Making Cider

cider.md

Making Hard Cider (easy)

Required Equiptment:

1. 23L (5 Gal) carboy.
2. Vapour lock and bung that fits your carboy (normally this can be purchased at the same place as the carboy).
3. Brewers yeast. There are many different kinds and I normally find "D47" yeast to be the best, but close champagne yeasts should do good enough. Do not use bakers yeast. I normally put two packs into a carboy. However if you notice it is not fermenting past 1 and a half weeks add another and gently swish the cider around in the carboy.
4. Apple Cider. I use 12L of pasteurized apple cider purchased from my local grocer. If you can get unpasteurized ensure you heat it to ~90C (194F) for 30 minutes. DO NOT BOIL IT!.
5. Santizer. StarSan is what most people use, but any phosphoric acid should work.
6. Bleach. This is used to clean the carboy after used. Do this immediatly after bottling to avoid using a brush to get off nasty spots.
7. Yeast Nutrient. This is not required for apple cider, but does help ensure the process is speedy.
8. Sugar. I normally put two cups of white sugar, and one to two cups of brown sugar depending on the cider. Heat this in a pot with a small amount of water to dissolve it. Cool to 50C before adding to the mix.
9. Funnel. Make it large enough to easily funnel liquid into the carboy.
10. Siphon. medical tubing works well. If you can buy a proper beer/wine siphon with a 'tap' or similar control valve it is recommended.
11. Bottles, Caps, and a caper. You can find these on Amazon for cheap. For bottles you can alternativly just buy a few brews and save the bottles.

Instructions

1. Empty the 12L of cider into the carboy.
2. Add any other fruit juice you wish (make sure it is pasteurized as per instructions above). It is okay to add the sugar to this if you are adding juice, if you are not adding juice add a couple cups of water to a pot and the sugar. Note: the juice can be from a can. This is just for flavour. 2-3 cans of concentrate work well.
3. Top off with water. If you are using tap water make sure to put it in a secondary container first for at least 30 minutes to let the chlorine evaporate off. Note: this will bubble. Leave at least 4 inches from the spout empty!
4. If you are using a nutrient add this now and give the carboy a good stir.
5. Add yeast. The package suggests you activate it first. This I find is optional.
6. Attach vapour lock (with proper water if needed) and store in a cool dark place (18C or 65F) and let sit for two weeks.
7. Bottling! make sure to only use pressure rated bottles. Add a carbonation 'drop' or a slight amount of more sugar (for carbonation). The amount varies depending on bottle volume. Look it up on google. I always make sure there is at least an inch of air at the top.
8. Wait another two weeks. If you are like me you prefer to shake the bottles a little very 3 days or so. I'm not sure if this makes a difference, but I feel like it does.
9. Enjoy! If you notice some settlement on the bottom of the bottle do not be concerned, just cool it in the fridge and pour it slowly into a glass. What you are seeing is spent yeast and other particulates from the apple juice. It is nothing to be concerned about and if you end up drinking it you'll be fine.

Well, I guess I have to wait another 7 years until I can enjoy something like this. Sounds good though!