Does anyone make apple cider?

[Duffster]

Does anyone make there own apple cider?

I recently discovered that my wife's uncle has a press that he would loan to us to use. Problem is that I have never made it or even seen it made.

Is it very hard to do? How many apples would we need and what other kind of supplies would we need.

Do you pasterize it?

Lastly, does anyone make "hard" cider?

 

[MossRoad]

Does anyone make there own apple cider?

I recently discovered that my wife's uncle has a press that he would loan to us to use. Problem is that I have never made it or even seen it made.

Is it very hard to do? How many apples would we need and what other kind of supplies would we need.

Do you pasterize it?

Lastly, does anyone make "hard" cider?

Never made it. We buy it from a local orchard in season. His is not pasteurized. He is required by law to tell us it isn't. So maybe you'd be required by law to tell yourself if yours is or isn't pasteurized!

Out of season we buy it from the store and it is all pasteurized.

 

[Redneck in training]

Last time I did that was about 30 yers ago. We cut the apples before loading them in the press. Initially we either pasteurized the cider but later on by advice of friend of mine we experimented with about a teaspoon of freshly ground horseradish put in the throat of the bottle as a desinfectant. Don't remember how well it worked.

 

[MikeD74T]

Duffster, In the 60's I helped made cider at the farm across the street from my house. They made fairly large batches, i.e. a 5 yard dump truckload at a time. They'd back the truck under the tree branches & we'd climb up & shake the branches. Then we'd pick up all that missed the truck. Had a grinder that was powered by a belt drive pulley on the PTO. Everything that came out of the tree went thru the hot top door into the grinder. Mash was shoveled into hoops lined with cloth & stacked in the press. Was a hand lead screw press. Another mill a couple miles away had a hydraulic press to squeeze the mash. Used water in the ram to avoid contamination of the mash. They also had a rent-a-tree deal going but closed up when pasteurization was mandated.
I currently live behind a large orchard that's been in business since the 30's. They still make cider. I think New Hampshire requires all cider to be pasteurized. This is primarily because many drops are used for cider and may carry e coli bacteria. I have made 5 gallon batches & let it ferment to the sparkling cider stage, my favorite. Have let some go full hard then concentrated both by freezing & distilling. If I use drops I wash the apples in a 10% bleach/water solution then double rinse. I just use picked apples straight from the tree without washing. If you already have a press you should consider making a grinder.
There's dozens of "apple cider" links on the net, here's a few:
http://ukcider.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Homemade_Cider_Press
http://ukcider.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Homemade_Scratter
http://www.productcenter.msu.edu/documents/cider/makecider.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRZ9aVPnkzQ MikeD74T

 

[NSBound]

Does anyone make there own apple cider?
....
Lastly, does anyone make "hard" cider?

There's a lot of videos on YouTube about making apple cider. Here's one that makes it look pretty easy. YouTube - Making apple cider

There's also ones about making hard cider .

On another note, what's the difference between apple cider and apple juice? I'll have to look that one up.........

 

[NSBound]

Does anyone make there own apple cider?
....
Lastly, does anyone make "hard" cider?

There's a lot of videos on YouTube about making apple cider. Here's one that makes it look pretty easy. YouTube - Making apple cider

There's also ones aout making hard cider .

On another note, what's the difference between apple cider and apple juice? I'll have to look that one up.........

(Edit - I have looked it up, and it seems there really isn't much difference, if any, other than using early-season apples for cider!)

 

[dmccarty]

I would love to grow my own apples and make cider.

I have not seen what my uncle made but he put together an apple press and my father helped make some cider. They brought us a gallon. It is GOOD! Much better than store bought.

If the press is manually operated you get about one gallon per bushel of apples. Cider should be made from a mixture of apples. Usually crab apples are used to tart the cider up a bit.

Cider is supposed to be pasteurized to kill ecoli and other bad bugs but the process is supposed to kill some of the flavor. Supposedly the only way to get ecoli is from windfall apples in an orchard in which livestock has access. Not sure I totally believe that is the only source just repeating what I have read.

Freezing hard cider to remove water is a time honored way of making apple jack. Believe it or not it is against Federal Law and maybe state law since it is a form of distillation. Just another form of taxation. The first challenge to the new US Federal government was the Whiskey Rebellion.

Later,
Dan

 

[RobertN]

Yes. I'll look up my recipe and post this evening.

We live minutes from a big apple producing area in the Sierra foothills. I get fresh unpasteurized cider to make my hard cider.

Apple Hill Growers

Lastly, does anyone make "hard" cider?

 

[moeh1]

Finely chopped apple makes more cider per apple than coarse. You chop them, load them into the nylon bag, fold it down tight, put the wood top over the bag, use a piece of apple as lubrication for the screw and screw it down in stages to squeeze all the juice out. Leave it under tension for a bit to get all of it out. If you want hard cider, I use a 5 gallon carboy with a bubler to ferment. 4 gallons cider, 4 lb brown sugar, 1 or 2 qts grape juice to feed the yeast. If you didn't wash the apples, you may not need yeast. If you like sweeter cider, use beer yeast, if you like it dry use champagne yeast instead.

 

[RobertN]

The recipe I have used is a fortified hard cider; extra sugar is added.

5 gallons apple juice
1lb dark brown sugar
1lb light brown sugar
2lb jar honey
Champagne yeast

Heat 1/2 to 1 gallon of apple juice. Dissolve in the sugar and honey. pour in to carboy
(i use a 6.5gallon carboy for primary fermentation). Add additional apple juice to make 5 gallons.

Pitch yeast, and install airlock on carboy. I have used two different champagne yeasts. If you get an attenuative yeast, it will be less sweet, more alcohol. If you use a less attenuative yeast, it will make a sweeter cider.

I usually only do primary fermentation. Typically bottle with 1/3 to 1/2 cup corn sugar(for 5 gallons...).

Note that you can make a lighter cider by simply putting you 1 gallon jug of unpasteurized apple juice on the counter, and crack the lid. Then just let it set out for a few days. The natural yeasts in the apples will get you a 3 to 3.5% alcohol cider.

You can use a beer yeast, or even a cider yeast; there are a couple different liquid cider yeast available; I think from Wyeast?

Remember beer yeast peters out at about 8% or less alcohol. Champagne yeast is like wine yeast; it will get to the 14% range if you have enough fermentable sugars, whether from the apples or by forification.

Yes. I'll look up my recipe and post this evening.