Thinking of trying cider for the first time.

[redrocker652002]

So near as I can figure, 1 gallon of store bought apple cider with no additives, a half pack of yeast, champagne style seems to be the popular one, shake it up, let it sit on the counter for 2 to 4 weeks, move into another gallon jug and prime with sugar for carbing. Let it sit another 2 to 4 weeks then fridge and serv. Am I making this sound way to simple? What am I missing? Also, what would I do to bottle it and carb it? Just use the carb drops I use in the beer bottling I do? I want to start small with a one gallon batch as I don't want to waste 5 gallons if nobody likes it. Any input would be appreciated. RR

 

[lumpher]

That's about all there is to it. The additive to watch out for is preservatives (sorbate). As far as carbing, that's up to you if you want it still or sparkling, but just adding sugar will work, just like bottling beer. If you want to use carb drops, those work too.

 

[kegman50]

Hello,
i started using the mangrove jack kits recently after making cider on a larger scale with a bunch of family members. i dont think you can go wrong and screw up a 5 gal batch if you use the kit. i did a pear and a rose batch with success. for only 45 bucks you get 23 litres which will turn out pretty good. i also used the carbonation drops as a primer for some carbonation after bottling into 1/2 gal glass jugs. 2 or 3 drops seems to add a decent carbonation. i've had success so far and the wife is happy with the results.
cheers.

 

[bernardsmith]

If you are planning on carbing, then you are planning on making the entire batch brut dry. Is that what you want? You might after racking and aging, rack half the cider into another half gallon container and then stabilize and back sweeten so you have half carbonated and half with some sweetness. Alternatively, if you can stomach the associated flavors of non fermentable sugars, you might use that and so you could have some sweetness with carbonation. Not everyone loves a dry cider, though where I come from , the folk typically do.

 

[redrocker652002]

Good call. I will try that. I did hard seltzer and was not happy with the way it turned out. Might give the cider a chance as that might be a bit more of a hit with the family

 

[Porter_Stout]

Another thing to consider is using yeast nutrients. I've never used champagne yeast. I've always used some type of ale yeast, but I just skim some juice off the top of the bottle boil, add nutrients, let cool and add it back in before pitching.

 

[BBeerme]

So near as I can figure, 1 gallon of store bought apple cider with no additives, a half pack of yeast, champagne style seems to be the popular one, shake it up, let it sit on the counter for 2 to 4 weeks, move into another gallon jug and prime with sugar for carbing. Let it sit another 2 to 4 weeks then fridge and serv. Am I making this sound way to simple? What am I missing? Also, what would I do to bottle it and carb it? Just use the carb drops I use in the beer bottling I do? I want to start small with a one gallon batch as I don't want to waste 5 gallons if nobody likes it. Any input would be appreciated. RR

Yes, you are missing something. The most important ingredient. The apples.

If you use store bought apple juice or 'cider', that will make perhaps the worst hard cider out there. Even the typical apples bought from a store do not make good cider. Granny Smith might be a small notch above, but I emphasize small. I have found the best apples for hard cider come from older orchards at an elevation of 2,00' or higher.

You won't get as much yield after grinding and pressing, but the difference in cider flavor will be like the diffewrence between a bud light and a Trappist Ale.

 

[Drewch]

Good call. I will try that. I did hard seltzer and was not happy with the way it turned out. Might give the cider a chance as that might be a bit more of a hit with the family

Plain store-bought apple juice will make an ok but kind of boring cider. I've made a few batches that way with moderate success. You can try things like dry hopping, spicing, or using winemakers’ acid blend to add some complexity.

Edit: you can also use more interesting yeasts to drive more fermentation-driven flavors — think estery English strains or phenolic farmhouse Belgians.

The other option for carbonating would be to stabilize, back-sweeten, and then force carbonate — assuming you have the setup for that.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Store bought cider is just fine. Don't skimp on it though. There is a taste difference between name brand and generic.

I like back sweetening with stevia and a few cinnamon sticks in primary.