Trying a hard cider

[rickprice407]

My wife and I went to the Farmers Market today and got 10 gals of pastuerized cider with NO preservatives so we could try a couple of batches of hard cider. I have questions.

First, i plan to add honey to each batch and want to how how much brown sugar to add as well. I can go with 1 or 2 qts of honey.

Second, how long to ferment and at what temp? My primary fermenting chamber for beer is mid 60s and my lagering chamber is empty right now so I can set it anywhere.

When I bottle will it carbonate itself or do I use conditioning tablets as with beer?

Since this my wife's baby I want it to turn out really well.

Any help is appreciated.

Pls excuse typos - I'M on my iPad.

Rick near Atlanta

 

[BOBrob]

go to the cider forum on the home page. Recipes, comments, ideas and answers to all your questions.

 

[dinnerstick]

decide what you want for the final alcohol percentage, apple juice tends to run ballpark of 1.045 and ferment to 6% give or take a few %. use an online wine alcohol percentage calculator; look up the starting gravity to achieve that %, assuming it will finish between 0.990 and 0.995 ish (higher sg means lower finish due to more ethanol). add sugars until you hit that gravity, or do some back of the envelope math first, not too tricky. assuming you have fermented to dryness you just prime exactly the same as for beer. this will give you a dry sparking cider. hopefully the wife likes dry cider; some find it a bit shocking.
i ferment at uncontrolled room temp which this time of year is 20-22 deg (for all you fans of logical freezing and boiling point of water-based thermal scales!! yeah) i think that's -3062 in F but not sure. it always comes out good! that's with ale yeast. fermentation time really depends on too many variables, temp, yeast, sugar content, nutrients, planetary alignment etc etc, can be days or over a month. safeale04 at 20 deg can go in <5 days. wild yeasts in 15 deg i have had take 2 months. happy cider making
get drunk

 

[Pappers_]

Hi. Making cider is different than beer in an important aspect - the yeast will eat up all the sugars in cider, so that it ferments out dry if left alone.

The answers to some of your questions depend on what kind of cider you want to make - dry or semi-sweet, sparkling or still? If you want sparkling cider, will you be force carbing or bottle conditioning?

A great resource for beginning cider makers is www.makinghardcider.com if you are looking to make semi-sweet sparkling cider that is carbonated in the bottle.

There are also some good sticky threads in the cider forum here, including one on experimenting with different yeasts.

Also, in the wine section, there is a thread on Apfelweinn, a strong dry apple wine that is easy to make.

I enjoy making a light, simple draft-style cider, you can read about my process at http://www.singingboysbrewing.com/Apple-Cider.html

 

[rickprice407]

Thanks for the help. Having read more now I have gotten a last set of questions.

My wife wants a still (non-carbed) cider. I've been told to ferment it bone dry with a champagne yeast and then back sweeten with Xylitol. Any suggestion or experiences with this?

I've been told that I need to ferment at around 50 degrees F with the champagne yeast and to rack to a secondary after a couple of weeks and this will cause a second round of fermentation. How long should I leave it on the secondary before back sweetening and bottling?

As the cider we bought was UV pasteurized, do I need to bottle pasteurize as well?

Thanks,

Rick Near Atlanta

 

[krisabsinthe]

Thanks for the help. Having read more now I have gotten a last set of questions.

My wife wants a still (non-carbed) cider. I've been told to ferment it bone dry with a champagne yeast and then back sweeten with Xylitol. Any suggestion or experiences with this?

I've been told that I need to ferment at around 50 degrees F with the champagne yeast and to rack to a secondary after a couple of weeks and this will cause a second round of fermentation. How long should I leave it on the secondary before back sweetening and bottling?

As the cider we bought was UV pasteurized, do I need to bottle pasteurize as well?

Thanks,

Rick Near Atlanta

That temp will cause a slightly slow fermentation, which is good if your patient. But try to stay within the listed temp for your yeast. You can check online or ask, mine is usually between 60-72 the lower end of that is my target. Anyway do not pasterize or your cider will never clear properly. As for back sweetening I add sorbate and sulfite then wait 24 hours and sweeten with sugar. That is to be done after the cider is clear and racked off into a clear carboy. As for how long in secondary, I would wait at least 1-2 months. I judge by how clear the stuff is, if there is even a slight haze I wait. You can use clearing agents like sparkloid to assist the process. The great / bad thing about brewing or wine making is that it is not an exact science but based upon the progress of your yeast at your temp with your juice, but I try not to get to eager and bottle because I hate sediment in my bottles of still wine or cider. Have fun hope this helps

 

[BOBrob]

Hello rickprice.If you want a non carb cider just let the yeast work the fermentation down to around .995 F.G. and cold crash before bottling. Follow the instructions on the yeast,normally around 65-70 deg. and as far as primary ; for 5 gal. I like 2 wks. & rack to secondary leaving the sediment behind. In 2 more wks. your F.G. should be as Kris said .990- .995 . I like to cold crash before bottling to make sure all the yeast hits the bottom of the secondary. Siphon to a clean bottling bucket and back sweeten with "splenda" (non fermentable) Bottle and in 6 wks.enjoy. Ya I know ....2 wks. prim. ,2wks. secd. and 6wks. in the bottle is a long time . But it is better with age. Test it while you wait; keep one in the fridg to taste but only a sip. Cheers

 

[Rockape66]

Since swmbo wants still cider; just let the ferment finish out and clarify. I backsweeten with stevia. It's an all natural product, and is non-fermentable. 1 tbsp per quart gets you pretty close to Original Sin. Just slightly sweeter than strongbow.