Hard cider?

[brewster13]

I have a few batches of beer under my belt now and I want to try to make hard cider. So I am looking to you all for help!! I purchased 5 gallons of unpasturized /no preserv cider from a local cider mill. Lady that owns it said that all they do is run it thru a UV light. I am looking for the best way to make hard cider.

 

[Nateo]

Just add yeast! There are lots of "recipes" for cider around, but I've had great success with just yeast and juice. I like Cote Des Blanc.

 

[SammyJ]

I've used Lager yeast with great results. Check out my post "Sammy's Simple Cider" for my detailed pictorial

 

[McKinley]

Just add yeast! There are lots of "recipes" for cider around, but I've had great success with just yeast and juice. I like Cote Des Blanc.

Second this. Too many adjuncts make cider taste like rocket fuel and hide the apple flavors/aromas. You already did the best thing for yourself by taking the time to get good fresh juice. For yeast I also like cote du blanc, but ale yeasts like nottingham also work well.

Your juice has probably been UV pasteurized. If you are unsure of this, or are otherwise concerned about sterility, I would sulfite the must 24 hours before you pitch your yeast. The amount of sulfite to add is based on the pH of the must (see http://www.cider.org.uk/frameset.htm under the "part 3" section). Compared to beer, I tend to under pitch cider, especially if you don't sulfite. For example, I may do two packs of dry yeast on a sulfited must if the gravity is high, but otherwise one pack of yeast has always worked just fine for me.