Making Your Own Hard Cider
You might remember a time when a jug of cider that sat around in the fridge too long started to get fizzy. When you removed the cap there was a little spurt of pressure released and, sadly, the cider was deemed too old and sent down the drain. If you only knew then what you know now; that fizzy cider was starting to ferment. With an airlock and a little patience, you might have had your first taste of hard cider.
Fast forward and one of the hottest “new” beverages to create is hard cider. Craft beer has gotten most of the press in the last decade, but lots of homebrewers are looking for the next new thing. Hard cider can be made using the same equipment and brewing techniques as homebrewing and can deliver the same thrill of designing a drink to be exactly what you want. Hard cider is also probably the easiest alcoholic beverage to ferment for people who are gluten intolerant.
If you are a homebrewer then you already own all the equipment you need. Basic homebrewing techniques such as sanitizing, siphoning, using a hydrometer, etc. are exactly the same for beer or cider. In this story we will explore how to make sweet cider into hard cider that you’ll be proud to share with your friends and family.
The Cider
In Vermont, where I live, we are lucky to have many small orchards that press cider from early September into November. The best ciders are the ones that have been treated the least. Most orchards will wash the apples and some orchards will also pasteurize the cider before it is sold to eliminate any pathogens that could make you sick. Cider producers pasteurize cider that is sold to the general public as raw cider has been linked with E. coli deaths.
If you don’t want wild yeast to be a part of the fermentation you have two choices: You can use pasteurized cider, or you can heat the cider and kill the yeast yourself, however this might also have the side effect of changing the flavor and aroma of the cider. Most pasteurization techniques used for commercial cider are “high temperature, short time” and the effect on flavor and aroma is far less dramatic than batch pasteurization. If the cider has been pasteurized then there will be no wild yeast and no need to add sulfites to the cider to “knock them out,” nor will there be sorbates to slow them down. If you are using unpasteurized cider you can add sulfite in the form of Campden tablets, which will neuter the yeast. If it can’t reproduce, it can’t ferment. Sulfite will not kill yeast and it doesn’t protect your cider from acetobacter/vinegar bacteria. Typically the Campden tablets are dosed 1 per gallon (3.8 L). I crush them between two spoons, add them to the cider and wait 24 to 36 hours before pitching the yeast to let the sulfite do its thing. If the cider is very cold, as it can be fresh from the press, I wait even longer than 36 hours to allow the cider to warm up to room temperature (~60 °F/15 °C) before adding my yeast, nutrients, sugar, etc.
As for the cider itself, this is the main ingredient. As a cidermaker I want some tartness in the final cider to add more flavor and to balance the cider. Antique cider apples are not easy to find but some orchards will have a special hard cider pressing. Varieties that are true cider apples are fairly inedible. They are so tart that you would probably spit them out if you ate them raw. The higher the percentage of tart apples, the more that character will come through in the final product. If you can’t find any of the old cider varieties, some crab apples will do just fine. We sponsor a crush at Vermont Homebrew Supply every year where the apples and the proportions of sweet to tart varieties varies. For more on cider apple varieties, see below.
If you don’t have access to fresh cider you can also use a cider from the grocery store if it hasn’t been treated with sorbates, which should be listed on the label. Pasteurized cider is fine but sorbate is used to inhibit any naturally occuring yeast (and any that you add too) so that grocery stores don’t have to take back fizzy returns. Store cider may not have the complexity of a blend from an orchard but it will make a fine hard cider.
Cider Apple Varieties
Cider Apple VarietiesIf apple cider is something you always just bought at the grocery store when summer turns to fall, you may have never thought much about the varieties of apples that are used to make it. Variety makes a big difference when it comes to making cider, however — especially hard cider. Just as a brewer decides which grains are needed to make a specific beer style, a cidermaker must also choose his or her apples wisely. And with more than 7,500 different varieties of apples grown around the world, 2,500 varieties in the US alone (which are grown in all 50 states), there are many apple choices, indeed.
Most of the sweet (non-fermented) ciders you can get at the grocery store or local farm stand are made from a blend of all-purpose culinary apples, which will make a totally acceptable sweet or hard cider, but it won’t be very complex. Unlike the Macintosh, Granny Smith and Empire varieties you might find in the grocery store produce section, true “cider” apples are not generally good eating apples. While supermarket varieties tend to be in the 12–14 °Brix (1.048–1.057 SG) range, cider varieties will often reach 15 °Brix (1.061 SG) and others can get as high as 20 °Brix (1.083 SG). Cider varieties also have different acid and tannin levels than all-purpose eating apples. What apples you choose to use for making cider are your call, however, consider this advice from Oscar Mendelsohn in his book The Earnest Drinker: A Short and Simple Account of Alcoholic Beverages for Curious Drinkers: “Cider of a sort can be made from any variety of apple juice, but for a fine beverage it is essential to use ‘vintage’ apples, which are distinguished by a chemical composition which make them inferior or even unusable for general purposes. Cider varieties of apples are broadly distinguished by comparatively high acidity and tannin. They are therefore somewhat sour and bitterish.”
There are four generally-accepted categories of cider apples: sweets, sharps, bittersweets and bittersharps. Here are some suggestions of cider apple varieties to look for in your area:
Sweet (high sugar levels, which encourages fermentation and raises alcohol levels. Low tannins and acidity.)
Ashmead’s Kernel
Esopus Spitzenberg
Golden Russet
Gravenstein
Sweet Alford
Sweet Coppin
Northern Spy
Taylor’s Sweet
Sharp (high in acidity, tend to be low in sugar and tannins.)
Bellflower
Bramley’s Seedling
Brown’s Apple
Bittersweet (high in both tannins and sugar)
Amére de Berthecourt
Ashton Bitter
Beden
Binet Rouge
Brairtot Fuji
Brown Snout
Bulmer’s Norman
Chisel Jersey
Dabinett
Ellis Bitter
Frequin Rouge
Medaille d’Or
Michelin
Somerset Redstreak
Stembridge Jersey
Yarlington Mill
Bittersharp (high tannins and acid)
Fox Whelp
Herefordshire Redstreak
Kingston Black
Porter’s Perfection
Stoke Red
Tremlett’s Bitter
Yarlington Mill
Cidermakers also often use other apple varieties that are sometimes as good for eating or cooking as they are for fermenting. Here are a few to try:
Baldwin
Black Gilliflower
Elstar
Gala
Golden Delicious
Granny Smith
Hidden Rose
Jonagold
Macintosh
Newtown Pippen
Pomme Gris
Wickson (a crab apple)
Yeast
Once you have selected your cider the next decision is which yeast to use. Much as in beer brewing there are commercially manufactured liquid and dry yeast strains. You can use beer, wine or mead yeasts for cider, but you should always make sure the yeast you choose likes the temperature of your homebrewery and that it can ferment to the alcohol content you desire. I don’t go out of my way to oxygenate my cider; it’s already brown because it has been exposed to oxygen during pressing. I do, however, make sure to pitch enough yeast and, as stated before, make sure the yeast can do what I want it to do.
If you can get an orchard or producer to sell you some raw cider you might want to try a “spontaneous” fermentation. Most apples will have a blend of yeasts on the skins. You won’t know how many strains are there or what it will taste like, and you won’t know how much alcohol they can ferment or what temperatures they like. For that reason, I don’t try to make cider with wild yeasts myself. I keep the alcohol content under 10% and the temperature over 60 °F (15 °C). I’ve enjoyed the ciders I’ve made this way and lots of other cidermakers agree. It can be a little stressful (that’s my inner homebrewer talking) but if you’ve dabbled in Brettanomyces and sour beers, and if you have the right cider, go for it. One time I waited a week for the fermentation to start and I couldn’t take anymore — I pitched a wine yeast and got the fermentation going. Other cidermakers with the same blend encountered the same thing, so be prepared to pitch a commercial strain if you try a wild fermentation and feel that it is taking too long. You can always try a wild fermentation again next year.
If your cider is going to be under 10% ABV you can also pitch any ale or lager brewer’s yeast. Just make sure your pitching rate is sufficient. I have had some lovely ciders brewed with Belgian yeasts. Without the malt and hops getting in the way, the flavor and aroma of the yeast can really shine.
For ciders over 10% ABV I prefer to use a wine or mead yeast as they can tolerate higher gravities. I’ve also used liquid cider yeasts to enhance the fruitiness of the cider. German white wine yeasts will give a very aromatic nose, while Champagne yeast is the most commonly used wine yeast for cidermaking. Champagne yeast has the ability to ferment a higher alcohol cider, and tolerance to cooler temperatures make it work in a variety of recipes and temperature conditions. Champagne yeast is also used for its ability to attenuate. The final gravity of cider can be as low as .995. If my cider is already going to be tart due to the apple blend, then Champagne yeast might be too tart and dry for you. In a cider with no cider-specific apples, then champagne yeast will give you the crispest, driest cider.
Adjuncts
Once you have your cider you will want to know its sugar density. When you take a hydrometer reading you can use the potential alcohol scale to see what you’re going to get for an alcohol content. Unlike beer, cider will fully ferment out so the potential alcohol scale is very useful. Most of the time my ciders test out between 5 to 6.5% alcohol, but it can vary widely and I wouldn’t want to assume anything just from how sweet it tastes. Once I know the starting gravity I can then decide if I want to fortify the cider to get more alcohol. Not only will adding more sugar increase the alcohol content, it can influence the color, flavor and aroma of your cider. Darker, more caramelized sugars are great to try. I have used Belgian amber candi sugar, dark and light brown sugars like raw, Turbinado and Demerara. A bit of molasses will darken the color and add another layer of complexity to a New England-style cider. And honey has been my go-to sugar for cidermaking for many years. It will completely ferment out so it will not add honey sweetness, and I like the smooth mouthfeel. I have used a lavender honey that added a delicate floral nose. — expensive but worth it! You can dissolve the sugar in a small amount of cider then pour it back into the fermenter. If you aren’t sure how dense the sugar is then you can check the gravity then add more if you need it.
Other adjuncts could include spices, fruits and berries, oak chips/cubes, flowers, ginger . . . there really is no limit. Just remember that the cider is going to be clean, crisp and dry. Whatever you add, do so judiciously. You can’t take it out but you can always add more.
When I want to oak a cider I have had the best results from using a small amount in the secondary. I have boiled and steamed the chips and just added them to the carboy. If you don’t want to risk too much oak exposure then plan on thieving out a sample and be prepared to rack into another carboy. A scale is very helpful when you are recording adjunct additions. Lately I have been soaking the oak chips in a spiced rum during the fermentation, then adding them to the secondary.
Other Additions
I always add 2–3 tsp. of a yeast nutrient to a 5-gallon (19-L) batch of cider if the alcohol content is going to be over 10%. It wouldn’t hurt to do it for a lighter cider either. With a tart cider you won’t need to increase the acidity, but you might have to bump it up with a store-bought cider. I have added dried tart cherries and cranberries to cider that needs acidity to good effect. After fermentation is over you can add a little acid blend (much like a meadmaker), but try to let the cider clear and condition a bit before you start making adjustments.
Pectic enzyme can help you get your cider to be clear. Apples naturally contain high levels of pectins that can haze your cider. If it doesn’t matter to you if it clears or not, then it’s totally optional. Using sweet cider to top off can add a haze so do this only if you don’t mind a cloudy cider.
Timeline
The time it takes to ferment and secondary your cider has a lot to do with the alcohol content and the tartness of your cider. A 6% ABV cider could take two to three weeks to fully ferment out and another two to four months to clarify. Carbonation time is about the same as it is for beer, and your cider should be crisp and tasty for a year or two. Once you start adding sugar the process is much more like winemaking. I might give a 12% cider a year in secondary and enjoy it for the next 3–4 years. But like all homebrews, trust your palate and if you aren’t sure it is ready wait a bit longer.
Since cider will tie up a secondary for a fair bit of time, you might want to invest in a cider-only carboy that isn’t needed for your beer brewing. Ciders that don’t get enough time to fully sediment out can have a deep layer of sediment in the bottle. That sediment can be fluffy and come up off the bottom when you open a carbonated cider.
Post Fermentation Fun
In addition to the adjuncts that you can add in secondary, you can still tweak your cider. One of the more common adjustments is to sweeten your cider. If the cider is too tart, back-sweetening can help to balance things out. If you are trying to duplicate a commercially-made cider you can de-gas and take a hydrometer reading of a sample to see how sweet it is, then adjust your cider to match. Of course, once you have added sorbate you won’t be able to carbonate the cider unless you can force carbonate in a keg.
Blending ciders is also an option. If you have done more than one cider recipe, then perhaps a third version is possible from a blend.
Other Considerations
Just like beer, you need to be sure your equipment is in good shape and well sanitized. The fermenter should have enough headspace to accommodate a little foam, but many ciders will not head up like a beer so you can get away with using a slightly smaller fermenter. Since cider will likely be in secondary longer than most beers, it is critical that there is only an inch or two of headspace to prevent oxidation. I always try to make an extra quart or two of cider in the fermenter so when I rack into my carboy I can always fill it right up. When you have extra headspace and no cider to top up, a white wine works very well in a pinch. We used sweet cider to top up a fermenter one year and that batch of cider never cleared as well as the other ciders we made that year. Oxygen in the sweet cider is what makes it brown, but in the secondary the cider will settle out and lighten to a pale yellow that can be totally transparent. If there is too much headspace/oxygen, however, then it may go back to an amber tint and develop nutty/oxidized aromas.
Bottling
It’s your choice whether to bottle your cider still or sparkling. A still cider can be bottled in any kind of beer or
wine bottle. If you choose to carbonate your cider, however, only use thicker-walled Champagne-style bottles, and be sure that if your cider has been back sweetened that you don’t overcarbonate and create bottle bombs by adding too much sugar. And of course you can keg your cider too. I prefer a fairly light level of carbonation. Since I also use liter and half-liter bottles I prime 5 gallons (19 L) with 1⁄3–1⁄2 cup of dextrose/corn sugar. You can also use honey or a darker sugar to prime. I have also had success using raisins to prime ciders. One or two per bottle did a great job of lightly carbonating a spontaneously-fermented cider. I have thought about trying this with dried cranberries or cherries; I might use two or three small ones per pint bottle or just one or two if they seemed like very large raisins.
But wait, there’s more! Here in the North Country winters can be dark and very cold. If you find yourself with a clear, 12% cider on a -20 °F (-29 °C) February night, try making applejack. Siphon some hard cider into a plastic bucket, cover and set it out to freeze for a day or so until it forms a layer of ice on the top, bottom and sides. Using the black knob of a racking cane, poke it through the ice, siphon and bottle. I have taken 12% ciders and after freezing they test out at just over 20%. Not hot like a distilled brandy, but nice to have on a cold night.
Hard Cider Recipes
Red Flannel Cider
(5 gallons/19 L)
OG = 1.095 FG = 0.998
ABV = ~12%
A classic New England barrel-style hard cider.
Ingredients
5.5 gallons (20 L) of fresh apple cider, pasteurized or not*
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) sugar: a combination of white sugar, brown sugar, a bit of molasses, honey, raw sugar
2.5 tsp. yeast nutrient
2.5 tsp. pectic enzyme
2 packages of dry wine yeast or Wyeast 4767 (Port Wine™) yeast
1 oz. toasted or untoasted oak chips (optional: soak in rum, bourbon, calvados, etc.)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) raisins
*If your cider is not pasteurized you might want to add one Campden tablet per gallon (3.8 L) to the cider, wait 24–36 hours, then add the sugars, other additives and yeast. Do not try to ferment cider that has been treated with sorbates.
Step by Step
Dissolve the sugars in a small part of the cider and then mix that back into the main volume of cider. Stir well. Add the yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme and stir again. Record the starting gravity. Add the yeast and keep the fermenter sealed with an airlock at 60–75 °F (15–24 °C) until fermentation is complete. Siphon the cider into a 5-gallon (19-L) carboy. Keep the cider under an airlock until it clears. Add the raisins. When the raisins have settled out, cover the oak chips with boiling water, strain off the water and add the chips to the carboy. A typical fermentation can last three to six weeks depending on the temperature in your homebrewery and another two to six months to clarify. Once the cider is clear you can bottle it with or without carbonation. If you want to carbonate the cider you can add a scant teaspoon of corn sugar (dextrose) per 22-ounce bottle or add two or three organic raisins per bottle. For 5 gallons (19 L) of hard cider you can also boil ½ cup of dextrose in some water and add it to the cider before bottling.
1 gallon (3.8-L) option: Scale down to 1.25 gallons of fresh apple cider, 1 lb. (0.45 kg) sugar (combination listed in ingredients above), 0.5 tsp. each of yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme, 1 package of dry wine yeast or Wyeast 4767 (Port Wine™) yeast, 0.25 oz. (7 g) toasted or untoasted oak chips (optional: soak in rum, bourbon, calvados, etc.), 4 oz. (113 g) organic raisins (brown or red flame).
Autumn Sparkle
(5 gallons/19 L)
OG = 1.060 FG = 0.998
ABV = ~8%
A crisp, dry cider.
Ingredients
5.5 gallons (20 L) of fresh apple cider, pasteurized or not*
1.5–2 lbs. (0.7–0.9 kg) sugar or raw unfiltered honey
2.5 tsp. yeast nutrient
2.5 tsp. pectic enzyme
2 packages of dry wine yeast
*If not pasteurized you might want to add one Campden tablet per gallon (3.8 L) to the cider, wait 24–36 hours, then add the sugars, other additives and yeast. Do not try to ferment cider that has been treated with sorbates.
Step by Step
Take a hydrometer reading of the cider. You will need to add enough sugar to get 8% potential alcohol. Dissolve the honey/sugar in a small part of the cider and then mix it back into the main volume of cider. Stir well. Record the starting gravity. Add the yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme and stir again. Add the yeast and keep the fermenter sealed, with an airlock at 60–75 °F (15–24 °C) until fermentation is complete. Siphon the cider into a 5-gallon (19-L) carboy and keep the it under an airlock until it clears. Once it is clear you can bottle with or without carbonation. If you want to carbonate the cider you can add a scant teaspoon of corn sugar (dextrose) per 22-oz. bottle or boil ½ cup of dextrose in some water for 5 gallons (19 L) of carbonated cider. A typical fermentation can last three to six weeks depending on the temperature and another two to four months to clarify.
1 gallon (3.8-L) option: Scale down to 1.25 gallons (4.7 L) of fresh apple cider, 4–5 oz. (113–141 oz.) sugar or raw unfiltered honey, 0.5 tsp. each of yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme and 1 package of dry wine yeast.
Autumn Gold Apple Cyser
(5 gallons/19 L)
OG = 1.080 FG = 0.998
ABV = ~10.5%
A cider-mead hybrid.
Ingredients
5.5 gallons (20 L) of fresh apple cider
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) raw, unfiltered honey
2.5 tsp. yeast nutrient
2.5 tsp. pectic enzyme
2 packages of dried wine yeast
Step by Step
Dissolve the honey into a small part of the cider and mix it back into the main volume of cider. Stir well. Add the yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme and stir again. Record the starting gravity. Add the yeast and keep the fermenter sealed with an airlock at 60–75 °F (15–24 °C) until fermentation is complete. Siphon the cyser into a 5-gallon (19-L) carboy and keep it sealed with an airlock until it clears. Once clear, you can bottle the cyser with or without carbonation. If you carbonate, you can add a scant teaspoon of corn sugar (dextrose) per 22-ounce bottle or boil ½ cup of dextrose in some water for 5 gallons (19 L) of carbonated cyser. A typical fermentation can last three to six weeks depending on the temperature in your homebrewery and another two to six months to clarify.
1 gallon (3.8-L) option: Scale down to 1.25 gallons (4.7 L) of fresh apple cider, 1 lb. (0.45 kg) raw unfiltered honey, 0.5 tsp. each of yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme and 1 package of dried wine yeast.
