The secret to making sweet or hard cider is the blending
of apples at pressing time. A balanced blend of sweet and tart apples is
needed. Hard or sweet, it's another great activity to enjoy at home. Unfortunately
for the home cider and apple wine maker, the addition of stabilizers to
fresh pressed apple cider is becoming common. This is being done to extend
the products shelf life. Cider which has been treated in this way will
spoil before it ferments.
APPLE
CRUSHER $195.95
Made with heavy-duty, cast iron construction our new Vintners Best
Apple Crusher includes a wooden mounting base that can be mounted horizontally
on a table or vertically on a corner wall. The wood drum has stainless
steel crushing blades and stainless steel chute.
CRUSHER
& PRESS This deal brings you a total package. The No.25 Fruit and Grape
press is just the right size for pressing out 5 and 10 gallon batches of
cider as well as any other fruit including grapes. Includes re-usable
pressing bag. Basket is 10" x 14". $459.95
A Note
About Yeast: The type of yeast you select makes a great difference
in the flavor of your cider. In the old days the cider was left to
ferment on it's own. That was done out of ignorance of the true nature
of bacterial fermentation. Wine yeast will produce a clean, dry flavored
cider with little or no aftertaste. For a dry cider use champagne
yeast or for semi sweet cider try Cote De Blanc. Cider with a more
rounded flavor can be made by using brewer's yeast.
CIDER
YEAST $6.95
Classic cider yeast for 5 to 10 gallons of hard cider.
Ferments dry, but retains flavor from apples. Sulfur produced during fermentation,
will disappear in two weeks of aging. Attenuation: 80; Flocculation: Medium;
Temperature: 68-75°F
How To Make Hard Cider
Apple cider
mills usually guard their secret recipes well. Basically you want
a blend of at least two apple varieties mixed by weight at a ratio of 2:1.
For sweet cider use 2 parts sweet variety and one part tart. Reversing
the mixture will make a dryer cider. While the ratio remains the
same, you can add more complexity and character by using more varieties
of apples. Our local supplier uses 6 varieties and that's all he's
saying.
Apple cider mills usually guard their secret recipes well.
Basically you want a blend of at least two apple varieties mixed by weight
at a ratio of 2:1. For sweet cider use 2 parts sweet variety and
one part tart. Reversing the mixture will make a dryer cider.
While the ratio remains the same, you can add more complexity and character
by using more varieties of apples. Our local supplier uses 6 varieties
and that's all he's saying.
Making hard cider is very much like making wine.
Fresh pressed apple cider is fermented without the addition of any sugars.
The starting gravity should be between 1.040 and 1.050. This will
produce a dry cider with about 4.5% - 5% abv. The key to success
is using fresh pressed cider that has not been treated in any way.
Cider purchased at the super market will almost always
contain preservatives and will rot before it will ferment. State
and local laws require producers to treat apples with anti bacterial sprays
prior to pressing and many require that stabilizers be added prior to sale.
You must ask your supplier for wine making grade juice.
CIDER
KIT $99.95
Complete equipment package for making 5 gallons of your favorite hard
cider from any concentrate or fresh fruit. Primary fermenter with
lid, 5 gallon glass carboy, airlock and stopper, hydrometer, siphon hose,
bottling bucket with spigot, bottle filling wand, bottle cleaning brush,
sanitizer, bottle caps and capper, Campden, yeast and text book.
CIDER
SWEET & HARD $14.95
Discover the pleasure of making and drinking fresh cider with this
complete, guide to sweet or hard cider. 216 pg. by
Proulx and Nichols
Here's What You Do
Crush one campden tablet per gallon of cider to suppress bacteria or wild
yeast.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of pectic enzyme per gallon to prevent haze in the finished
cider.
Add 1/4 teaspoon of yeast nutrient per gallon to provide for complete fermentation.
Use a hydrometer to record the starting gravity of the must.
Cover and let the juice rest for 24 hours stirring once or twice during
that time.
Open the primary fermenter and sprinkle in one packet of wine or brewer's
yeast.
Let the yeast re-hydrate for five minutes then stir it in for about a minute.
Close the fermenter and attach an air lock which is half full of water.
Ferment for 7 to 10 days at 70 degrees.
Open the fermenter and check the specific gravity with a hydrometer. It
should have dropped by at least 75%. If not, close the fermenter and allow
to sit for a few more days. Do not leave the cider in the primary fermenter
for more than 10 days. If the specific gravity has not dropped in that
time, continue to the next step any way. Place the primary fermenter on
a counter or table top 24 hours prior to the next step. This will allow
the sediment to settle to the bottom of the pail.
Clean and sanitize a glass secondary fermenter along with your siphon equipment.
Crush up one campden table per gallon and put them into the secondary fermenter.
Siphon the cider into the secondary ferment. Attach an air lock and allow
to rest for 14 days at 70 degrees.
Check the cider for clarity. If it is hazy or not quite clear, you can
add a fining agent such as isinglass. Add the fining agent directly to
the fermenter and stir it in gently. Allow the cider to rest for another
week at 60 to 65 degrees.
Clean and sanitize your primary fermenter or another glass carboy and siphon
the cider into it. Sample the cider by tasting a small amount. You can
adjust it at this time. If it tastes a little bland you can add 1/8 to
1/4 teaspoon of citric to taste. If it is lacking in apple flavor but the
tartness is correct add our apple flavor enhancer.
If it is too tart or sour add frozen apple juice concentrate, which contains
no preservatives, to taste. Allow the cider to age for another week in
a cool place.
CIDER
KIT $99.95
CIDER
SWEET & HARD $14.95