How do you brew your own hard apple cider?

[JayDeeZee]

I have an apple tree that drops about 20 apples per day.
I don't like apple pie and I can't eat that many apples.
I figure I might as well get drunk off them.

Has anyone ever tried brewing booze from fruit?

Got any tips?


JDZ

[GeXus]

Woah... your going to get drunk? Your so cool! How can we be like you? Why don't you do a google search because you know damn well no one in here knows how to make hard apple cider

[msan]

I tried once, but I didn't have distillation flask to separate the alcohol from the fermented apple juice. Kinda bummer. However I was able to extract alcohol in our chemistry class, but we weren't allowed to drink it.

[GeXus]

Originally Posted by msan

I tried once, but I didn't have distillation flask to separate the alcohol from the fermented apple juice. Kinda bummer. However I was able to extract alcohol in our chemistry class, but we weren't allowed to drink it.

Smarty pants

[fuzzylogic]

when i was in grade school i used to poke a few holes using a pin into the top of my juice boxes then place them on my windowsill in my bedroom. in two weeks i had a few fermented juice boxes!

[JayDeeZee]

Originally Posted by msan

I tried once, but I didn't have distillation flask to separate the alcohol from the fermented apple juice. Kinda bummer. However I was able to extract alcohol in our chemistry class, but we weren't allowed to drink it.

I've read that you can just use cheese cloth or a nylon strainer. As long as you sanitize everything well before hand. The fermentation shouldn't be harmful.

[D]

You don't need a still to make cider... that's only if you want to pull the spirits and make apple whiskey or something.

All you should need (aside from the press) is apple juice, some fermentation yeast (I'd imagine that WLP001 would do the trick nicely - but theremay be speciality Cider Yeasts), 2 5 gallon carboys (or 5-gallon buckets with lids, some racking hoses (any food-safe clear plastic tubing), some isopropyl alcohol, a 10-15 gallon stainless-steel pot, and a bubbler...

All of these items are obtainable at your local homebrew shop.

The important thing is to make sure that everything is _clean_ as all get-out, so invest in some sort of light caustic cleaner, and acid rinse solution - also available via your homebrew shop.

I gotta get ready for work here, so I can't go into a 20-minute typing frenzy to explain the process just now.... but that should give you an idea of the cost associated with getting it done.

[Bryan G]

Originally Posted by GeXus

Woah... your going to get drunk? Your so cool! How can we be like you? Why don't you do a google search because you know damn well no one in here knows how to make hard apple cider

Originally Posted by D

You don't need a still to make cider... that's only if you want to pull the spirits and make apple whiskey or something.

All you should need (aside from the press) is apple juice, some fermentation yeast (I'd imagine that WLP001 would do the trick nicely - but theremay be speciality Cider Yeasts), 2 5 gallon carboys (or 5-gallon buckets with lids, some racking hoses (any food-safe clear plastic tubing), some isopropyl alcohol, a 10-15 gallon stainless-steel pot, and a bubbler...

All of these items are obtainable at your local homebrew shop.

The important thing is to make sure that everything is _clean_ as all get-out, so invest in some sort of light caustic cleaner, and acid rinse solution - also available via your homebrew shop.

I gotta get ready for work here, so I can't go into a 20-minute typing frenzy to explain the process just now.... but that should give you an idea of the cost associated with getting it done.

What was that?

[JayDeeZee]

Originally Posted by D

You don't need a still to make cider... that's only if you want to pull the spirits and make apple whiskey or something.

All you should need (aside from the press) is apple juice, some fermentation yeast (I'd imagine that WLP001 would do the trick nicely - but theremay be speciality Cider Yeasts), 2 5 gallon carboys (or 5-gallon buckets with lids, some racking hoses (any food-safe clear plastic tubing), some isopropyl alcohol, a 10-15 gallon stainless-steel pot, and a bubbler...

All of these items are obtainable at your local homebrew shop.

The important thing is to make sure that everything is _clean_ as all get-out, so invest in some sort of light caustic cleaner, and acid rinse solution - also available via your homebrew shop.

I gotta get ready for work here, so I can't go into a 20-minute typing frenzy to explain the process just now.... but that should give you an idea of the cost associated with getting it done.

Thanks man, I'm going to check out a home brewing shop tonight.

I think I'm only going to try to make about 5 gallons.

[D]

Originally Posted by JayDeeZee

Thanks man, I'm going to check out a home brewing shop tonight.

I think I'm only going to try to make about 5 gallons.

Yeah... thats a standard batch-size of doing this kinda thing outta your house, so you'll find plenty of vessels to fit that need at your local homebrew shop.

And I also missed a few things that you might need in my previous post... like a carboy brush to clean the carboys (though you might wanna skip using glass carboys, and just use plastic buckets for your first few batches)... and you'll probably also want a testing cylinder and hydrometer... so you can take samples of your cider at different stages, measure the specific gravity, and figure out how sweet/dry and how much of an ABV your potable's gonna have. And I imagine there'll be some sort of pectic enzyme that you'll need to toss into the juice to aid fermentation. You'll also need bottles to store your end product in.

Your local homebrew shop owner's really gonna be your best friend in these matters... if you're on a budget, let him know what it is, and then listen to what he has to say.

The process will probably go something like.... press apples, filter apple juice with a cheese-cloth or whatever into a bucket. rack (rack = move from one vessel to another - usually via siphoning hose) juice from bucket to fermentation vessel (or simply leave it in the bucket)... pitch pectic enzyme and yeast into the vessel, cap the vessel (with a bubbler release-valve so your vessel doesn't explode - that'd be bad. ), watch bubbling kick off (this is where having a glass carboy is cool as you can see the liquid fermenting), wait a couple of weeks to a month, keeping an eye on the bubbler to make sure it never clogs or dries out (one might cause something to explode, the other might let bacteria get in), rack cider from fermenter into _clean_ bottles (you might wanna add some form of bottling sugar in the bottles to kick off secondary fermentation (= more alcohol)- but be careful to not add too much or your bottles could explode), cap bottles and store in a cool/cold place... wait for a month or two, and drink until your heart's content.


There are few joys in life that are the same as drinking and sharing a beverage that you've fermented yourself.... especially when it turns out good.

Good luck, and have fun.

[JayDeeZee]

Lots of info. Thanks D

[fluffygrrl]

You don't need all the chemical shit. Just wash stuff in water.

[D]

Originally Posted by JayDeeZee

Lots of info. Thanks D

NP. Happy to help.

Originally Posted by fluffygrrl

You don't need all the chemical shit. Just wash stuff in water.

Not true, imho. Different common bacterias will certainly provide off flavors to the cider, so it's best to make sure they have as little a chance to gain a foothold in your brew as possible. There's lots of sugar in Apple Juice that would encourage cultures to multiple (as does your yeast), and, unlike wine (where simply washing with water is fine), cider doesn't usually hit a high enough ABV to kill the bacteria that create those off flavors.

Of course, it's possible that you can ferment a beverage that tastes fine without adhering to strict cleaning rules... but why chance it when you're gonna be sitting on it for 2-3 months or more?

Of course, if you don't care about the quality of your product, do whatcha like.