Long fermentation periods turn apple cider into fizzy, alcohol-laced hard cider
Hard cider is apple juice fermented into an alcoholic beverage using yeast. Sweeter versions use sugar to boost the alcohol content, and some home cider makers even add small amounts of brightly colored beet and grape juices for enhanced color. Hard cider ages like wine, so the longer it sits, the better its flavor. Some makers leave their cider to age for as long as six years.
Instructions
Making Hard Cider
1. Pour half of the contents out of the 16 oz. bottle of pasteurized and preservative-free apple juice to make a starter for your hard cider. Add one packet of dry wine yeast to the remaining juice in the bottle, screw on the cap and shake it. Set aside, covered, for six hours.
2. Unscrew the apple juice bottle's lid to release pressure once you see bubbles on top of the juice. Screw the cap back on and store the bottle in the refrigerator until you're ready to make your hard cider. Remove the starter from the refrigerator two hours before you brew your cider to let the starter come to room temperature.
3. Pour 5 gallons of unpasteurized and preservative-free apple cider into your brew pot. Simmer the cider over medium heat for 45 minutes to kill any taste-altering wild yeasts or microbes in the cider. Do not let the cider boil, or your hard cider will be cloudy.
4. Add the optional 2 lbs. of honey to the cider while it simmers. Honey increases the drink's sugar content, which in turn creates higher alcohol content. Skip this step for a lower-proof cider.
5. Pour the simmered cider into a 5-gallon sanitized fermentation bucket. Let the cider come almost to room temperature.
6. Pour your apple juice starter into the cider in the fermentation bucket. Stir the brew for two minutes with a clean stainless steel spoon to work air into it. Seal the bucket's lid and attach the airlock.
7. Set the bucket in a room with a temperature of 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The cider won't ferment below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and warmer temperatures could quicken fermentation and affect the cider's flavor.
8. Check your fermentation bucket in one day to two days. Look for bubbles around the airlock for signs that your brew is releasing the fermentation byproduct carbon dioxide. Primary fermentation has stopped when airlock bubbling ends. Let your cider sit for one week after the bubbling stops, to allow the yeast to settle out.
Bottling Hard Cider
9. Slip the clean food-grade tubing onto your fermentation bucket's spigot. Put the unattached end of the tubing into a sanitized glass jug or bottle. Open the spigot to transfer the cider into the jug or bottle. Repeat this step until you've transferred most of your cider into storage jugs or bottles. Do not take cider from the bottom 4 inches of the bucket, because that's where unabsorbed yeast sits.
10. Seal the jugs and store the hard cider for another two weeks. It's ready to drink.
11. Store your cider at least six months if you want it to develop fizz. Hard cider's flavor tends to improve as it ages.
12. Add a clarification process if you want to ensure your hard cider is clear. After one fermentation session, your cider may still contain yeast, which can make it hazy. Pour your cider into the second sanitized fermentation bucket, add the lid and attach the airlock. Place it in a 60-degree Fahrenheit room for one month.
13. Attach clean food-grade tubing to the bucket's spigot, and place the unattached end of the tubing into a sanitized glass jug or bottle. Open the spigot to transfer the clarified cider to the container. Continue this process until you've transferred all of your cider to storage bottles. Don't use cider from the bottom 4 inches of the bucket, because that's where unabsorbed yeast sits. Seal the bottles and store them as long as you want your cider's flavor to continue developing.
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