We have been busy around here! There is so much fruit falling on the ground or withering on the branches, and we feel compelled to put as much of it as possible to good use! Yesterday, we started our third batch of hard cider so far this season. While we worked, we enjoyed a couple glasses of our first batch– it’s fun to work on a home brewing project that you can drink so soon.Quite a few people have asked me about how to make hard cider from whole apples, without using a press. We have never had the luxury of using an apple press– maybe someday we will be so lucky, but for now we have a pretty good method just using a juicer. Hopefully you can go get some apples, pears, or crab apples and make some drinks!Just a note before we get started– I make unpasteurized, wild cider. This means that I use the wild yeast already present on the fruit skins. While this produces a very authentic English-style cider, I know that not everyone is comfortable with unpasteurized juice, and some don’t like to gamble with the flavor of wild yeasts. I’ll include some modifications for these concerns at the end of the post.
How to Make Hard Cider From Whole Apples
You don’t need an apple press or lots of fancy equipment to make a delicious hard apple cider from whole apples! Here’s the process I have used in my kitchen for many batches of good cider.
Ingredients
- Apples, pears, or crab apples (to be mixed with sweet apples.) About 15 lbs. of fruit gets us about a gallon of juice. Must be fresh and organic. We just use foraged fruit. Try to include some crab apples or tart apples with your sweet ones for a better, more balanced flavor.
- A juicer. If I could do it all over again, I would probably buy a masticating juicer which would make the process easier. But any juicer will work!
- A chopping knife and cutting board.
- A large sieve and a clean kitchen towel.
- Demijohn(s), a funnel, a siphon hose, rubber stoppers, and airlocks. Some people simply stretch a balloon with a pin prick in it over the demijohn instead of using an airlock. This is one of the easiest brewing projects, in terms of equipment needed.
- Sugar (I like to use organic brown sugar.)
- Swing-top bottles.
Instructions
- Wash your fruit well with water. I don’t use any vinegar or veggie wash because I want to keep the yeast on the skins on the apples.
- Cut your apples into quarters. This is mostly just to check for bugs or other issues with the apples. Discard or cut around any that have an infested core, and cut out major bruises. It’s nice to have a partner for this part, and it’s the perfect job for a kid with basic knife skills. But I have done it by myself, too. Transfer chopped fruit to a clean bowl by your juicer. You don’t need to worry about coring or taking stems out– the juicer will do that for you.
- Start juicing! As your juicer pitcher gets full, pour it through a funnel into a sterilized demijohn.
- When the pulp container starts getting full, take a few minutes to squeeze the juice out of the pulp. Place your sieve over a clean bowl, and line it with your kitchen towel. Put a couple heaping handfuls of pulp in the towel, and gather the edges and twist to wring out as much of the juice as possible. My own juicer is not great, so I actually get 50% of the total juice this way. Your pulp (now called pommace) should be really dry when you’re done, and you can just compost it. Pour the juice into the demijohn, and get back to juicing.
- Once you have juiced all of your fruit, taste the juice and add sugar. This is where a little guesswork will come in, because the acidity and tannin content, as well as the sweetness of your fruit will vary. I usually add about a cup of sugar to a gallon of juice, and I don’t like mine very sweet. During the fermentation process, the yeast will eat the sugar (both the fructose from the fruit and the added sugar) and turn it into alcohol– so this step is both for flavor and alcohol level. Those of you in the USA may not really need to add much sugar, as most of the apples there tend to be really sweet. Don’t get hung up on this step, as you can add more sugar later if the brew is turning out too dry or tart for your taste.
- (This step is optional, depending on whether you have a lot of foam/ pulp floating at the top of your demijohn.) Put your demijohn on a tray or in a bowl, and keep it in a warm spot for about a day or so. The yeast will start to become active, and things will get bubbly. Your cider will split into layers, with foam floating on top. If your demijohn is pretty full, the foam will come out the top. I think this is great, as it’s a good way to get rid of that funky stuff.
- Put a rubber stopper and an airlock on your demijohn, and let it sit for a week.
- Rack your cider— siphon it into another sterilized demijohn, leaving the yeasty sediment in the bottom of the first one, so you have a much cleaner cider in the new demijohn. Taste it and see how it’s doing. If it’s already tasting pretty dry, you can add some more sugar before you put the airlock back on.
- Some people like a pretty sweet cider, and bottle it after a week. I like mine pretty dry, tart and strong, so I usually give it three weeks or even more. Fermenting it this long means that it won’t be very fizzy in the end– but you can also add a little sugar just before bottling to regain some carbonation. This is totally up to you, of course. You could experiment and bottle half to drink and leave the rest for another week. Whatever you decide, the next step is to bottle your hard cider. Use the siphon hose to fill swing-top bottles. The type of bottle is really important, since it lets out small amounts of the pressure that builds up, so you don’t have a glass explosion later.
And you’re done! Enjoy!
[Update: My expert cider-maker brother Nathan has done an excellent guest post on 10 Tips for Making Better Homemade Cider that you will definitely want to check out!]
Some adaptations for your homemade cider…
For pasteurized hard cider— heat your juice up to 185º F in a pot over the stove. DO NOT let it boil, just keep it there for 45 minutes, stirring. This will kill all of the natural yeast, and once it is cooled you can add a commercial yeast when you add the sugar, and skip step # 6.
To use commercial yeast in raw cider— buy some campden tablets and crumble one per gallon, and add to cider. Wait 48 hours before adding commercial yeast and sugar. Skip step #6. (This method is not recommended if you are sensitive to sulphites.) For what it’s worth, my brother who is a pretty serious home brewer, adds wine yeast to the cider without killing off the wild yeasts first. The combination of wild and commercial seems to work really well for him– so there’s another option!
Commercial yeasts you can use: I can buy an apple cider yeast at our local home brewing shop, and that may be the case for you, too. But a lot of people just use an ale yeast (this one is popular) or a champagne yeast.
Note: You can also use the leftover yeast from another successful cider. This could be a great option if you have a friend who brews cider, or if you got a wild yeast cider that you liked the flavor of. You will still need to kill the wild yeast in your fresh cider (either through heat or using campden tablets) and then introduce the dormant yeast from another brew.
To make hard cider with fresh pressed, purchased juice, just skip to step # 7, and modify depending on whether you want to pasteurize, use commercial yeasts, etc.
If you want your hard cider to stay sweet, then you can stop fermentation at any point using campden tablets (one per gallon.) Or, you can just put it in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process, and start drinking. Another option is to pasteurize the cider by heating to 160ºF in a water bath for at least 10 minutes, which will kill the yeast (I have never tried this myself.)
If you end up loving your home-brewed hard cider and get tired of juicing, then you may want to check out this small press for the home, or you can just build your own apple press!
For a whole bunch more variations and ideas on how you can tweak your hard cider, here is a good resource. And lastly, if you’d like to do it all without any juicing, try making a flavorful cider using just apple scraps. Most of the flavor is in the peels, so this works pretty nicely, especially if you are making a bunch of apple pies and don’t have plans for the peels.
I hope you will all try your hand at making some hard cider this year with the fruits around you– it’s a lot of fun, totally delicious, and a great way to enjoy fall. Cheers!
Andi says
I am trying this right now with our local pears to make pear cider. I think I made vinegar with the first batch but that’s okay- now I have homemade pear cider vinegar! I just brought another 5-gallon bucket of pears home to try again. Love experimenting with fermentation!
ariana says
Andi, love your attitude– it’s great to have homemade pear vinegar, right? That will last you WAAAY longer than the cider would have, anyway. I hope your next batch is more successful. My brother told me that some kinds of pears lend themselves to converting to acetic acid quickly– so you need to watch air exposure (keeping the demijohn topped up) and use some method to stop fermentation when it’s where you want it.
James Hawkins says
Hello
In your above Hard Cider recipt above with whole apples. You say Apples, Pears, and Crab apples. Do you mean this reciept is with those three fruits or they are three different fruits to try in three different batches?
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Kat says
What do I do if I have a lot of foam at the top of my demijohn? I’m wondering if I should just leave the airlock off and wait for the foam to come out or if it’s safe to leave the airlock on? There are a lot of fruit flies in my house so I’m worried about leaving it open. The demijohn is just about full to the top. Thanks!
Ariana says
Hi Kat,
I have definitely faced that issue before! You can take the airlock off and pour some cider out to make room. Next time, just leave more clearance space. If you have another demijohn handy, you can split the batch between them. But if not, definitely taste what you pour off– it might already be delicious, although more in the fizzy soda drink category.
Robyn Peterson says
This is fantastic. I just made a batch (4 gallons) of hard cider with cider from the mill and commercial yeast, but I really REALLY want to try the wild yeast method. Alas, I don’t have a juicer or a press. This sounds kinda gross, but what if I bought cider from the mill and got some apples as well (fresh picked, or picked my own… there’s no shortage around here in Upstate NY) and then put the peels from the whole apples in with the cider that’s in the carboy… maaaybe I’d try 1 gallon the first time around to see if it works. LOL! I’m already making a couple batches of Apple Cider Vinegar with peels and cores, sooo this wouldn’t be my first wild apple yeast experiment. 😉
ariana says
I think using some peels is a great idea, Robyn. I made a couple of batches of cider using *only* peels and sugar, and since so much of the flavor is in the peels anyway, it turned out great! But a good idea to see what your local wild yeast tastes like first, in a smaller batch. You can also cultivate a wild yeast strain with crushed local apples first, too. Just google it. 🙂
Bill Bunker says
I used a Vita-Mix, a blender on steroids, and my first batch came out pulpy but with lots of flavor. I used 2 different straining bags, one course and one very fine to clean up the finished cider. I’m picking up apples today for my 3rd batch. I’m loving this new retirement project. I used a few pears in 1/2 of my second try and it’s still “working”, but my taste tests are encouraging.
Amanda says
This sounds so great, I really wish I even had a juicer. Someday when I do, I’ll have to try this.
Gloria Ann DeNicola says
I have often seen some really good ones at yard sales…
The Food Hunter says
This is wonderful…
Kim says
Ohh, this looks doable. I think we’ll try this. 🙂
Lori says
Any ideas for those of us without a press or juicer,
Ariana Mullins says
Hi Lori– yes, I have a couple ideas… The first is to find a friend with a juicer and borrow it for the afternoon– reward her with some cider a few weeks later. 🙂 The other is to try making a flavorful cider using just apple scraps– here’s my method: https://andhereweare.net/2013/09/simple-apple-peel-cider.html/
Karen says
I love the idea of making so many delicious drinks, foods, etc. from the different fruits: nothing has to be wasted. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes! Keep up the good work
Miranda Chavez says
I’m starting to experiment with fermenting my own alcohol this year, largely thanks to a glut of apples and chokecherries. You use swingtop bottles for the cider, but I don’t think I’ve seen any mention of what you bottle your wine in. Can swingtops be used as well, or am I pretty much required to invest in a case of wine bottles and a corker?
ariana says
Miranda, you can definitely use those bottles for wine, and I often do. They are just a smaller size than the standard wine bottle. Another idea is to save and sterilize your screw-top wine bottles. I like to use these, and we do also cork our own (re-used) wine bottles.
Kate Sinon says
I juiced my apples and have them in a 5 gallon glass carboy (about 2-3 gallons of juice). I put the airlock on but there hasn’t been any action. I do have a lot of foam/pulp on the top but it isn’t bubbling. Should I take the airlock off for a few days (cover with a clean towel?) and see if wild yeast forms and gets things going?
ariana says
Hi Kate,
It can take a few days for the yeast to become active. I don’t think having an airlock in as hurting you, but covering with a towel or cheesecloth could invite more wild yeast in.
Vicki says
Hi we have the same problem, airlock in place and no bubble action unless we swirl the Demi john. It’s 3/4 of the way full and have added our sugar in the beginning following recipe at each step and still no action six days down the line? We are pretty worried as first timers, please help us ?
ariana says
Hi Vicki,
I would give it a little more time if you are using wild yeast, as that is a more variable process– but you could always go ahead and add a commercial cider yeast to get things going!
Vicki says
Wonderful thanks we added a little sugar now all good, not massively active in the airlock like commercial yeast I imagine would be but we have bubbles.
Does it eventually go clearer after standing, ours is still quite cloudy?
ariana says
Hi Vicki,
Glad to hear things are moving along! Yes, it will clarify as it sits, and that is also why you want to rack it– moving the cider to another demijohn for further fermentation– the cloudiness will settle to the bottom as sediment, and you want to leave that behind.
Vicki says
Thanks for your reply sorry to bother you again but we have just bought a hydrometer and the reading at the moment is at 1.060 which is about 7.8%abv all sites are saying that cider should read at between 1.010 and 1.000 which is not alcoholic? Can you advise please x
Marilyn Pomeroy says
I just started this, and am wondering whether I should put my apple juice up in the attic where it is pretty warm right now or will that damage it in some way? I already have the airlock on because we have a some pesky fruit flys.
kathleen dillworth says
Can I use a vita mix for my apples?
ariana says
Hi Kathleen,
I don’t have a vitamix, so I am not sure. Would it pulverize a whole apple? I think you could give it a shot with a few apples and see if you can extract juice that way. But if it were me, I’d look for a friend with a juicer.
Sharon says
This is great! A cider press is on my wish list, too!
Loriel Adams says
mmmm this looks so delicious!
Rachel @ day2dayjoys says
How cool, I recently started making kombucha so I think I could do this!
urbanoveralls says
Great idea using a juicer as the starting point towards making hard cider. We have wine making supplies and hard cider has been on our list to try.
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
This sounds delicious! I miss my juicer – it broke, I need to get another one at some point. I loved juicing apples with it. Thanks for sharing this, pinned it.
linda spiker says
Fantastic! Love this post!
Tracy@TheThingsWellMake says
I would love to try this. I make a sort of pseudo cider with kefir grains, but would love to try this method to make something a bit more authentic.
Anni says
I have never seen that book before! I added it to my wishlist (it makes my husband’s job of Christmas and birthday shopping easier). 🙂
Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D., author of The Business of Baby says
Looks like so much fun — and a lot of work — to make!
KrisBordessa says
My folks made unpasteurized apple juice when I was growing up. Making hard cider was usually accidental – simply leaving the juice unrefrigerated (accidentally) usually resulted in vinegar, but sometimes…
the Wellness Coach says
Could you please tell me how to store the hard cider once you’ve made it? can it be left on a shelf in a root cellar or could it be canned?
Torben says
Perfectly written! I have been reading many “how to make cider” on the web but this one is top notch 🙂 Very clear, no chemicals, very simple to make. I also like the recommendation to get a masticating juicer. The only thing that is not up to the standards when it comes to real cider is that in real cider (by French definition) there is never any sugar added. Juice of apple and that’s it. However you do mention that it is optional so its fine 🙂 If you want it carbonated you can add apple juice when you bottle it, in that way you get some sugar in there to drive the process.
I am not 100% sure about this but I have read that good cider has some of the peel and pips left in the damejeanne for more tannin flavors.
colleensarantakis says
Hi! have your book, and it’s lovely, thank you for all your efforts. I was wondering if you can get “hard” cider by using a Fido jar? I juiced the apples and put them the Fido, closed it up (air-tight with a rubber gasket) and let it sit for a week. Bubbles had started to form on the top, but nothing too aggressive. I then filtered the juice into swing-top bottles, added a vanilla bean, clove, and orange to some as an experiment, and then let them sit for few days. It turned out great – super fizzy! But I was wondering if I can leave the juice in the Fido longer, and what would happen. Would it ferment properly and would it turn hard, if left in the fido jar?
Thanks for your advice!
colleen indsay says
iv just juiced los of apples placed the juice in a demijon with a cup of sugar and put an airlock in how does it get to alcohol?
Gary says
Please post how you sterilize your bottles.
T. Schachter says
How are you getting your cider so clear and still getting proper carbonation with priming? Our has always come out with at least a little sediment and on the cloudy side. Still delicious and has loads of bubbles, but I would love to make something crystal clear.
Richard says
I would highly advise against using whole apples without removing the seeds. Apple seeds contain a substance that is converted to cyanide by the digestive system. A fatal dose of cyanide for a 150 lb. person is about 200 apple seeds or 20 apples. The seeds contain a coating that is resistant to digestive juices, but if you are using a juicer, the seeds are likely chopped up and dangerous to use in large quantities. It’s very unlikely anyone would drink enough of the cider to get a fatal dose, but why add toxic stuff to your cider?
Mike says
Do you put it in the fridge at any point in this process …. besides when you are finished with the end product
ariana says
Hi Mike,
Nope, I keep it at room temperature.
Lee says
Good afternoon, I hope you are well.
My apple tree has come up short this year but I do have a plum and fig tree in my garden. Could I mix all 3?
Thanks, Lee
Kim says
Once you have brewed and bottled it, how long does this cider keep at room temperature?
Rebecca Rambo says
I’m so glad I found your tutorial!! Local brewers told me it couldn’t be done without a press! But I thought better and decided to check out the trusty ol’ internet for advice! I’ve got 1.5 gal of juice in jugs and I’m eager to see how it turns out!!
sreaves30 says
I followed the directions to a tee. The cider tastes amazing. One serious concern. I opened my first bottle after only 1 day and it exploded all over my kitchen! It could have been very serious if I would have left them longer. It is important to let the fermentation process stop BEFORE you bottle the cider. If not this will also happen to you!
Justin says
So a question. I’m wondering how this is practical? A quality juicer costs at least as much as a cast iron press and won’t last as long. I understand if you use a juicer a lot but….
divya sharma says
I love it so much. Thanks for sharing.
maira says
Thanks for sharing. Nice blog. love it
Simon Fletcher says
Word of warning – be very careful about putting the dried apple pulp into your compost bin, I did this a few years ago and attracted a multitude of wasps, which was extremely unpleasant and difficult to get rid of.
Billy says
Making cider at home sounds like a great experience for not only yourself but for the family as well. The only alcoholic beverage i’ve ever brewed at home is beer – a nice IPA – but I think branching (no pun intended) out and going down the avenue of cider would be super fun! Thank you for sharing this recipe, its really a thorough guide on everything you need to know! Excited to try this at home.
John says
I have planted 8 apple trees to embark on my homemade cider producing venture for my retirement as my pension will never be enough to keep me drunk each weekend, lol. Your recipe appears to be the one I like best from all I have been reading. I just wanted to make comment about creating fizzy cider. When we were young lads we made home made ginger beer. We used to place 4 or 5 sultanas in the 1qt bottles which created the fizz. We once actually made up some half gallon bottles and without knowing how many sultanas to put in or how long to leave the half g’s sitting, we added handfuls of sultanas and left them sitting for months. We accidently created alcoholic ginger beer at age 14. My buddy’s dad put a stop to that soon enough ?
Kellie says
If I don’t have a juicer do you think I could use a vitamix blender and use a cheese cloth to get all of the juice out like I do when I make almond milk?
Jenny says
Absolutely. That’s how I made my first tiny batch of cider before I made a press!
j says
The instructions are not very clear at all. Where or what is the “pulp container” as referred to? There is nothing that refers to that until it says to “When the pulp container starts getting full, take a few minutes to squeeze the juice out of the pulp.”…Which is “step # 7” or any other step? There are no numerated “steps!” You assume that everyone knows the terminology, which is not the case at all. Much too confusing and lacking basic information. Disappointing, but I’ll have to find another source that provides clear, concise directions meant for beginners.
onslowsdry says
See: http://makezine.com/projects/kitchen-table-cider-making/
onslowsdry says
http://makezine.com/projects/kitchen-table-cider-making/
Bill Smith says
My grandfather had a press, he just squeezed out all the juice & added a small box or raisins to the bottle & tapped a cork in lightly. When the cork popped, strain thru cheesecloth and ready.
Joseph LeSanche says
Raisins-What a great idea!
Anna says
I have started this process twice, but I keep getting mold at the top of the demijohn. Any recommendations?
ariana says
Sorry for the delay, Anna! Make sure you’re rigorous with your sanitization of all of your supplies, and that you aren’t including any bruised or moldy apples. If you have been doing all of this, then you can use campden tablets (one per gallon) first to kill any bacteria/ yeast, and then add a commercial yeast . After you add the campden tablets, make sure that gas can escape (put the lid on loosely) and then wait 24 hours before adding the yeast.
Charlene Grunenwald says
You didn’t mention yeast in the ingredients list. I would like to know what kind of yeast you use. We brew beer, so that’s my current thought process, that yeast is specifically added. Does this process produce its own yeast? Or do I add my own? Thank you!
ariana says
Hi Charlene,
If you read down further in the notes after the basic recipe, you will see that there are a number of ways to get/ use yeasts. The first recipe is just using the yeast on the skins of the locally grown apples. But you can also use commercial yeasts, and that is explained further down in the post. 🙂
Greta Wisconsin says
I followed the basic concept laid forth in this post and had great success for two batches of cider with absolutely no yeast or sugar added. We have homebrew supplies also. But my goal was to be as mideival-monk as possible. Both glass containers had no bubbler. One had the balloon with a hole poked and he other had plastic wrap with a pinhole. I used roadside apples that fell from the tree and carefully cut away any bad spots before sending them through the juicer. I did reach for the siphon when it was time to rack the cider after 1 week. Thanks!
Ariana Mullins says
Nice work!! Thank you for sharing!
christopher hedstrom says
I used mangrove jack m02 cider yeast with very good results especially for a first go. Tasted like cider, not juice, like many commercial ciders and was recommended by my local brew supply.
christopher hedstrom says
This worked out great from some street tree apples. Took about 4-5 weeks to get to the dryness we wanted but turned out really good and drinkable. Just kept tasting every week, called it, bottled it and threw it in the fridge. Thanks for making it easy!
christopher hedstrom says
We used cider yeast, no sugar. Juiced the apples in a Juiceman. Ended up with about 2 64 oz bottles from the original recipe. Apples were not juicy to start.
Mars Hobart says
I have a steamer that pulls the juice out of fruit. Will this kill the wild yeast? The boiling water is in the bottom chamber, the fruit in the top, the juice falls into the middle chamber where it is siphoned off to a carboy.
Deliana says
Great post!! Thank you very much for sharing.
daniellebester2014 says
Can I extract the juice, freeze it and start the fermenting process later? Will the natural yeast die when the juice is frozen?
Ariana Mullins says
Hi Danielle,
Freezing will kill the wild yeast. You can still use a commercial yeast with the thawed juice, though!
Charles Palmer says
Thanks for this. Enjoying the cider.
Tina M Hoffman says
Can I use honey instead of sugar and if so how much?
ariana says
Hi Tina,
I haven’t tried adding honey before. It may ferment differently than with just sugar. If you would like to stay away from refined sugars, you can skip it altogether (for a dryer, less-alcoholic cider).
Mark says
Ok, cider did great. I love the flavor and ready to bottle it. To be specific about this step. Do I put the gallon in the fridge for a day to slow the yeast down before bottling with the grolsch style bottle tops you recommended? Or should I bottle then refrigerate? If the gallon first, should is use a ballon or Saran Wrap on the top with a hole (airlock and bottle are too tall), or leave the top open, or cap it with a top/cork? Lastly, how long before I should drink? I assume it continues to ferment even in the fridge and will progressively get more alcohol and less sweet.
sarah says
first I would like to say I love how relaxed you are about it, and how you give different options. Many recipes out there for wine and whatnot are so rigid and specific. Must be this and must be that. I also don’t have a juicer, so i just used a blender and a (brand new) pair of nylons. Sure i will probably have to rack it a few times, but it tastes pretty good thus far. I also threw in a couple peaches, next I will try pears.
★★★★★
Melton says
Never have had this drink but plan on making it in the near future, thank you so much for sharing your recipe. Melton
★★★★
Ed says
Freeze your apples overnight before trying to press or juice, you’ll get twice as much juice as opposed to “normal” juicing / pressing. I dies not kill off wild yeasts either & the left over pulp / mash is perfect for pigs or chickens, or the compost heap if need be.
Ed says
Dies should be does, flipping autocorrect!
Bill Bunker says
Are you freezing the whole apple before cutting or after cutting them up?
Stephen Hughes says
I do the same thing in Edinburgh with a Sage juicer
Kathryn says
Hi there! I loved your plum wine so I thought I’d try the hard apple cider with my neighbours apples. I believe I followed all the steps correctly but I’m worried I’ve juiced 3G of apple juice for nothing. There is a lot of pulp at the top of my car boy, I’m on day 5 now, no fermentation yet and there appears to be small specs of mould growing on the pulp. Is there anything I can do to save it?
Ariana says
Hi Kathryn,
I would recommend scraping the mold off, and you can definitely scoop some pulp off of the top. If you still aren’t seeing any signs of fermentation, go ahead and add a commercial cider yeast to get things going.
★★★★★
Kathryn says
Thanks for the quick reply! I don’t know how I’ll be able to scoop it out being that it’s in a carboy, would it work if I carefully inserted a siphon and transferred it to a newly sterilized carboy? Leaving behind the mould and pulp, and then add the commercial yeast after that? Thanks for your help!
Ariana says
That sounds like the perfect approach!
Raewyn says
We made this in 2020 through full Lockdown Level 4 because we had a tree full of organic heritage apples and no way to distribute them. We made about 17 litres and it is delicious! Not too sweet, fizzes lightly, clear, and definitely alcoholic. I did use a Sachet of German white wine yeast to boost fermentation but didn’t kill off the wild yeasts so I’m not sure which yeast won! We call it Organic Heritage Apple Cider, or COVID-Cider!
We are about to start it all over again.
Ed says
HI there. This recipe sounds great. One question: if me and the family are going to drink this pretty regularly, a gallon is not a whole lot and it seems unnecessary to siphon/bottle it. Do we have to bottle it (in beer brewing, bottling with sugar is necessary and adds carbonation and takes a few weeks) or is bottling it purely for storage (which won’t really need). I hope this makes sense. Thanks.
Gabriela says
Hello! I pressed the apples, but the juice is very dark in color! How can I make it more clear! Thanks!
Alyssa says
I made a batch, didn’t add any sugar or yeast .. I noticed at day 3 a tiny bit of white particles at the top. Worried it was mold I strained it into a brewing bucket and added about 2 cups of sugar thinking that maybe there wasn’t enough sugar in the apples for the yeast to eat. It smelled normal and still had a lot of carbonation to the cider. I put a heat band around the bucket because we do heat out house by wood and it can get chilly at night .. is there any advice you can give ?
Damini Pasricha says
I did exactly what was told in the recipe, but its been 3 days, there has been no change in the juice and sugar. Its cold over here at the moment, so yhe temperature of the place it has been kept is around 18 degree celcius. Is it okay to use it, or should i just throw it? And why did this happen to me
Chef Ryan says
I love this amazing homemade apple cider. This was delicious!
★★★★★