First Cider

[brewdub]

So I've got 6 gallons of cider coming to me on November first and I've read all sorts of things about brewing it. These are the instructions from the store that sells the juice.

Mix juice or cider in primary fermenter with acid blend, pectic enzyme, tannin, and yeast energizer. Gently pour re-hydrated yeast or liquid yeast on top juice. Cover with plastic sheet. When fermentation is apparent (usually within 24 hours) stir daily and ferment for 3-4 days or until specific gravity is 1.020. Rack to secondary fermenter and attach fermentation lock. Rack again in three weeks, or when specific gravity is 1.000. Add ½ teaspoon Anti-oxident powder per gallon.

I'm pretty unfamiliar with the process, what does the "cover with a plastic sheet mean?" Could that be Saran Wrap? I can't just pop the juice in the carboy with an airlock and go to town?

Any tips would be appreciated!

 

[MTate37]

I haven't seen instructions quite like yours before. There is a cider forum here which you may find helpful. I followed the instructions on makinghardcider.com. They are pretty straightforward.

My advice is to be patient. Cider will ferment a long way down. We racked ours to secondary about a month ago because we got two equal gravity readings about three days apart. A couple of weeks ago I noticed new bubbles on the surface so I took another gravity sample and it had dropped about five points, so it apparently just slowed waaaaay down.

I would also keep it simple to start with just to get an idea how the additives change things. Our first gallon was straight juice and yeast. The second was juice, juice concentrate and yeast. While the difference isn't huge, it is noticeable so we learned something.

One last thing...just like beer you need to have good temp control. From what I've read cider does best between 50 and 60 F. I strongly recommend a swamp cooler our some other means of making sure you have a steady temp.

Enjoy!

 

[amandabab]

the instructions are treating your cider like a wine ferment. Not a bad thing.
the plastic sheet could just be a bucket with a towel or a loose lid. wine yeast needs oxygen and the easiest way is to leave the fermentor open and stirring oftem early in the ferment. the tannin can be added at anytime and I'd taste it before deciding if its necessary. anti-oxident powder is most likely a stabilizing mix of potassium sorbate and metabisulphite.

this is going to make a dry still cider.


or you can throw it in a carboy and dump in some ale yeast.

 

[Hernando]

of you can throw it in a carboy and dump in some ale yeast.

This! :rockin:

 

[TopherM]

Do you have a kegging setup, or do you plan to bottle??

I make alot of ciders, and I think the instructions above are overkill, personally. I've made commercial quality cider with far less trouble. Here's my procedure:

1) Dump 5 gallons of decent apple juice (I always use White House apple juice from the grocery store) into a fermentation bucket.
2) Dump 1 packet of S-05 yeast into the bucket
3) Ferment just like a beer for 2-3 weeks.

Where cider gets tricky is keeping it sweet. The backsweetening procedure for a kegged cider is simple. Getting a good sweet bottled cider is a PITA and an inexact science at best. Let me know if you keg or bottle, and if you intend on making a sweet cider (Strongbow/Woodchuck) or a dry English style cider, and I'll give you the rest of the procedure.

 

[brewdub]

I will be bottling the cider and I plan on using White Labs English Cider Yeast. It says that it will make a dry cider but keeps some apple flavor.

 

[strambo]

I just made my 1st one...I used 2.5 gals of pressed, pasteurized, apple juice from Costco. I added 2 tsp of pectic enzyme. Dumped it in a 3 gal better bottle, pitched a packet of S-04. Took a grav. sample on day six, it went from 1.049 to 1.006. It tasted just about right. So, I cold crashed it for a week and kegged. I now have crystal clear, commercial quality semi-dry cider. Simplest thing I've made yet.

Next time, I'll think I'll just let the fermentation go, then back sweeten with a can or two of juice concentrate when I keg. Maybe try a juice blend like apple/peach for back sweetening.