Clark–hey could you post (or email me) the recipe for the hard cider mentioned on the Beer Report? I know it’s just natural apple juice, corn sugar, and champagne yeast, but could you tell me the proportions of each? Thanks.
Thanks for checking in, dude. Hard Cider is easy and fun (and the girls love it too). Prepare your carboy or plastic bucket just as you would if you were making beer. Sanitize your fermenting container, the airlock, rubber stopper.
Then, pour this into the fermenter:
• 4 to 5 gallons of pure (unfiltered) apple juice. I used McIntosh, but you can use any fresh apple juice. Pear juice also works well.
• 1 pound corn sugar (dextrose). I use this only if I want the cider to finish a little dry. The corn sugar is almost 100% fermentable, so it’ll lighten the body. If you want to keep it sweeter, you don’t have to add the sugar.
• 1 vial of White Labs WLP715 Champagne yeast. If you can’t get this, the dry stuff works well too. Add two packets to 1/2 cup of 85 degree water in a sanitized beaker or cup and allow it to proof, then throw it right into the carboy.
This makes a very basic hard cider - nothing fancy. Ends up tasting like an apple champagne almost. If you want to get cute, you can add spices and stuff. Throw in a tablespoon of allspice, 2 sticks of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Then it’ll start tasting like a lot of the craft brew ciders there are out there.
Let me know if you need more guidance and I’ll be more than happy to help.
Clark–hey could you post (or email me) the recipe for the hard cider mentioned on the Beer Report? I know it’s just natural apple juice, corn sugar, and champagne yeast, but could you tell me the proportions of each? Thanks.
Hey Ben,
Thanks for checking in, dude. Hard Cider is easy and fun (and the girls love it too). Prepare your carboy or plastic bucket just as you would if you were making beer. Sanitize your fermenting container, the airlock, rubber stopper.
Then, pour this into the fermenter:
• 4 to 5 gallons of pure (unfiltered) apple juice. I used McIntosh, but you can use any fresh apple juice. Pear juice also works well.
• 1 pound corn sugar (dextrose). I use this only if I want the cider to finish a little dry. The corn sugar is almost 100% fermentable, so it’ll lighten the body. If you want to keep it sweeter, you don’t have to add the sugar.
• 1 vial of White Labs WLP715 Champagne yeast. If you can’t get this, the dry stuff works well too. Add two packets to 1/2 cup of 85 degree water in a sanitized beaker or cup and allow it to proof, then throw it right into the carboy.
This makes a very basic hard cider - nothing fancy. Ends up tasting like an apple champagne almost. If you want to get cute, you can add spices and stuff. Throw in a tablespoon of allspice, 2 sticks of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Then it’ll start tasting like a lot of the craft brew ciders there are out there.
Let me know if you need more guidance and I’ll be more than happy to help.
Cheers!