# cider



## pokerman11 (Feb 9, 2009)

I know this is beesouce - but this is the "home brewing" forum.

I like to try my hand at some cider. Just piced up a few gal of fresh cider from my local orchard. They do not use any pasterisztion /potasium sorbate etc - just the UV light.

Anybody got a good receipe for hard cider from fresh cider?


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

Here is a recipe link -- not tried by myself, but looks reasonable to a homebrewer.

http://www.fermentarium.com/homebrewing/winemaking/recipe-for-hard-cider/


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## BT Tbear (Mar 20, 2010)

Here is one for Apple Jack that I have used that is easy and doesn't require fancy equipment:

5 gallons cider
5 pounds sugar
5 pounds rasins
1 yeast cake

Put cider and sugar in 8 gallon crock. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Let set until reaches toom temperature. Add rasins and yeast. Stir every day for 21 days. Skim off foam every day. Strain, bottle and enjoy:thumbsup:.

Myself, I prefer Rhubarb Wine and have simple,old time brews for blackberry,elderberry,dandelion and red clover wines.

[email protected]


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## yamahawg (May 19, 2010)

Would you care to share the one for blackberries? I've been wanting to make some the last few years, but when i looked online for advice, looked like to much crap i had to get. Just wanted to make some simple home wine lol! If you wouldn't mind sharing, you could pm or email me at [email protected]
thanks!


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## cow pollinater (Dec 5, 2007)

Five gallons apple juice, five pounds brown suger boiled together. Add a pinch of yeast nutrient and a cider yeast strain or California Ale yeast which will leave it a little sweet.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

All that will work of course, but hard cider is so easy it almost happens by itself (sometimes *does* - if you don't want it to). 

As long as the juice doesn't have any preservatives added you can just pitch yeast. Any kind of yeast will work - don't let the lack of special cider yeast stop you. If you want more kick add about a cup of sugar/gallon of juice. If you want it carbonated then prime and bottles exactly like beer. If you want to fortify, but don't want to use sugar then you can mix concentrate with the juice.

For incredibly easy hard cider - pour a tall glass out of a gallon jug to give it some head space, add a cup of sugar and a packet of ale yeast. Shake. Replace the cap with a piece of aluminum foil or a fermentation lock. Wait. That's it. Try not to pour out the trub along with the good part.

Our fore fathers made hard cider just by putting apple squeezin's into the same barrels that had already had cider in them. That's it - the yeast residue did the rest.

It's a good thing I didn't know this when I was a kid.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

pokerman11 said:


> I know this is beesouce - but this is the "home brewing" forum.


The Forum description states: "Mead, wine and beer using honey." There are plenty of places to get information on all things brewing. We want to keep this forum focused on brewing with honey.


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## pokerman11 (Feb 9, 2009)

Actualy I'm mostly interested in a cider / honey receipe. I should have been more clear.

There is just so many different ways to make cider, but I just started two cider/honey brews that I made up myself using various information. I'll post the results.


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## stoweski (Apr 1, 2008)

Maybe the forum description should read: "Mead, wine, beer and cider using honey."

ANYWAY... 

There is a good article on Mother Earth News (search for 'hard cider'). They suggest an option of adding brown sugar or honey to boost the fermentable sugar content and increase the alcohol content of the cider.


Yep, this thread does belong in this forum.


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## pokerman11 (Feb 9, 2009)

Here is a recipe I made up from different sources

1 gal of Apple Cider (no preservatives)
1 lb of Honey
½ tsp Pectic Enzyme
½ tsp Yeast energizer
1 tsp Acid Blend
1 pkg dry Ale Yeast


Use 1/2 of the honey at the start had to warm everything to about 85deg so honey would mix in (just sat in the sink with warm water). Mix everything, shake well (to aerate) pitch yeast put on airlock.

Ferment for 1-2 weeks. My starting SG is 1.062, and I'll go until about 1.010. My PH was above my scale so that’s why I added the acid blend, it brought it down to 3.4 The Pectic I’m told helps keep it clear.

Then will put about 1 tbl honey in each bottle just prior to adding cider. Using some self-capping 16oz ‘growlers’. After bottle, will give it a few days for some carbonation, then will heat pasteurize. To pasteurize sit in a pot of 190d water for 10 min. Will store cold.

Right now running two batches with different yeasts: Nottingham and Safale S-04. I also will experiment with the amount of honey I’ll be putting in each bottle to see the sweetness I like.


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## AltamontBee (Mar 26, 2008)

This might be a little different than what you were thinking of, but "The Compleat Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm has a recipe for something called "Fall's Bounty Cyser". It is basically a mead made with apple cider. I might try that myself.....


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## pokerman11 (Feb 9, 2009)

pokerman11 said:


> Here is a recipe I made up from different sources



I'm drinking my first botle of this tonight (having a Safale brewed), and I will say this is some tasty stuff. Nice beer/cider clear color, lightly carbonnated, good apple fruit flavor. A slight bit of sweetness but not overly sweet. Only downside is that there is sediment in each of the bottle, but that's expected - I just gently poor into a chilled beer glass for drinking.

Only took 6 days to reach ~1.010 SG, and then I only left it in the bottles for two days before pasturizing. This receipe works quick.


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