How To Make Hard Cider

My Hard Cider making was a serendipitous event. We had bought fresh, organic, unfiltered cider from a local orchard and put it into our refrigerator to consume. Well, we did not drink it very quickly and at one point, I noticed that a lot of bubbles were forming on top.

I knew that this meant that fermentation was going on. So, I immediately brought out one of my glass jugs and wine making equipment and sterilized them. I siphoned the cider into a fresh jug, inserted a fermentation lock, set it on counter and waited.

Hoping that this would turn into Hard Cider and not some awful tasting mess, since this was wild yeast that was causing the fermentation. Well, I was not disappointed. I ended up with some very nice Hard Cider, which we were only too happy to consume.

Here is a little more controlled method for How To Make Hard Cider, rather than my stroke of serendipitous luck.

Here is a video of Hard Cider Making with a method that is slightly different. I would use wine yeast rather than his bread yeast, but both will work.

Equipment You Will Need:

In Wine Making, Sanitization is one of the Most Important factors. All of your wine making equipment should be sterilized before use. So sterilize the jugs, fermentation locks, bottles and plastic tubing before use. Use a 1:10 mixture of bleach, a crushed campden tablet dissolved in water to sterilize them. Make sure you rinse thoroughly afterwards.

1 Gallon Glass Jugs (You will need 2 of these)
Hydrometer and Test Jar
Large stainless steel pot
Fermentation Locks
Plastic Tubing (about 3 1/2 ft)
Funnel
4-6 Bottles
Corks

Ingredients:

Organic, 100 percent apple juice or cider. (Preservatives can interfere with fermentation)
Wine Making Yeast or Champagne Yeast (Don’t use bread yeast)

Directions:

Heat the organic apple juice to just below boiling for several minutes. (This will kill off unfriendly organisms without harming the flavor.)
Cover and allow to cool.
Prepare yeast and add to apple juice after it has cooled. Stir thoroughly.
Pour into jug and insert fermentation lock (Keep at about 65 degrees)
Wait about six weeks. (You will see bubbles in the cider)
Rack (siphon) into a second jug and insert fermentation lock
Bottle and store in refrigerator and Enjoy