Cider from apple juice

[mississippibred]

For my first cider I am going to try the easy route. I bought 3 different types of apple juice and 3 types of yeast - ale, wine and a cider yeast.

Do I need to add sugar to the juice before I add the yeast or can I add it after fermentation? Or do I need to add it at all?

Does anyone have suggestions on other ingredients to add to make a good cider?

Thanks!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

For my first cider I am going to try the easy route. I bought 3 different types of apple juice and 3 types of yeast - ale, wine and a cider yeast.

Do I need to add sugar to the juice before I add the yeast or can I add it after fermentation? Or do I need to add it at all?

Does anyone have suggestions on other ingredients to add to make a good cider?

Thanks![/

Are you planning to do 3 one gallon batches? Different juice different yeast? You don't need to add sugar, depends on the sweetness of the juice and the range of final ABV you want. If you decide to use sugar and you want to know your ABV, you'll want to addit before you pitch and get a gravity reading.

 

[Yooper]

I have some tips here that you may find helpful: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=508303

 

[mississippibred]

No, just 1 gallon batches with the different yeasts. I want to see how different the tastes will be before I make a larger batch.

Love the quote!

 

[mississippibred]

Perfect, thanks! I will do a couple of gallons without and maybe one with sugar. Maybe 1/2 cup to a cup?

 

[MarkKF]

If you like wine then use sugar but if you like cider don't bother. If you have a way to check S. G. add enough sugar to get S. G. Between 1.050-1.060 no more. IMO

 

[CA_Mouse]

For my first cider I am going to try the easy route. I bought 3 different types of apple juice and 3 types of yeast - ale, wine and a cider yeast.

Do I need to add sugar to the juice before I add the yeast or can I add it after fermentation? Or do I need to add it at all?

Does anyone have suggestions on other ingredients to add to make a good cider?

Thanks!

No, just 1 gallon batches with the different yeasts. I want to see how different the tastes will be before I make a larger batch.

Love the quote!

If you wanted to do comparisons, you should have the same juice with different yeasts or the same yeast and different juices.

I wouldn't add any sugars or spices to the first attempts. My first cider (back in 1985) was simple juice and wine yeast. It was pretty good and kept us warm during the cold (8*F) evenings. My last cider I used a 'cider yeast' and was not very happy with the results. I got a 2nd, gold and best of show for one last year using Red Star White Wine yeast and back sweetened to get the flavor I wanted.

 

[madscientist451]

Some people add sugar to boost the alcohol content of ciders and wines. The the wine making term for this is chaptalization. You can find chaptalization calculators on line or search for sugar addition calculator. I used sugar when I first started making cider, but I found I don't like the "hot" alcohol flavor that you get from the sugar.
If you are just starting out, I'd skip the sugar and run your test batches with as few variables as possible. What exact yeasts are you going to use? Getting good juice to start with is the biggest issue most new cider makers face. Good Luck!

 

[akthor]

The different types of juices don't matter I even used fresh squeezed cider once it all came out very similar. Make sure there's no sorbate in them. Frozen apple juice concentrate was the easiest solution for me.

 

[tfwise]

I have, what I think, is a pretty straight forward recipe that my wife and friends like;
For 1 gallon batch

Fermentation Cycle
1 gallon of White House Premium apple juice (should be clear, not cloudy)
1 cup light brown sugar
Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast
Yeast Nutrient (1/2 tsp) (optional, but I still like to include this)
Yeast Energizer (~1/8 tsp) (optional, but I still like to include this)

Stabilizing and Back-sweetening Cycle
Potassium Sorbate (1/2 tsp, per package directions)
1 cup light brown sugar
Saved apple juice (~2 cups)

1. Sanitize carboy and funnel
2. Add nutrient and energizer to carboy (optional) pour one container of juice into carboy (assuming 2, ½ gallon jugs)
3. Set aside ~2 cups of juice from other container, use this after fermentation to give some apple flavor back to the cider
4. Place funnel in empty apple juice container (assuming 2, ½ gallon jugs), put brown sugar into funnel, pour in remainder of 2nd container to mix sugar into container, shake
5. Pour sugared juice into carboy
6. Rehydrate yeast (this will speed up kick off time of yeast, and shorten fermentation time)
7. Pour yeast into carboy, add airlock
8. Let it sit for about 5 days
9. Rack off from lees, clean carboy, add potassium sorbate and fermented juice back into clean carboy (I don’t use potassium sulfide because my wife seems to get headaches from it, and I’ve not had any problems leaving it out)
10. Back-sweeten one day after adding potassium sorbate with 1 cup brown sugar and saved juice (racking not necessary, very little lees should be there, and it might give you a little carbonation)
11. Bottle after one day, refrigerate

I have scaled this up to 3 gallons, keeping it at 1 cup brown sugar per gallon in primary, 1 cup brown sugar to back-sweeten, saving off about ½ a gallon of the non-fermented apple juice to add in after fermentation and it’s been successful.

 

[Yooper]

The different types of juices don't matter I even used fresh squeezed cider once it all came out very similar. Make sure there's no sorbate in them. Frozen apple juice concentrate was the easiest solution for me.

That's very unusual. I've found that the best raw cider from a mix of bittersharps, sweet, bittersweets, and sharps makes the best cider. I use some rescue and centennial crabapples in mine as well.

It'd be very unusual for a cider mix to taste the same as frozen apple juice which is mostly sweet juice meant for drinking and not cider making.

 

[mississippibred]

The three yeasts I am trying:

- Cider House Select
- Lalvin Wine Yeast (EC-1118)
- Nottingham Ale Yeast

 

[CA_Mouse]

I haven't used an ale yeast for my ciders. I wasn't very pleased with the Mangrove Jack's Cider yeast. Wine yeast will dry out your cider, but it is easy to back sweeten to your preferences.

 

[Yooper]

I haven't used an ale yeast for my ciders. I wasn't very pleased with the Mangrove Jack's Cider yeast. Wine yeast will dry out your cider, but it is easy to back sweeten to your preferences.

I've used S04. I had it laying around, and I won't use it for beer since I dislike the flavor it imparts, so I used it for cider. It worked out great, and generally stops at 1.004-1.008.

 

[MarkKF]

The three yeasts I am trying:



- Cider House Select

- Lalvin Wine Yeast (EC-1118)

- Nottingham Ale Yeast

I've used all three. 1118 is too dry. No apple flavor. Notty is great but has a taste some don't like. S-04 is a good alternative. Ciderhouse has never let me down. Low foam, good attenuation, great flavor. I just wanna know what it is. Big mystery!

 

[z-bob]

My S04 cider didn't carbonate. The ending gravity was pretty high (I don't remember what) and then with the priming sugar it was too sweet. I've been drinking it by mixing with some EC-1118 cider that sparkles just fine but is too dry and champagne-y.

It also tastes okay mixed with Milwaukee's Best Ice Beer.

 

[MarkKF]

My S04 cider didn't carbonate. The ending gravity was pretty high (I don't remember what) and then with the priming sugar it was too sweet.

But what was the starting S.G.? How much sugar did u add? And what was the temp.?

 

[z-bob]

But what was the starting S.G.? How much sugar did u add? And what was the temp.?

I didn't take notes; thought I could remember all that, but I should know better by now. I think I added 1 pound of sugar to 4 gallons of juice. Fermented a month in the high 60's, then racked to another carboy for a couple of weeks before I bottled.

I'll try S04 again in a 1-gallon batch with no added sugar. I also want to try S-33 with a little sugar.

 

[MarkKF]

I didn't take notes; thought I could remember all that, but I should know better by now. I think I added 1 pound of sugar to 4 gallons of juice. Fermented a month in the high 60's.

That shouldn't have stalled Notty.

P. S. It was a few years before I took detailed notes, too.

 

[z-bob]

I wonder if my problem was that I racked it to a secondary; maybe I should have roused the yeast instead. (S04, not Nottingham)

 

[Maylar]

I wonder if my problem was that I racked it to a secondary; maybe I should have roused the yeast instead. (S04, not Nottingham)

I get good carbonation with S-04, but it can be painfully slow. My last batch took a good 4 weeks to carb up.

 

[z-bob]

I'm going to start a batch tomorrow, using 2 gallons of bottled Kirkland juice and 1 gallon of Mott's. The Kirkland is not-from-concentrate and is slightly cloudy but does not have a sediment. The Mott's is filtered. Gonna use Cote des Blanc yeast.

Should I put it in a 3 gallon carboy or a 4? It's been a while since I've done this, and I've never used this yeast before; I don't remember how much it foams up. I guess I could start it in a bucket and rack to a carboy after it settled down...

I was going to post this in the "Cider for Beginners" thread but it's closed.

ETA: I suppose I could start with 2 gallons, and top off with the 3rd gallon a week later.

 

[CA_Mouse]

I generally put 5 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy with that yeast. It doesn't foam too much and it works pretty well.

 

[tfwise]

I'm going to start a batch tomorrow, using 2 gallons of bottled Kirkland juice and 1 gallon of Mott's. The Kirkland is not-from-concentrate and is slightly cloudy but does not have a sediment. The Mott's is filtered. Gonna use Cote des Blanc yeast.

Should I put it in a 3 gallon carboy or a 4? It's been a while since I've done this, and I've never used this yeast before; I don't remember how much it foams up. I guess I could start it in a bucket and rack to a carboy after it settled down...

I was going to post this in the "Cider for Beginners" thread but it's closed.

ETA: I suppose I could start with 2 gallons, and top off with the 3rd gallon a week later.

You'd probably be fine with the 3 gallon, but if you want to play it safe you could go with the 4. You could also save off 1/4-1/2 a gallon to use after fermentation to add some apple flavor back into the cider, giving you more head room in the 3 gallon.
I make 1 gallon batches and save about 2 cups of apple juice for that purpose and I think it turns out pretty well.

 

[MarkKF]

So why is it some people think any cider made from apple juice or sweet cider is crap? I agree that cider made from heirloom or cider apples is great but I've had some pretty good cider made from whatever they have at the farm.

 

[1bottlerocket]

I am doing a bit of an experiment too. I am using the same juice with three different yeasts. I am not too keen to try any flavorings yet, as I am hoping to know what to expect from a straight batch of fermented apple juice using yeast.

At some point I may begin to try flavorings (I am leaning toward oak right now) but it seems like a huge variable for me at this point in my learning.

From my late night readings, I have gleaned that low nutrient, high tannin apples are traditional in England and that flavor is what I am hoping to reach. Some of my favorite ciders are Sheppys, Aspall, and Henneys. The most interesting for me right now are Henneys and Sheppys

The sampling has helped me a lot for a direction. (Despite my inebriated appearance!)

I have held off on using store bought juice at this point but I may try it at some point. My first batch was made from fresh pressed apples from a farm in Germany. The juice was meant for drinking but I think it arrived at a fair point as a finished product. I would not call it wonderful by any stretch of the imagination but it was fun.

The next batch was made from juice that is intended to be fermented and it is a completely different taste. It was shipped as concentrate and I re-hydrated according to instructions.

I don't mean to hijack your thread so I am going to get off my soap box now. I will follow your thread to see how your ciders develop in hopes of learning more. Best of luck and please keep us updated!

 

[MarkKF]

So why is it some people think any cider made from apple juice or sweet cider is crap? I agree that cider made from heirloom or cider apples is great but I've had some pretty good cider made from whatever they have at the farm.

Ran out of cheap vodka so I had to go with a splash of cabo wabo in the airlock.

 

[MindenMan]

The mention of the "alcohol heat" coming from adding extra sugar can be counteracted in three ways, one is to ferment as slow and as cool as your circumstances will allow, and the other is to bottle with a bit of residual sugar left; of course the residual sugar batches must not be allowed to ferment dry or the purpose is defeated, and the third is to lay the cider down for a period of years and the alcohol "burn" will settle itself out.