Cider Recipe

[cookingozzy]

I am planning on making my first batch of cider this weekend. Does anyone have a recipe that they wouldn't mind sharing. I am looking to make a sparkling cider.

I have a couple questions though.

First, can I just bottle in regular beer bottles and just do a standard cap or do I have to bottle in wine bottles?

Second, do I have to use dark bottles, or can I use green or clear bottles?

I would like to use honey to boost the ABV in the cider, Is this a normal ingredient in cider?

How long does the cider last and can I store it like I do the rest of my beer (non-refrigerated)?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[ericbw]

Sparkling cider that's not bone dry is tough to make.

You can bottle in beer bottles, any color.

You can use honey to boost the abv. Remember that it ferments dry anyway, so it's pretty high abv.

If you ferment it and add enough sugar to carbonate, you can leave it out. Cider improves with age. It lasts a long time.

There are some recipes here, but are you looking for sweet cider like woodchuck? Or dry?

 

[bobeer]

I've made a few batches of cider but I am by no means an expert.

can I just bottle in regular beer bottles and just do a standard cap or do I have to bottle in wine bottles? I just used the same bottles I put my beer in and capped them the same way.

Second, do I have to use dark bottles, or can I use green or clear bottles? Hops are usually what get skunked in beer when the sunlight hits it. I'd assume, based on this, that you could use whatever bottles you want.

I would like to use honey to boost the ABV in the cider, Is this a normal ingredient in cider? Sure. Honey is almost 100% fermentable and will dry out beer/cider. I have used apple juice concentrate and brown sugar too.

How long does the cider last and can I store it like I do the rest of my beer (non-refrigerated)?
I'd think you could keep cider around for a long time. The thing you have to watch out for with bottling carbonated cider is bottle bombs. Unless you pasteurize your cider somehow you're at risk if you want sweet carbonated cider.

That's my .02 anyway. Just my experience from making a few batches. Good luck!!

 

[bobeer]

oh yea... you asked for a recipe... I'm sure there's better out there but this was one was good and every one liked it. No idea what the ABV was but it was up there. 8-9% or so I'd say.
I kept it really easy for my first batch. I got a few gallons apple juice that doesn't have any preservatives (sorbates, particularly) and a couple gallons of natural apple juice.

Add whatever yeast you want to use. I've use British ale yeast and sa05 before.

Ferment for 2 weeks or until fully attenuated.

I then added thawed concentrated apple juice (2 cans but 1 is probably enough for 5 gallons) to prime the cider for carbonation. This where you have to be careful not to make bottle bombs. I let them carb for less than 3 days then put them in my fridge and kept them cold until they were all gone. It was pretty dry but really good. I think if I did 1.5 days of carb'ing up it would have been sweeter.

 

[cookingozzy]

I bottled 4 gallons of cider today. My OG was 1.070. FG is 1.001. My calculated ABV is 9.06. This cider has a very strong alcohol flavor. How long will this last?

Oh, btw, my recipe is as follows; 5 gallons cider, 2.7 lbs honey, Nottingham yeast. Fermented for 28 days.

Also, I put 1 gallon up and added 1/2 ounce of Cascade Hops. I'll bottle this in a week or so.