[denny]

If you're looking for cider recipes, or have one you'd like to share, check out

http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/CiderRecipes

[gtoothaker]

Denny,

Thanks for the recipes.  My club is covering Ciders next month and I am preparing a presentation to provide an overview. I am currently searching for presentations and other materials to aide in this effort. Do you have anything you would like to post on this forum to help educate the masses about cider? 

Thanks,
Greg

[denny]

Greg, I wish I did.  Hopefully someone else here will be able to help you.

[deepsouth]

i ues edwort's recipe from homebrewtalk.  i've done it straight a few times and i just twisted it a bit by making a batch with 2 quarts organic tart cherry juice, in the spirit of christmas.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/man-i-love-apfelwein-14860/

Award Winning Apfelwein Recipe (German Hard Cider) Apple Wine Recipe
Placed 1st in the Cider & Apple Wine category at the BJCP sanctioned Alamo Cerveza fest (out of 11 entries) and took 2nd place for Best of Show for the main category of Meads & Ciders (out of 50 entries).

Ingredients

5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives)  I use Tree Top Apple Juice
2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast

Equipment

5 Gallon Carboy (I use a Better Bottle)
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock
Funnel[LIST=1]

• First sanitize the carboy, airlock, funnel, stopper or carboy cap.
• Open one gallon bottle of apple juice and pour half of it into the carboy using the funnel.
• Open one bag of Dextrose and carefully add it to the now half full bottle of apple juice.  Shake well.
• Repeat Steps 2 and 3, then go to step 5.
• Pour in the mixture of Apple Juice and Dextrose from both bottles into the carboy.
• Add all but 1 quart of remaining 3 gallons of apple juice to the carboy.
• Open the packet of Montrachet Yeast and pour it into the neck of the funnel.
• Use the remaining quart of juice to wash down any yeast that sticks.  I am able to fit all but 3 ounces of apple juice into a 5 gallon Better Bottle.  You may need to be patient to let the foam die down from all shaking and pouring.
• Put your stopper or carboy cap on with an airlock and fill the airlock with cheap vodka.  No bacteria will live in vodka and if you get suckback, you just boosted the abv.

There’s no need to worry about filling up a carboy so full when you use Montrachet wine yeast.  There is no Kreuzen, just a thin layer of bubbles (see here).  I'm able to fit all but 4 oz. of my five gallons in the bottle.  Ferment at room temperature.

It will become cloudy in a couple of days and remain so for a few weeks.  In the 4th week, the yeast will begin to drop out and it will become clear.  After at least 4 weeks, you can keg or bottle, but it is ok to leave it in the carboy for another month or so.  Racking to a secondary is not necessary.   It ferments out very dry (less than 0.999, see here)

Apfelwein really improves with age, so if you can please let it sit in a carboy for up to 3 months before bottling or kegging, then let it sit even longer.  Here's what some folks think.



If you want to bottle and carbonate, ¾ cup of corn sugar will work fine.  Use as you would carbonate a batch of beer.

Remember to reserve judgment till after 3 glasses.  It grows on you.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND START ANOTHER BATCH 2 WEEKS AFTER YOU START THIS ONE.
YOU WILL THANK ME LATER!


GENERAL QUESTIONS
compiled by Dammed Squirrels from the first 37 pages of this thread.  Thanks DS!

How does it taste?
It ferments quite dry. Some people have tried different yeasts in order to achieve a sweeter taste. It may take you a few glasses to get a feel for the flavor. It is very reminiscent of a sort of apfelwein produced locally in Germany. There really is no comparable product in the United States. It's drier and less sweet than commercial hard ciders.  It gets better with age and at 6+ months, the apple flavor really comes out.

How do you sweeten it?
Many folks back sweeten it with                Wine Conditioner.  Wine Conditioner is a blend of sucrose and sorbic acid. The               addition of 2-4 oz. per gallon adds sweetness and prevents               renewed fermentation.  It can be purchased as any LHBS that caters to wine makers. Others will use Splenda or lactose (other non-fermentable sugars).  Germans who prefer it sweet (or Suß as they say) will add a splash of Sprite or 7up to a glass.  This is the easiest method as you don't have to make a whole "sweet" batch that way.

What is the difference between Apfelwein and hard cider?
EdWort says, “Most ciders are a bit sweeter. Ciders and Apfelwein are about 6% abv, but I like the little boost I give it with 2 pounds of Dextrose. It adds no body or flavor and still tastes like Possmann's Apfelwein, only it will kick your butt much quicker.”

Is this like Apfelmost / Apfel Korn?
No. Apfel Korn is a german liqeur made from wheat spirits. Apfelmost is spontaneously fermented with fresh-pressed apples or apple juice. It is probably similar, but the results may vary as a result of the spontaneous fermentation. Either way, Apfelmost is most certainly has a lower alcohol content since the initial gravity is not increased by the use of concentrate or corn sugar.

What’s the difference between apple juice and cider?
Cider is made by pressing apples. Juice is then filtered to remove all of the stuff that makes it cloudy.

Can I use apple cider instead?
Sure! You can use whatever you want. However, there is not enough information in this thread to give you any better details as to how it will turn out. I recommend starting a new thread or ask more experienced cider-makers.

What kind of Apple Juice should I use?
Ideally, you want to use 100% natural apple juice with no preservatives. The only acceptable preservative is ascorbic acid, which is a source of vitamin C and does not affect fermentation. Pasteurized juice is preferred, since it will have less bacteria.

How much will this recipe cost me?
5 gallons of Apfelwein can be made for between 20 and 25 dollars.

What else can you do with this recipe?
EdWort says, "this makes a great Grog in the winter time. Take a quart in a sauce pan, add some rum, turbinado sugar, and float a cinnamon stick in it and simmer for a while. Serve hot in mugs. It'll warm you right up."

[babalu87]

Just once do yourself this favor with FRESH Cider

Put it in a carboy/keg with airlock

WALK AWAY
Dont turn around and think  just walk away and let it go with what was on the apples

[enso]

Just once do yourself this favor with FRESH Cider

Put it in a carboy/keg with airlock

WALK AWAY
Dont turn around and think  just walk away and let it go with what was on the apples

That can work.  However be aware that the results are unpredictable. 

The "natural" saccharomyces yeasts  that may be present are generally only plentiful enough if the scratter and press used to extract the juice have a good build up on them from other sources.  Contrary to popular belief the wild yeasts abundant on apple skins or within the flesh are not saccharomyces cerevisiae or bayanus (the main fermenting yeasts in cider production) but weaker strains such as Kloeckera apiculata, Saccharomycodes ludwiggi, and candida sp.

Bear in mind that these wild yeasts do not survive long into fermentation.   Fermentation may start with strains of wild yeasts such kloeclera apiculate / torulopsis stella but they die after the alcohol reaches 2% abv and can also possibly produce musty flavors.  You then need to hope that some Saccharomyces yeasts were present on the pressing equipment and that they take hold before bacteria take control such as Acetomonas sp,  Acetobacter sp, lactic acid, and zymonas sp. all of which will likely be present especially if there was any rotten or damaged fruit pressed.  Not to mention unsanitary equipment.

If you are using equipment or getting juice from a known source that likely has sufficient yeast build up and you want to attempt "Natural" or wild fermentation anyways your best/safest bet is to at least dose the juice with 50 ppm of a sulfite solution.  Yeasts are less susceptible to sulfites and can survive better than can bacteria.  It may take a bit longer for initial ferment to start but your chances of a clean fermentation are much better.

[Pi]

Most of the cider i find has potassium sorbate. Can I use this?

[Jimmy K]

Technically no. Sorbate prevents fungal growth, and yeast is a fungus. I say technically because I no people who've been successful with it. I believe sorbate will not stop actively fermenting yeast, just keep dormant cells from becoming active again.

[donredbull]

Thanks for the info I am going to make my first batch here in a couple weeks

[denny]

Thanks for the info I am going to make my first batch here in a couple weeks

Cider is pretty darn simple at it's most basic...just apple juice and yeast.

[Jeff M]

Thanks for the info I am going to make my first batch here in a couple weeks

You seem to be going down the path me and my buddy did.  couple extract brews and into cider.  will alot of things are the same they are different animals.  there is some good literature on ciders available.  we added dextrine to get the OG up past where cider can be for an extra omph.  we also aimed at a sweet cider but used an english ale yeast and got a very dry cider.  Its very good but not quite what we where looking for.  Just a couple of factors to think about!

[Jimmy K]

We also aimed at a sweet cider but used an english ale yeast and got a very dry cider.  Its very good but not quite what we where looking for.  Just a couple of factors to think about!

Really, any yeast you use will give you dry cider because the sugars are completely fermentable. To get sweet cider you need to stop fermentation before it hits 1.000.

[Jo Diesel]

What class would you be in if you add brown sugar and cinnamon? I do 15 gal fresh cider 5lb brown sugar and soak cinnamon in vodka while fermenting and add in on week 5  . Then prime and bottle in 1L flip tops

[Jimmy K]

BJCP style? That would be 28D - Specialty Cider.
 
http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style28.php#1d

[wilypig]

With the cinnamon in the cider I made several different batches and soaking in a neutral spirit is not necessary. Cinnamon is an irritant and will not support nasties. I used a large quantity in a cider early in the process and it killed my yeast leaving me with a very sweet finished product. Good enough for a BOS but a learning experience anyway. Another way I have used is to take a growler and fill it with cinnamon and top it up with finished cider. Then add back for packaging. This adds no extra alcohol or other components not intended to the cider.