Hard cider for a beginner

[tfmcmenemy]

So it's apple picking season and I'm looking to make my own hard cider. I read a bunch online posts about it but there is a lot of conflicting information. So I was wondering if any one had successfully made any hard cider that tastes good.

I have only brewed 2 kit beers so far, an IPA and a Red Ale. Both came out good, but my experience is limited.

From what I understand, farm fresh cider, without preservatives is best to use. There were opinions on boiling the cider to kill the wild yeast, or to let the wild yeast work its self. I also read that using a dry wine yeast is good for fermenting cider. There was also a section about making a starter for your yeast to add to the cider, what do up think about this?

Will the cider taste like a strongbow, or other ciders like it? Or will it depend on the yeast I use? What can I expect for the taste?

The website with the instructions that I liked the best is:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/how-to-make-hard-cider.aspx#axzz2eJjVvu30

Has anyone successfully made a cider that can help me out? Any thing I may accidentally overlook as a beginner? Do any of you add extra sugar to increase the alcohol content?

 

[brewkinger]

I just made my first batch of cider 3 wks ago and I am experiencing strange stuff with it, so I am a bad person for advice.
What I do know is this:
Check out the cider forum and you will get some better answers.

 

[tfmcmenemy]

Oh! I didn't even know there was a cider forum. Thanks a lot. Good luck with your brew.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

So it's apple picking season and I'm looking to make my own hard cider. I read a bunch online posts about it but there is a lot of conflicting information. So I was wondering if any one had successfully made any hard cider that tastes good.

I have only brewed 2 kit beers so far, an IPA and a Red Ale. Both came out good, but my experience is limited.

From what I understand, farm fresh cider, without preservatives is best to use. There were opinions on boiling the cider to kill the wild yeast, or to let the wild yeast work its self. I also read that using a dry wine yeast is good for fermenting cider. There was also a section about making a starter for your yeast to add to the cider, what do up think about this?

Will the cider taste like a strongbow, or other ciders like it? Or will it depend on the yeast I use? What can I expect for the taste?

The website with the instructions that I liked the best is:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/how-to-make-hard-cider.aspx#axzz2eJjVvu30

Has anyone successfully made a cider that can help me out? Any thing I may accidentally overlook as a beginner? Do any of you add extra sugar to increase the alcohol content?

I'm relatively new to cider too, but I'll share what I can.
You DEFINITELY don't want to use any cider/juice that has preservatives. Preservatives are intended to inhibit/prevent yeast growth, so anything you use with preservatives won't make a hard cider.

From what I've read, people who use farm fresh cider use campden tablets to kill the wild yeast present in the cider. I don't know exactly how it works but after 24 hours you're left with a blank slate for the yeast of your choice to do its work.

All that being said, I and plenty of other people in the cider forum generally just use regular apple juice from the grocery store (again, no preservatives).

A lot of recipes will call for extra sugar (generally corn sugar, or "Dextrose").

Wine yeast is good if you like a dryer cider, because it will eat up more of the sugar than an ale yeast will (also leaving you with a higher ABV). I've never made it myself, but a ton of people around here have made Edwort's Apfelwein and they seem to like it being dryer.

You can use another yeast (Nottingham, for example) and the end result won't be as dry, it really depends on what you want your cider to taste like. If you like a sweeter cider, look for Upstate Mike's Caramel apple cider thread in the cider section (you'll also need to look at the stovetop pasteurization thread.)

Hope that helps!

 

[tfmcmenemy]

Thanks a lot man. A lot of good info. I'll look into all of them.

 

[Loftearmen]

I've made several batches of cider that have turned out well. It's a lot easier to make than beer. For your first batch, I would just go grab 5 gallons of Mott's apple juice (it actually makes very good cider) and toss a pack of Nottingham Ale Yeast in it. Let it ferment for 2 weeks. Be sure to check the last few days in a row with your hydrometer to make sure it isn't fermenting anymore, prime it with 1/2 a cup of brown sugar and bottle carb. If you prefer a cider that tastes more like champagne, you can swap the Nottingham out with Montrachet and follow the same directions. Either way is good.