In our previous two posts, we focused on what you need to make the perfect homemade apple ciderand the resulting steps if you want to turn some of that golden elixir into hard apple cider. Weve already covered getting the yeast starter ready. Now well be focusing on simmering it all up, adding in the yeast starter, letting it ferment, and bottling it up in your fridge. Hard Apple Cider Contd Preparation Fill up a stock or brew pot with the fresh cider and bring to a super low simmer over medium heat. Its important that you dont let it boil. Instead, let it simmer for forty-five minutes to an hour to kill off any wild yeast or bacteria. You can add up to two pounds of brown sugar or honey to make it sweeter and make the final product more hard. Fermentation Next, clean the fermentation bucket with water and a cap full of bleach while youre waiting on the cider to simmer. Rinse it thoroughly and then transfer the simmered cider. Let it cool until its just warmer than room temp, and then youre safe to add your cider starter from earlier. Stir with a sterilized spoon to avoid bacteria and then seal the lid and set the airlock. Store it in a cool and dark placesomewhere between 60 and 70 F. After a few days, youll notice the airlock bubble. This should happen for two weeks. Once it stops bubbling, let it rest there for another week to let the yeast settle down. Bottling + Drinking You can then use a food-grade siphon to transfer the cider to sealed sterilized bottles and into your fridge. Remember, if you can wait another couple weeks, the cider will get better with tastejust like wine. But thats pretty much everything you need to know. If you have any tips or things you learned in the process, wed love to hear about it in the comments below! Making Traditional Apple Cider, part 3
In our previous two posts, we focused on what you need to make the perfect homemade apple ciderand the resulting steps if you want to turn some of that golden elixir into hard apple cider. Weve already covered getting the yeast starter ready. Now well be focusing on simmering it all up, adding in the yeast starter, letting it ferment, and bottling it up in your fridge. Hard Apple Cider Contd Preparation Fill up a stock or brew pot with the fresh cider and bring to a super low simmer over medium heat. Its important that you dont let it boil. Instead, let it simmer for forty-five minutes to an hour to kill off any wild yeast or bacteria. You can add up to two pounds of brown sugar or honey to make it sweeter and make the final product more hard. Fermentation Next, clean the fermentation bucket with water and a cap full of bleach while youre waiting on the cider to simmer. Rinse it thoroughly and then transfer the simmered cider. Let it cool until its just warmer than room temp, and then youre safe to add your cider starter from earlier. Stir with a sterilized spoon to avoid bacteria and then seal the lid and set the airlock. Store it in a cool and dark placesomewhere between 60 and 70 F. After a few days, youll notice the airlock bubble. This should happen for two weeks. Once it stops bubbling, let it rest there for another week to let the yeast settle down. Bottling + Drinking You can then use a food-grade siphon to transfer the cider to sealed sterilized bottles and into your fridge. Remember, if you can wait another couple weeks, the cider will get better with tastejust like wine. But thats pretty much everything you need to know. If you have any tips or things you learned in the process, wed love to hear about it in the comments below!