FIRST TIME CIDER MAKING- A How To....

[brewkinger]

So I have perused and searched myself stupid in this subforum in preparation for my local homebrew clubs 1st Annual Cider Making (get together).

There did not seem to be a dedicated thread on this topic (at least not that I could find), so I set out to put it down for future usage.

Bear in mind that this is just a conglomeration of what I discovered through about 30-40 thread searches (2-3 hours of my time last night) AND as a newbie cider maker I understand that there may be errors.

Feel free to make corrections and perhaps someday this will be a stickie for others to use.

:rockin:

 

[TopherM]

A group cider brew sounds utterly boring. Dump in the apple juice, add yeast. Done. It's a two minute process!

Better go ahead and make it a bottle/homebrew share!

FYI, your cider making guide doesn't appear in your post.

 

[brewkinger]

JUICE SELECTION

Seems that there is a variety of chit chat on this topic, but there seems to be a fairly straightforward methodology:

PRESERVATIVE FREE seems to be the key that is agreed upon. Things like sorbate, sorbitol, sulfite, and sulfate compounds are the absolute NO-NO's

These additions prevent any future fermentation from occurring and therefore defeat the very purpose of this process.

Apple juice naturally contains ascorbic acid and vitamin C. These do not present a problem and are fine.

I came across an online resource that advocated the addition of Vitamin C (in the form of rose hips) to ciders to make them healthier, which is the only reason that I included this last comment.

ADDITION OF CHEMICALS, SUGARS AND INITIAL TESTING

The addition of other things into the cider can be subdivided into Pre-ferment and Post-ferment additions
PRE-FERMENT

Sulfite (Potassium Metabisulfite or Sodium Metabisulfite)
Pre fermentation addition to UNPASTEURIZED juice to halt natural bacterial and yeast growth until chosen yeast is pitched.

There are opposite schools of thought on this an an addition. Some prefer to use it for prevention of wild yeast reproduction.
Other cider enthusiasts opt out and either:
1) allow wild yeast to dominate and ferment, which can lead to good and bad results
2) pitch chosen yeast and let dominant strain or blend to do the job.

There are flavor contributions that these additions cause that can be of concern, as well as sulfate/sulfite allergies that can prevent some people from enjoying the cider

24 - 36 hours prior to yeast introduction
1/4 tsp of K-meta PER 5 gallons of juice (may also use 1 crushed Campden tablet PER GALLON).
In the past, I just added this to the juice and gave it a stir to dissolve.
I came across literature that mentioned dissolving it in a little of the juice or water and then adding to the fermenter.

It is also important at this stage to leave the must uncovered to allow for gaseous sulfur compounds to be released. Many cider makers cover the must with a piece of fabric or cheesecloth to prevent fruitflies and other pests from getting in.

Pectic Enzyme
The addition of this enzyme is not necessary for quality cider, just aesthetically pleasing, CLEAR cider.
1/2 teaspoon PER gallon of cider

Yeast Nutrient
1/4 tsp per gallon is recommended starting point.
Some literature also states addition of more once fermentation is in process.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS

Additional simple sugars can be added to boost gravity. This process is known as chaptalization (I learned something new).
These simple sugars ferment out completely and increase ABV.
This process thins the body of the cider and increases the acidity of the final product.
Some refined (darker) sugars such as brown sugar and molasses can be used, but are more likely to affect the flavor.
A general guideline is that 1# of simple sugar will increase abv by 1% in most cases, but the concensus is that "less is more" when it comes to this.

Acid blends and tannins - Often used in wine making, there was little information out there with regards to this for cider usage other than it is possible. Maybe wine makers can chime in here to help out.
Basically, to offset the sweetness in the cider and add more to the final profile of the cider.
Again, less is more when it comes to this as it can be added post fermentation to taste.

Initial testing - Can be done with a hydrometer or refractometer, Pre-fermentation (and during / post)
NECESSARY to determine the final abv.

 

[brewkinger]

A group cider brew sounds utterly boring. Dump in the apple juice, add yeast. Done. It's a two minute process!

Better go ahead and make it a bottle/homebrew share!

FYI, your cider making guide doesn't appear in your post.

I should change that post to "Group cider treatment and preparation and DRINKING of homebrew"
This is first time for other 2 guys and only my 3rd batch ever, so it was more of a learning guideline for the three of us and anyone else that wishes to make a first batch of cider

I wanted to make a couple of changes / corrections to the post before I hit enter. Lo and behold, I hit enter too soon anyway.

 

[Maylar]

A group cider brew sounds utterly boring. Dump in the apple juice, add yeast. Done. It's a two minute process!

Yup... It takes longer to sterilize the equipment than to make the cider.

I should change that post to "Group cider treatment and preparation and DRINKING of homebrew"
This is first time for other 2 guys and only my 3rd batch ever, so it was more of a "This is how it is done"

You mean, "This is how I think it's done".

There are already detailed tutorials on the subject here.

 

[brewkinger]

YEAST

This is where the process gets a little more complicated IMO. I came across many contradictory opinions on yeast selections. Some people claimed good results with a particular yeast, while others claimed utter failure using the same yeast. My thoughts on this is that there are many variables in cider making that could cause results to vary.
Composition of apple juice, yeast age, starter versus no starter, etc... (the list goes on and on)

My experimentation thus far is minimal, and a couple of the stickies in this forum are very helpful with some of the basics:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/i-thought-i-would-share-some-info-139409/
The first couple of posts are helpful to get a basic understanding of the processes involved
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/results-juice-yeast-sugar-experiments-83060/
This one involved a TON of experimentation with apple and yeast varieties to find what seemed to work and not.
Both threads are worth taking a peek at for learning purposes alone, and quite frankly many of the thoughts and ideas for my thread came from here but finding all the necessary information for a first time cider maker was a little difficult.

Some basics:
BEER yeasts: Neutral varieties such as Notty and S-04 seem to be good choices because of neutral characteristics.
Other specific yeasts can be useful to impart specific flavors to the resultant profiles.

WINE yeasts: VERY tolerant of high alcohol amounts and therefore recommended by some (and discouraged by others).
A co-worker made a batch last year with me and he used a champagne yeast. We stopped the ferment at 1.014 (from 1.058 OG) and the taste of champagne was overpowering. He backsweetened with xylitol and we managed to get it to taste OK. He gave a lot of it away for Xmas and we got rid of the rest at a New Years Party. Plenty of takers that night, but the hangover was one for the record books.

CIDER yeasts: These are available from both White Labs and WYEAST. I also came across Brewers Best cider dry yeast packets at LHBS recently.

 

[brewkinger]

Yup... It takes longer to sterilize the equipment than to make the cider.

Since the equipment needs to be SANITIZED and not STERILIZED, that alone suggests that "How I think it should be done" might actually be a little better than the detailed tutorials that you mention.

 

[brewkinger]

Interesting note that I alluded to earlier with regards to addition of yeast nutrient during fermentation.
The resources that I found mentioned that if fermentation stalls or smells of sulphur/rotten eggs, more yeast nutrient can be added if you choose to.
I have personally not had this problem, but I have only used Nottingham and a starter of WY1056 on my batches, so stalled ferment was not present.

The next step in this process involves making a decision on what you want your final cider to taste like and be.
Decisions such as sparkling vs still and bottled vs kegged must be made, which will alter the methods of the process from here on.

 

[Maylar]

Since the equipment needs to be SANITIZED and not STERILIZED, that alone suggests that "How I think it should be done" might actually be a little better than the detailed tutorials that you mention.

Semantics, to a degree. The equipment needs to be BOTH sanitized and sterilized. Sanitizing is cleaning, sterilizing is killing micro bacteria. Though Webster isn't clear on the difference...

I'm at about the same level of experience that you are, three batches under my belt. I wouldn't dream of posting a how-to yet, there's still too much for me to learn. But have at it, if you're so inclined.

Others have done similar work - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/first-time-cider-making-faq-483338/

 

[brewkinger]

Not so much a set in stone "How To" as much as a work in progress to give future people a set of guidelines from many knowledgable people.

The distinction between sanitation and sterilization is pretty simple.
Sanitation kills most while sterilization kills ALL organisms both large and microscopic.


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[WVMJ]

Scot labs had a Cider handbook, very nice, answers most of your questions and its free and comes in the mail pretty quickly. You have 1500 posts, treat your euipment like beer brewing and you wont have a problem, KM is both an anti bug reagent and an antioxidant, since you are not cooking this like beer go ahead and use it for insurance, 24 hrs is plenty. If you like beer use a beer yeast, if you want it dry use a wine yeast, feed them both some Fermaid. Its really easier than making beer. A much better inagural cider brew in my opinion would be to rent an apple crusher and press and make your own blend of juice for cider, apples should be availble everywhere now in your area. WVMJ

 

[brewkinger]

Scott labs has a Cider handbook, very nice, answers most of your questions and its free and comes in the mail pretty quickly.

The link for this handbook is http://www.scottlab.com/pdf/2014CiderHandbook.pdf
I checked this out and it is a good resource although it seems a bit too much for a beginner cider maker as it describes in great detail, numerous products (probably all sold by Scott Labs) that are useful for cider making.
Good resource though, a lot of good information AND it can also be downloaded (16.7MB)

You have 1500 posts

Duly noted.

 

[brewkinger]

A much better inagural cider brew in my opinion would be to rent an apple crusher and press and make your own blend of juice for cider, apples should be availble everywhere now in your area.

That is exactly what we planned on. Local orchard with an owner that is willing to do a special run on Saturday night for us to sample the apple varieties and choose a blend that seems like it will work for us. Best part is that he has agreed to a VERY low price for all the apples and the use of his press.

 

[WVMJ]

Perfect. I went to a local orchard today and found out they had big bin of Arkansas Blacks, next week they should have some Blacktwigs, both apples we wanted to try for making cider. Dont forget to bring back some cider next summer to the orchardist, if its really good he might like the idea of making this an event. WVMJ

 

[brewkinger]

45 gallons of cider total (15 of which is mine)is currently sitting in the garage fermenting.
Blend of Mac, Cortland, Red Cort and Macoun.
All K-meta'd, pectinased, and yeast nutriented.

Got some Notty, WY1056 and some dry cider yeast from Brewers Best to be pitched on Monday evening.


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[brewkinger]

45 gallons of cider total (15 of which is mine)is currently sitting in the garage fermenting.
Blend of Mac, Cortland, Red Cort and Macoun.
All K-meta'd, pectinased, and yeast nutriented.

Got some Notty, WY1056 and some dry cider yeast from Brewers Best to be pitched on Monday evening.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

UPDATE:
Racked to secondary back on 10/10.

The cooler weather here in VT really crashed it nicely and today I bottled 4 gallons of it.

2 gallons of still Apple wine. (20 bottles)
Then boiled 1oz of dextrose in 1 cup water and added to remaining 2 gals.

Bottled that up in flip tops (18 bottles)

Round #2 next weekend will bottle another 5 gals.
Thinking of adding couple cans of frozen concentrate and bottling 2.5 gallons (yes I realize that I have to pasteurize this).
Then add some sorbate and bottle the rest the next day.

Round #3 in a couple of weeks. Remaining 6 gals. Not sure what the plan is for that....yet.


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[schwiz]

A group cider brew sounds utterly boring. Dump in the apple juice, add yeast. Done. It's a two minute process!

Better go ahead and make it a bottle/homebrew share!

FYI, your cider making guide doesn't appear in your post.

These are beer makers we are talking about. They got to boil something.