Hard Cider Recipe request

[Taipans]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and was hoping someone here has a good Hard Cider recipe. My wife loves the stuff and now that the weather has gotten hotter I have taken a liking to it myself. I homebrew currently although I'm a newb with only 4 extract batches under my belt but I'm learning as much as possible!

Anyhow I would love to make a batch of cider and hopefully be able to drink it by the end of the summer, not sure how long it has to ferment though!

Thanks,

Mark

[Benjamin R]

You are in luck, cider is one of the easiest (quick too) phsydo-brews to make.

Im sure someone will elaborate but I'll give you the broad strokes I ("I" being the key here) used...

5 gallons of cider (from the produce section - all natural, no preservatives) or apple juice

1 lb of brown sugar

1 package yeast (I used cider, but I understand Ale yeast works as well)

Toss it all in a carboy and ferment 3 weeks (until fermentation slows), be sure to set up a blow off, as the fermentation was CRAZY.

Bottle or keg as usual.

Good luck!

[Taipans]

Thanks for the reply,

So is there a final gravity that must be reached, and when bottling do you add sugar before hand for carbonation?

[Benjamin R]

Umm yeah, I have a habit of getting a bit too drunk when I brew, so the whole gravity thing is often forgotten. I would assume you would use sugar in bottlin' I just tossed mine in a keg.

[scottt]

EdWort's infamous Apfelwein recipe

That is a MONSTER thread (160 pages?!?!?!?) but the recipe is on page one. My variation was:

4.5 gallons of apple juice (Sam's Club)
4 containers of Langer's frozen apple juice concentrate
1 lb. of brown sugar
1 lb. of raw washed cane sugar
1 package of Red Star brand Cote Des Blancs yeast

Contrary to Benjamin's experience, this was the calmest fermentation I've ever seen. Billions of tiny bubbles but no krausen to speak of... I let it go a couple weeks then measured the gravity at 0.990

I bottled it about a month ago. Had one on Monday and it's still a little young.

[HarvInSTL]

I made a variation of Edworts Apfelwein as well.

Mine is 5galons Sams Club Apple Juice
2# Dextrose
2# Lactose
Red Star Montechet yeast

Mine has been in primary for about 6 weeks, and I crash cooled it last week to drop out the yeastie beasties and make it clear. Last check of the hydro 2 weeks ago showed it just above 1.0. And once it finishes it should be right about 8.5% ABV.

I'll bring some to the next meeting if anyone wants to try it.

EdWort's infamous Apfelwein recipe

That is a MONSTER thread (160 pages?!?!?!?) but the recipe is on page one. My variation was:

4.5 gallons of apple juice (Sam's Club)
4 containers of Langer's frozen apple juice concentrate
1 lb. of brown sugar
1 lb. of raw washed cane sugar
1 package of Red Star brand Cote Des Blancs yeast

Contrary to Benjamin's experience, this was the calmest fermentation I've ever seen. Billions of tiny bubbles but no krausen to speak of... I let it go a couple weeks then measured the gravity at 0.990

I bottled it about a month ago. Had one on Monday and it's still a little young.

[Taipans]

Thank you for the link and information guys!

Oh and Scott, did your variation come out sweeter?

[scottt]

Oh and Scott, did your variation come out sweeter?

Unfortunately I've never tasted the original recipe so I have nothing to compare mine to, but that was the goal. Some folks claimed the original recipe finished too dry without much apple taste. A switch from Montrachet to Cote Des Blancs yeast, and the use of concentrate were recommended to keep some of the flavor and sweetness. In Harv's recipe, the lactose provides sweetness - it's a form of sugar that doesn't ferment.

[Eckelkamp2020]

Harv,
How did your's turn out? Is there anymore directions to it other than "throw it all in a carboy and wait"? From the sound of it, yours came out on the sweet side which is good for me. The fiance isn't a big fan of beer or very dry wine and that's who this batch is being brewed for.

I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the meeting (if you brought some to try) I travel for work during the week.

[Taipans]

Still looking for some un-pasterized cider atm, none of the grocery stores carry it. Going to try sams this weekend.