Traditional hard cider like the days of yore… before regulations and consistency took the fun out of it. Light and refreshing as apple cider should be! Every year, every tree, every area will produce a slightly different taste. This is half of the fun! Don’t be afraid to give the traditional methods a try.. after all alcohol itself is a preservative! There are many examples in history where it is actually less hazardous to drink an alcoholic beverage than to be subjected to the maladies found in plain water! That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it…
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Alcohol is a product of a very simple process… yeast (a fungus) eating sugar. When yeast consumes sugar the transformation into alcohol takes place as well as the releasing of carbon-dioxide. Yes! This is the same thing we humans breathe out! When trapped in solid foods like breads the creation of bubbles and leavening of the bread causes the dough to rise. When the bread is baked, the alcohol evaporates, but leaves behind the soft and lofty texture we associate with a great loaf. When trapped under pressure in a beverage the carbon dioxide remains contracted. Once the pressure releases the carbon dioxide expands and we enjoy this bubbly sensation in such beverages as beer, champagne and cider. (sparking water and soda-pop also have carbonation without the alcohol)
You really just need yeast and sugar to produce alcohol out of anything! Natural yeasts are in the air. They are all around you right now even if you didn’t know! The natural yeasts of every region have unique properties found only in that part of the world- For example: Sourdough starters use natural yeasts and therefore take on different flavors- San Francisco Sourdoughs do not taste the same as Alaskan Sourdoughs or German Sourdoughs. This is precisely why wines from different regions take on different notes even if the variety of grapes is identical. Natural Yeasts make each batch of your hard cider unique to that moment in time in that part of the world. Some years you will enjoy a little more than other years, but that is what makes this method exciting!
Commercial or non-traditional methods require you to first pasteurize your cider to kill the natural yeasts, then add back a yeast that is regulated. This method is fine as it produces predictable and consistent results. If this is what you are looking for, I welcome you to do a quick search and find hundreds of tutorials on how to achieve hard cider in this manner! This post, however, is not about being predictable or consistent. This method is more about the thrill of the ride and the high reward of a successful brewing!
Let’s get to it:
You will need:
- Apples- Organic, local and not treated in ANY WAY! Even organic pesticides will kill the natural yeasts on the skin of your apples.
- A food grinder or grater- Electric, hand crank, or attachment to the kitchen aide will work. A food processor will also work, but may take a lot of time. Try different methods. Some years I like to grate the apples, other years I will grind them.
- A Cider Press – Bought, found or homemade. Probably going to be the toughest part of the process if you don’t have one already.
- Carboy, jug or food grade bucket- how many and how big will depend on how much cider you are making. Be sure you clean and sterilize your vessel thoroughly before using .
- Fermentation airlock. Nice to have, but not completely necessary. You can alternately remember to “burp” your brew daily to avoid building up too much pressure and causing your vessel to explode. I have used the burping method with great success for years.
- Siphon– Very handy to have. You can carefully pour out the cider and leave the sediment at the bottom with each racking process, but the siphon makes it much faster and you will waste less of the “good stuff”.
- Cheesecloth in a colander or I use a honey strainer.
- Food Grade Bentonite Clay
Make sure you have fresh, untreated and local apples. Picked from your own apple tree will give you the biggest piece of mind (and more bragging rights). You will want to rinse the apples, but not soak them or scrub them. Remember we are trying to use the natural yeasts that are on the skin of your apples to make alcohol. I use a big cooler, keep the drain open and fill with apples, then run the hose over the apples.
Next grind or grate your apples. Peels, cores, seeds and all… cut out any bug damage or bruised areas however. If the apples are soft, I will grind them, but if they are firm I find I prefer to grate them. This is a messy process. Go ahead and do this outside on a nice day or under a covered area. Get your helpers involved:
Once there are enough apples to fill the cider press, go ahead and press the apples. I like to press the cider into a bucket through a honey strainer.
Repeat the process until the apples are gone, or you have pressed the amount of cider you are wanting. Next, transfer the cider into carboys, jugs or put the lid on the food grade bucket. You will want to put the airlock in place, or remember to burp your cider daily. (this involves cracking the lid open and allowing the air to escape). Where you store your cider will determine how long the process will take until alcohol is accomplished. The warmer the area, the faster it will go. In some places it could take just a few days. I prefer my cider to brew slowly. I feel the flavor is lighter and the alcohol isn’t as harsh, so I find the coolest dark area I have available.
After a couple of weeks you will notice bubbles are escaping or you are experiencing pressure building when you burp the cider. Watch for the sediment that will gather at the bottom of your jug or bucket. I will normally do my first racking at around 3 or 4 weeks. (Keep in mind if you are in a warm area, you will need to do this much sooner). It is important to rack off the cider and leave the sediment. Sediment will turn your cider bitter and give very unpleasant undertones. To rack your cider you will use the siphon to draw the cider out of the vessel into a food grade bucket. I will combine my jugs back into one bucket during racking so I can have a consistent batch. This is especially important when you make adjustments later. Dump the sediment, thoroughly wash and sanitize your vessels, then re-siphon the cider back into the jugs or carboys or food grade bucket. Each time you do the racking process is a good excuse to sample your cider.
Repeat the racking process every week to 2 weeks until you see the sediment has cleared. Along the way sample and determine if the natural sugars in the apples have produced the amount of alcohol you are looking for. There are hydrometer kits you can use to gauge the alcohol content if you really want to know. I tend to be a little looser in my assessments. If it is not the alcohol level you are looking for, add more sugar. Keep in mind, more sugar DOES NOT make the cider sweeter. If the brew is more like a liquor and less like a cider, add water. Those are the only adjustments you will need. We aren’t making moonshine! At this point, I will mix a teaspoon of Bentonite Clay with each 5 gallon bucket of cider. Mix very very well. The clay acts like a sponge and gathers remaining impurities lurking in your cider. Siphon back into your vessels per usual and give it at least 2 weeks to settle. This extra step helps your cider be clear and beautiful. This step is optional, but worth it. Rack again after the 2 weeks.
Check on your cider once a week. When the bubbles in the airlock have almost stopped or you don’t have much pressure when you burp the bottles, you are ready to put the cider up for more long term storage.
This can be simply leaving the cider in your jugs and dispensing into glasses or pitchers as you wish. Keep in mind the longer you let your cider go, the more it will mellow which can produce a very pleasant outcome.
Another option is to bottle the cider. There are a couple of different bottling methods I would use for cider. The first is a flip top bottle like this: Flip Top. This bottle style is nice in that you can reuse the same bottles and toppers year after year. Over time, should you make cider often enough, this can be a nice money saver. The second method is using bottles with the oxygen barrier caps. This bottling method is best if you plan to or may share your hard work with friends and family! You can even create your own labels!
I hope you try this traditional method of making hard cider. I have been making cider this way for almost 20 years, so please feel free to ask questions and I will be happy to clarify anything I may have overlooked.
ENJOY!
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