First cider help.

[Beersnob16]

Have a great source of fresh apple cider and would live to make a 1 gallon batch of hard cider but I have no idea where to start (yeast, nutrients, sugar). Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[MedicMang]

Mucho info in the recipe section. What kind of product are you trying to produce? Sweet/Dry/Carbonated/Still? I can help you out with some more info.

 

[BrownBottle]

It sounds like you just want some basic cider so here is a basic recipe:

1.) Press your apples for the cider (duh)
2.) Pour the cider into a 1 gallon fermentor
3.) Add camden tablets if you have not previously pasturized the cider
4.) After 2-3 days add about 1/3 lb of dextrose (corn sugar)
5.) Pitch some ale yeast (my preference is Nottingham) or some wine yeast.
6.) Add yeast nutrient
7.) If using a hydrometer, let stay in the fermentor until you get a 1.000 reading (about 7 to 10 days)
8.) Move cider to bottling bucket and add potasium sorbate
9.) Back sweeten with frozen apple juice concentrate to taste (probably 1 - 2 cans for sweet cider.
10.) Bottle.

This will not be GREAT cider and it will be still and it will be cloudy but it will still be a quite tasty cider. And as always be sure to santize all your gear.

 

[Ris]

Q? I also have a source for perservative free cider - I bought two gal at a fall festival, but forgot about it in my garage... I found it this morning and tried one of the jugs... It is fizzy and was partially separated... It was not refrigerated, just left in my garage. Can I use this to make hard cider? Looks to me like Mother Nature started it for me.

 

[WilliamSlayer]

Q? I also have a source for perservative free cider - I bought two gal at a fall festival, but forgot about it in my garage... I found it this morning and tried one of the jugs... It is fizzy and was partially separated... It was not refrigerated, just left in my garage. Can I use this to make hard cider? Looks to me like Mother Nature started it for me.

Yup, if its 'fizzy' it sounds like fermentation has started. Move it to room temperature, and stick an airlock on it! Give it a week or two, then rack to another vessel, keeping in mind to not have any headspace. Then bottle, or consume.

 

[Ris]

Thanx. This has sparked and ill be starting a cherry cider this thanksgiving holiday...