tannin for balance.

It’s crazy easy, quick and really tasty. Finished about 7% abv and is semi-sweet.

I like the idea of back-sweetening with apple juice concentrate. Thanks for the recipe!

 

[nolzpolz]

So I made my 5 gal. batch today. I ended up using some good quality local apple juice (flash pasteurized). Dumped it all in a bucket, hydrated and pitched some Safcider SO2 and fermfed. Didn't add any extra sugar, ended up with a OG of 1.050. Hoping it will turn out good!