First ever batch of hard Cider this fall

[KENfromMI]

So after 24 years together I realize my wife will never find a beer that she likes. She does however like a bone dry cider. I am not a big cider guy but like just a hint of sweetness when I have one. I would like to make her a batch this fall. We have a cider mill in Michigan that was opened by a Civil War Veteran and still uses the original press and five apple blend. It truly is the best cider I have ever had.
Historians have even studied this press and believe it to be the only one left in the United States that presses apples this way. The only upgrade was a hydraulic arm since they report there aren't enough strong Dutchmen left that have the strength to use the press. (Enough of the history lesson, LOL)

Being my first try (I have plenty of beer making and wine making experience though) I'm looking for a straight forward recipe. I'm also wondering what would be the best yeast strain if I wanted to split the difference between what she likes and what I like (I drink way more than her so she would never finish a full batch). Is there a yeast that is like one step less dry than the Montrachet I've read about? Any help or direction to articles on here is greatly appreciated. Ken

 

[Snowden]

I have yet to make a cider using pressed juice from an orchard. However, as far as simple dry cider recipes go, I have made Graham's English cider twice, and very much enjoy it. It uses S-04, and will ferment out to 1.00, but it is nice and crisp with a good acidity.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=107152

I am sure others will be able to provide you with additional guidance on using pressed juice, but wanted to share my experience with the aforementioned recipe.

Good luck!

 

[KENfromMI]

Thanks for the link. It looks like cider ages kind of like wine then? If I make a batch from Octobers apples it won't be ready until months later?

 

[Bent-Brewer]

There's tons of different ways to make cider- some take months to reach their prime, and others take a couple weeks. I've never used fresh pressed cider, but going from memory of when I was starting out, you will definitely want to add pectic enzyme to take care of natural pectin haze. I *believe* that you add k-meta to knock out the natural yeast (if the juice was unpasteurized) before pitching your own yeast of choice. You'll probably want to check the SG prior to pitching yeast and adjust it from there if needed; I'd recommend either sugar or honey (stay away from brown sugar unless you like a molasses taste in the final product).

That out of the way, I use Costco apple juice and Nottingham Ale Yeast. I just sterilize the carboy, pour the juice, and pitch the yeast. It helps to add a little bit of yeast nutrient, otherwise the yeast could get stressed and give off a sulfur smell over the first week. I leave it to ferment in primary for 2 weeks before kegging it. Clarity hasn't ever been an issue for me since I don't show it. Cider will get better over time, but as long as you keep it at a reasonable ABV, it doesn't really need much time to mellow.

Edit:
I like Nottingham Ale Yeast since it seems to give a pretty neutral, drinkable flavor to the finished cider. It doesn't give it a super dry taste or strip the flavor out like I felt Montrachet did. That said, with all cider you have to be careful when bottling; the yeast will continue to eat all fermentable sugars, so you can either do a carbonated dry cider or flat sweetened cider. A third option of bottle pasteurizing exists, but I've never tried it so can't say anything one way or the other.

 

[bernardsmith]

A good wine yeast line 71B is great for cider. It will obviously (as will any yeast - wine or beer) ferment the sugars dry but what you can do is bottle some dry and for the cider you like you can stabilize it by adding K-meta and K-sorbate and then add more sweetener (could be apple juice or sugar or honey or??) . Four ounces of added fermentable sugar to one gallon will increase the gravity by 10 points so if you like your cider sweeter than 1.010 then you will need to add more than 4 oz /gallon and if you like it drier than 1.010 then you add an appropriately less amount.
In these parts apples pressed by orchards for hard cider making typically have enough sugar to produce a must at about 1.070 and they use a blend of apples that provide tannins and acids...

 

[Yooper]

A good wine yeast line 71B is great for cider. It will obviously (as will any yeast - wine or beer) ferment the sugars dry but what you can do is bottle some dry and for the cider you like you can stabilize it by adding K-meta and K-sorbate and then add more sweetener (could be apple juice or sugar or honey or??) . Four ounces of added fermentable sugar to one gallon will increase the gravity by 10 points so if you like your cider sweeter than 1.010 then you will need to add more than 4 oz /gallon and if you like it drier than 1.010 then you add an appropriately less amount.
In these parts apples pressed by orchards for hard cider making typically have enough sugar to produce a must at about 1.070 and they use a blend of apples that provide tannins and acids...

Yes, that is a good cider yeast. I also like S04, which leaves it a little bit less dry.

With cider, if you ferment just 100% juice (fresh cider), it will be about 6% ABV and be ready fairly soon (still a couple of months ideally, just so it is at its best), but if you use sugar/honey/apple concentrate, it is more of an apple wine and will take as long as wine to be ready.

Some people do drink it sooner, but many that have stashed a bottle away for a year are disappointed that they didn't save more bottles- a 12 month old cider is amazingly good compared to a 1 month old cider.

I would make my "recipe" just good quality fresh pressed cider, with no preservatives. I'd use campden/sulfites to inhibit wild yeast and bacteria, and pitch my chosen yeast into it 24 hours later.

After it's finished, you can taste and see if it needs anything- tannin, acid blend, to be sweetened, etc- and also decide if you want it carbonated or not. I like dry cider, dry or sparkling, but not as carbonated as some do. Others like a champagne type carbonation for their ciders, and most are in between.

 

[KENfromMI]

I have all those extra ingredients from making wine already which is a plus. Do you guys top off your carboys with no head space like wine or is cider less likely to oxidize than wine?

 

[WVMJ]

Treat it like a white wine, pectinase helps it clear easier, try a batch with some oak in it if you like oaked white wines. October is long way away now isnt it WVMJ

 

[madscientist451]

Its pretty simple: For dry cider, start with a quart of cider in a 1/2 gallon jug, add one vial of White Labs English cider yeast. Let it ferment 2-3 weeks, then add the whole thing to 4-5 gallons of fresh apple juice (cider) in a carboy. When buying fresh cider, I think its better to wait until November or Early December to buy the cider, the late season apples make a better hard cider, but that's just a personal preference. I made some cider with early season apples last season and I didn't like it much. So that's it, no chemicals, no messing with acid blend or anything else, just good quality juice and the yeast.
I do an 11 apple blend with a lot of old heirloom varieties, but just use what mix you can get. I like to ferment in the low 60's, which is another good reason to wait until late in the fall. A chilly basement works good for cider. When the apple blossoms come out in the spring, the cider should be ready. You can rack the cider off the yeast or just leave it. The english cider yeast is very hardy, you can re-pitch it over and over, but its a good practice to save some of the original cider and keep adding fresh juice to it. Its pretty simple and easy, don't over-think it. You can get a lot more complicated if you want to, but the only tests I do are gravity and my own taste. For a semi dry cider, use white labs 002. You can try a separate carboy and let it ferment with the wild yeast and drink it like it is or blend it. I've also tried letting the wild yeast get started, then adding a big dose of cider yeast and letting the yeast fight it out. After you get started with this, hunt around your area for older orchards that have varieties like Northern Spy, Crooked York, Smokehouse, Stayman Winesap, Granny Smith or other unusual varieties,and make your own single variety ciders or your own blend.

 

[Yooper]

I don't know if you've seen this or not, but this may be helpful: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=508303

 

[KENfromMI]

End of October is last press here in Michigan for our apples. Thats when I was going to buy. August press is way too thin.

 

[KENfromMI]

Also the property I deer hunt on is loaded with apple trees that are good for eating. Not sure what variety they are but I eat them off the trees in the fall. I was wondering what type of cider they would make if I pressed them myself.

 

[Yooper]

Also the property I deer hunt on is loaded with apple trees that are good for eating. Not sure what variety they are but I eat them off the trees in the fall. I was wondering what type of cider they would make if I pressed them myself.

Hard to say. It could be great, or it could be not so great. But it wouldn't be bad, either way. If they are tart/bitter, that's a better bet than if they are sweet like delicious apples.

 

[madscientist451]

Also the property I deer hunt on is loaded with apple trees that are good for eating. Not sure what variety they are but I eat them off the trees in the fall. I was wondering what type of cider they would make if I pressed them myself.

Try to notice which varieties are hanging on the trees the longest and gather those late varieties, as late in the season as possible.
Tree ripened fruit makes a difference in the taste. Also you can let the apples "sweat" for a month or so before you press them.
There are lots of you tube videos of folks making their own cider with all kinds of different devices and methods, its time consuming but also fun.

 

[KENfromMI]

They are tart and delicious. I wouldn't try to make a 5 gallon batch or anything probably just a few gallons. If I couldn't find someone with a press I have a heavy duty juicer I could try.

 

[MindenMan]

Back in the old days when purchased yeast wasn't used, "this" years pressing would fermented long and slow, and usually wasn't consumed until next year. I am sure the added aging time added a lot to that particular ciders flavor.