Making Hard Cider

[Guest guest]

Yummmm ..

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

 

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

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http://www.hort.cornell.edu/department/faculty/merwin/hardcider2.htm

 

Making Hard Cider

 

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In the past few years there has been a tremendous interest in

" do-it-yourself " wine making or hard cider. It seems to be a family

affair with the entire family working together in the preparation, then

watching the chemical reaction take place.

 

Making alcohol from the juice or fruit is done simply by letting the

yeast in the juice change sugar to alcohol. This reaction must take

place without air. If air comes in contact with the juice, the sugar

will change quickly from alcohol to vinegar. When sugar goes to alcohol,

a gas (CO2) is produced.

 

 

 

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Home Apparatus

 

For the average person making hard cider, glass or plastic gallons or

five gallon jugs, or clean wooden barrels, are satisfactory. An air lock

is needed to keep air out and let gas produced by the reaction escape.

This can be done by purchasing an air lock from wine makers supply

merchants. Another method is to drill a hole in the bottle stopper,

insert a plastic tube that fits tightly, and put the other end of the

tube in a container of water. This will let the gas bubble out and keep

air or oxygen from getting in.

 

 

 

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Steps in Making Hard Cider

 

Secure apple cider without preservative. Most apple cider for hard cider

should be a blend of 3 or more varieties.

Fresh cider should be in clean containers. Wooden barrels make the best

hard cider as the wood breathes and gives the cider proper aging.

To the cider add 1lb. of sugar per gallon for a dry hard cider (not

sweet) or 1 1/2 lbs. for a sweet drink. Honey can be substituted for

sugar on a pound per pound basis. Sugar and honey should be dissolved by

warming some cider and mixing the sugar and honey until completely

dissolved; then mix with the cider.

Natural yeast in the juice will ferment the sugar to alcohol. Yeast need

not be added, although it can without any problem. Some fermentation

processes call for killing all the yeast in the pure cider with sulfur

dioxide, waiting 24 hours and then adding wine yeast. For the homeowner

this is not necessary.

Put air lock on container and keep at 60-70F for a couple of months.

Lower temperatures take longer for product to change from sugar to

alcohol.

After 2 months the juice should be decanted off (siphoned out of the

container), the container washed, and the juice put back into the

container. Do not use siphon hose closer than 4 " from bottom of

container as this is where all the sediment is resting.

After decanting, store at 40 - 60F in a wooden barrel and wait for

proper aging -- 6 months to 6 years, depending upon desires.

 

 

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NOTES:

 

Once juice is in container, the container cannot be moved as it will put

sediment back into solution, and the results is a cloudy product.

Beet, grape, raspberry juice, etc. can be added for color.

Raisins can be added for sugar.

If cider is made in a 50-gallon wooded barrel, and you plan to draw it

off over a 6-month period, a sulfur dioxide dispensing bung should be

put on top bung hole once barrel is in use. This keeps the air space

germ free and prevents off taste on the last used product.

 

http://www.hort.cornell.edu/department/faculty/merwin/hardcider2.htm