Hard Cider

Alcoholic beverages which are not classified as spirits.

Moderator: Site Moderator

grizz
Novice
Posts: 41
Joined: Sat Feb 08, 2014 2:38 pm

Hard Cider

Post by grizz »

So Im expanding my hobby to learning how to make some good hard cider. I went and got 1 gallon of local cider, mixed 1lb of brown sugar and got an OG reading of 1.095. I pitched some Mangrove Jacks cider yeast and its fermenting nice and slow. I also added a 2/3 tsp of pectin enzyme, 1/2tsp of tanin and 1tbs of yeast nutrient. I may try to make some apple jack also. Anybody else make cider?
User avatar
NZChris
Master of Distillation
Posts: 13062
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Hard Cider

Post by NZChris »

I put yeast in apple juice. Been doing it for years, works well whether it's bought or pressed myself. The only sugar it gets is simple syrup for priming.
User avatar
S-Cackalacky
retired
Posts: 5990
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:35 pm
Location: Virginia, USA

Re: Hard Cider

Post by S-Cackalacky »

There's a good thread over in the "Recipe Development" section called, Apple Brandy. There's some excellent information in the thread about making hard cider. Most folks here just use juice and yeast - no sugar or other additives.
Every new member should read this before doing anything else:
bellybuster
Master of Distillation
Posts: 4490
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 5:00 pm

Re: Hard Cider

Post by bellybuster »

best advice I can give for ciders is age. Hard cider only starts to get good after a few months and thats after a long drawn out fermentation. Quick fermented ciders taste like ass in my opinion. Ciders with any sugar added require that much more aging to mellow out.
bellybuster
Master of Distillation
Posts: 4490
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 5:00 pm

Re: Hard Cider

Post by bellybuster »

NZChris wrote:I put yeast in apple juice. Been doing it for years, works well whether it's bought or pressed myself. The only sugar it gets is simple syrup for priming.
these have always been the best ciders for me. always
grizz
Novice
Posts: 41
Joined: Sat Feb 08, 2014 2:38 pm

Re: Hard Cider

Post by grizz »

Thanks for the info! I wanted to make it a little more hotter so I added the sugar. Im going to cold crash it around 1.01 or so as I dont want it too dry. Im also going to be letting it sit until atleast Summer. Has anyone tried to distill it? How does it taste?
User avatar
dstaines
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 448
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:46 am
Location: The Left Coast

Re: Hard Cider

Post by dstaines »

cold stabilizing your cider wont work. Sooner or later the yeast will wake back up and eat up that sugar, and you could end up with some bottle bombs. If you want it to be a little sweeter, the best way is to let it ferment to full dryness and then backsweeten with lactose. It's not fermentable, and is about a quarter as sweet as sugar (by weight). I made a gallon of gravenstein cider that I sweetened with just a little lactose, it came out very well.
I buy all my liquor at the hardware store.
User avatar
fishingeek
Novice
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2015 3:50 pm

Re: Hard Cider

Post by fishingeek »

I've got a hopped cider that's getting bottled tomorrow...FG1013. Don't bottle until you have 4-5 days without changes in gravity. Other folks here are correct, there's just about no way to stop it. I've heard success and failure trying to stop fermentation with Potassium Sorbate, YMMV. Just leave some headspace in the bottle and you should be fine.
Also, I prefer a sweeter Cider, so I went with Nottingham yeast. Lower attenuation helps protect against getting too dry.

Here's a great utube on cider:



Good luck and I'm sure it'll be great!
User avatar
Bushman
Admin
Posts: 17987
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 5:29 am
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Hard Cider

Post by Bushman »

When I make my apple brandy and press my own apples even though it will ferment out with natural yeast I add just a sprinkle to kick start it. My fermentations are usually around 6%. I very seldom keep the hard cider as I like the apple brandy it makes. This year I used a lot of pomace to ferment out which saves a lot of the cider.
DukeBoxer
Bootlegger
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 6:44 am

Re: Hard Cider

Post by DukeBoxer »

You could try Xylitol to back sweeten also. It's an alcohol sugar that won't ferment. I got mine at the local health food store.
User avatar
frodo
Distiller
Posts: 1727
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:55 pm
Location: hiding behind a pine tree. bout 100 miles east of new orleans

Re: Hard Cider

Post by frodo »

can i get some advice.

i have some cider bubbling away in the other room.

this is my first attempt,,

this what i used

100% all natural cider, straight from the press
1 cup brown sugar each
1/2 cup simple sugar [for my yeast to start] each
champaign yeast 1 each

Image
goose eye
Master of Distillation
Posts: 2846
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:19 am

Re: Hard Cider

Post by goose eye »

This year's cider is for next year drinkin.
Make sure you get a stand alone or mix.
You do it an you'll see why.

So I'm tole
yakattack
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1755
Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2014 5:37 am

Re: Hard Cider

Post by yakattack »

My advice. Open the pm I'm going to send you. It will contain a shipping address. Package it up and send it to me, *ahem* the proper approved disposal center at the address contained with the pm.

Yak
HDNB wrote: The trick here is to learn what leads to a stalled mash....and quit doing that.
User avatar
frodo
Distiller
Posts: 1727
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:55 pm
Location: hiding behind a pine tree. bout 100 miles east of new orleans

Re: Hard Cider

Post by frodo »

raketemensch wrote:What's your OG?
if i am reading this thing correctly.

after 24 hour ferment sg is 39
og 006.JPG
og 001.JPG
User avatar
NZChris
Master of Distillation
Posts: 13062
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Hard Cider

Post by NZChris »

Decide what you want to make while the apples are still whole.

Don't deviate from this list of ingredients:
Apples
Yeast (optional)
User avatar
FreeMountainHermit
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1769
Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 6:45 pm
Location: Two Dogs Holler, West Virginia

Re: Hard Cider

Post by FreeMountainHermit »

frodo wrote:if i am reading this thing correctly.after 24 hour ferment sg is 39
enlarge the top pic. 1.036 at the arrow
Blah, blah, blah,........
User avatar
frodo
Distiller
Posts: 1727
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:55 pm
Location: hiding behind a pine tree. bout 100 miles east of new orleans

Re: Hard Cider

Post by frodo »

1.036....got it..first time fooling with it

what should it read when fermentation is done.

"when it stops bubbling" is my guess
User avatar
FreeMountainHermit
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1769
Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 6:45 pm
Location: Two Dogs Holler, West Virginia

Re: Hard Cider

Post by FreeMountainHermit »

1.000 would be nice. .990 mo' bettah.
Blah, blah, blah,........
User avatar
frodo
Distiller
Posts: 1727
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:55 pm
Location: hiding behind a pine tree. bout 100 miles east of new orleans

Re: Hard Cider

Post by frodo »

i thought 1.000 was water and .990 was less that water

you fuk'n with my head? :mrgreen: cause it aint hard to do :crazy:
User avatar
frunobulax
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 634
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:23 pm
Location: Sunny N.J.

Re: Hard Cider

Post by frunobulax »

frodo wrote:i thought 1.000 was water and .990 was less that water

you fuk'n with my head? :mrgreen: cause it aint hard to do :crazy:
1.000 Is as low as it can go. But, Alcohol is lighter than water so it skews the hydrometer a bit, alowing it to read .990
User avatar
Kegg_jam
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1167
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2014 5:29 am
Location: Appalachian Mountains of MD

Re: Hard Cider

Post by Kegg_jam »

Yep 1.000 is water or no sugars. When the ferment is done you have a mix of water and alcohol.
User avatar
Jimbo
retired
Posts: 8423
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:19 pm
Location: Down the road a piece.

Re: Hard Cider

Post by Jimbo »

bellybuster wrote:best advice I can give for ciders is age. Hard cider only starts to get good after a few months and thats after a long drawn out fermentation.
+1 My cider ferments for a month before I still if off, and the bit I keep for hard cider (5 gal corny) goes in a secondary for a few more months first. Im drinking 2 year old cider now thats nice.
In theory there's no difference between theory and practice. But in practice there is.
My Bourbon and Single Malt recipes. Apple Stuff and Electric Conversion
User avatar
frodo
Distiller
Posts: 1727
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:55 pm
Location: hiding behind a pine tree. bout 100 miles east of new orleans

Re: Hard Cider

Post by frodo »

OHHHHHHHH!!! ok,,,I was upside down and backwards at the same time

I am trying to get the meter to register the other direction.

Thanks guys.

freemountainhermit, If'n you had not posted that .999 and made me think.

I would still be stupid. looks like i have more learn'n to do


I have been....
schooled-graphic-2.jpeg
User avatar
frodo
Distiller
Posts: 1727
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:55 pm
Location: hiding behind a pine tree. bout 100 miles east of new orleans

Re: Hard Cider

Post by frodo »

did some reading, instead of looking, got it !!!

now, i need to figure out how to figure what the abv might be
User avatar
FreeMountainHermit
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1769
Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 6:45 pm
Location: Two Dogs Holler, West Virginia

Re: Hard Cider

Post by FreeMountainHermit »

frodo wrote:I would still be stupid.
BTDT, got the TEE Shirt to back it up.

You don't have the market share on this.

Trust me.
Blah, blah, blah,........
User avatar
freshwaterjellyfish
Swill Maker
Posts: 216
Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2013 2:46 pm
Location: Ontario CANADA

Re: Hard Cider

Post by freshwaterjellyfish »

bellybuster wrote:best advice I can give for ciders is age. Hard cider only starts to get good after a few months and thats after a long drawn out fermentation. Quick fermented ciders taste like ass in my opinion. Ciders with any sugar added require that much more aging to mellow out.
no doubt on that...i felt like i robbed my family of good wholesome apple cider after i tried the hard cider...tasted like a mellow white wine at best..
..good thread
Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed , feels alone in a cruel world. Doctor says, "Treatments simple. The great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears."But doctor. I am Pagliacci." 
User avatar
Snackson
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 517
Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2014 8:03 pm
Location: PNW

Re: Hard Cider

Post by Snackson »

I've tried cider quite a few times over the years. They always finished dry. I've kegged and backsweetened, I've pasteurized and sweetened, I've straight bottle conditioned, etc. always turned out like apple wine. My batch from 2 years ago made a decent brandy, but didn't last long.
rad14701
retired
Posts: 20865
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:46 pm
Location: New York, USA

Re: Hard Cider

Post by rad14701 »

frodo wrote:did some reading, instead of looking, got it !!!

now, i need to figure out how to figure what the abv might be
Use the calculators of the parent site, unless you like longhand formulas... Lots of handy calculators on the parent site...

(OG - FG) * 129 = %ABV

Or you can substitute SG for FG for mid-ferment %ABV measurements...
User avatar
frodo
Distiller
Posts: 1727
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:55 pm
Location: hiding behind a pine tree. bout 100 miles east of new orleans

Re: Hard Cider

Post by frodo »

question on fermenting

one of my ferments has slowed down to 1 bubble out of the emitter every 12 to 15 seconds

what is the normal bubble duration ?

this thing has a month/6 weeks to go, it has only been 3 days
Post Reply