Cider Noob - fresh apple juice

[Braufessor]

Looking for some advice and the best way to proceed.

*My wife would like to try making some hard cider. I know a lot about beer and next to nothing about cider making.
*We have some apple trees (state fair and sweet 16 I think - if that matters a lot).
*We juiced a lot of our leftover apples this fall (maybe 3-5 gallons of juice -can't remember). We took the juice and put it in the freezer.

Over xmas, we were thinking we would take that juice out and use it to try a batch of cider. Basically, what would be the simplest, most straight-forward way to go about this?

I was going to get this yeast: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/wl-english-cider.html
Or, is something else better for what we need to do.

Will this juice work, should we add anything to it, or are we just way off base by even attempting it with what we have.

Any thoughts, advice would be great. I did look through the sticky and some of the other beginner threads. but, did not seem to specifically look at the fresh apple juice.

Bottom line - if you were going to turn this apple juice into an alcoholic beverage..... what would be a good way to go about it.

*feel free to send me to a specific link if you think there is already a good step-by-step recipe/plan for what we want to do.

Thanks

 

[AidanSavage]

Assuming you have a hydrometer, the simplest recipe is apple juice/raw cider and yeast. Wait til it stops bubbling and you're done. Almost as simple is the same apple juice/raw cider with enough sugar (type of your choice) added for an OG of 1.060-1.065. Pitch yeast, let ferment until done/dry. Taste it, then if desired, add back some sugars (again, of your choice) or some FAJC til it's what you like, then bottle, store in the fridge or pasteurize on the stove.

As far as yeast, if you're a beer homebrewer, you could potentially use the same yeast you use for beer. Right now I'm currently on my second batch of cider using Nottingham. First batch tasted a bit rough right after bottling, but after being in the bottles for at least a week, the taste's so much better.

 

[MarkKF]

My new fav yeast is Brewers Best Cider. See the other thread about this yeast. Can be had from Amazon.com

Also see the thread from Yooper in the sticky section. She explains it all.

 

[MindenMan]

For ciders my favorite yeast has become Red Star Pasteur Red, not Pasteur Champagne yeast, they are very different animals. To my taste, there is more apple flavor at the end of fermentation, which means the flavor in the bottle will come up sooner than later (1-2 months, versus 6-8 months) and of course, this is just my opinion. I have been making all my hard cider into apple jack lately, and, wow, does it taste like apple right now! Even at two months in the bottle, the flavor is amazing, and I can't wait to see what six months will taste like.

 

[Braufessor]

awesome - thanks for the input!

 

[Yooper]

My favorite cider yeast lately has been S04, at least for batches of tart/bittersharp/moderately sweet apple mixes. My last batch was 100% cider that I pressed, and then S04 yeast.

If the juice is a bit boring, you can add some acid blend or powdered tannin later on if you want.

I'd definitely use campden tablets in your thawed juice, in the amount of one crushed tablet (and dissolved in some water or juice) per gallon, and let that sit for 24 hours before pitching the yeast.

 

[barnaclebob]

Don't add sugar or anything like that.

Let juice thaw

Put campden tablets and pectic enzymes

24hrs later pitch yeast and yeast nutrient (i've used EC-1118 twice now with good results)

Rack it to a carboy when fermentation stops

Rack it again about a month later or when you see its not becoming clearer, top off the headspace with more juice, water, or purge with co2

Repeat until its clear enough for you.