# Hard Apple Cider



## Kevinski324

I am just curious to see what methods and ingredients everyone else uses to make hard apple cider, or apple wine. I have made apple wine for about 2 years now, and I like how it tastes, but I recently tried another wine that was alot lower in alcohol, and its taste was sweet and smooth, and it was clear.. They called it hard apple cider, but I thought that hard apple cider was always cloudy and brown, like cider.... Anyway, the way I usually make my apple wine is: 5 gallons apple cider(from local cider mill), and lt brown sugar. I haven't tried to add any other ingredients yet, but maybee I will this year.


----------



## JeanLucD

Well if your looking for information about cider you should check out http://homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=32


----------



## Adolphus79

I make 2 styles of cider.
One is a Common Cider based on EdWort's Apfelwein recipe from HBT.com. This involves store bought apple juice, dextrose, and Montrachet yeast. I let it sit in primary for 1 month, then secondary for 1 month, then bottle. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14860
I also make a New England Style Hard Cider, which involves nothing but my own fresh pressed cider and Cote de Blanc yeast. This recipe is in primary on the pulp for 2 weeks, then racked and let ferment til clear (another month or 2), then racked again and left to bulk age for the remainder of a year.


----------



## Benjo's Mom

Adolphus79 said:


> I also make a New England Style Hard Cider, which involves nothing but my own fresh pressed cider and Cote de Blanc yeast. This recipe is in primary on the pulp for 2 weeks, then racked and let ferment til clear (another month or 2), then racked again and left to bulk age for the remainder of a year.



I have a small batch of apple wine (4 liters) that I started with fresh pressed cider from an orchard in Whitefield. I added sugar, campton, the other usual suspects, and champagne yeast. It has been in the secondary for 3 weeks now, and I am ready to rack it again this weekend. How long should I age it in another glass secondary before bottling?


----------



## Adolphus79

Generally, I'll leave it in primary until activity slows (2-4 weeks), then rack to secondary until it's perfectly clear (another month or two, depending on recipe), then rack again into bulk aging. You can age for as long as you want, some people bottle after secondary and enjoy the young flavors of the wine, or some people let it age for a year (see the quote in my signature).


----------



## BaadB

*Collecting Hard Cider Recipes*



Adolphus79 said:


> I make 2 styles of cider.
> One is a Common Cider based on EdWort's Apfelwein recipe from HBT.com. This involves store bought apple juice, dextrose, and Montrachet yeast. I let it sit in primary for 1 month, then secondary for 1 month, then bottle. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14860
> I also make a New England Style Hard Cider, which involves nothing but my own fresh pressed cider and Cote de Blanc yeast. This recipe is in primary on the pulp for 2 weeks, then racked and let ferment til clear (another month or 2), then racked again and left to bulk age for the remainder of a year.



Collecting Hard Cider Recipes

Hi Adolphus79, I am in the process of creating a blog focused on brewing hard cider http://www.makehardcidereasy.com/make-hard-cider-easy/why-make-hard-cider and am therefore collecting good stories, recipes, tips and tricks. 

I noticed your story here and observed that you seem quite experienced. Would you be willing to share and or allow us to put your experiences on our blog? Our intent is for each story and or recipe to have its own page; we would of course give full credit to you and backlink the story to your preferred location. 

Please email or post directly onto our blog with your story or link to your story if you are interested.

Email to: [email protected]

Thanks


----------



## burch

I made mine in a 6 gal. carboy and racked it yesterday to another 6gal.. ( only thing I have ) Do I need to top it off and if I top it off with the apple juice will it be too much ?

Burch

OH, by the way I tasted it after 4 weeks and this stuff already taste GOOD


----------



## Green Mountains

Do you plan to backsweeten this? We did with our batch and it's nice and sweet. Before we did it was HOT with alcohol taste.


----------



## djrockinsteve

This season I made two different apple jacks. One with white sugar and the other with brown sugar. Both are really good. I will be bottling the brown sugar one tonight.

I sweetened them both.


----------



## xxplod

*sounds like a good plan.*

this just may be my first endever with wine making.sounds like its not hard to make and sounds like its sweet and darn good to.


----------



## TheTooth

Green Mountains said:


> Do you plan to backsweeten this? We did with our batch and it's nice and sweet. Before we did it was HOT with alcohol taste.



You don't need to backsweeten to lose the hot alcohol bite. Time will do this as well. I keg up my ciders and let them sit in the cellar for at least 6 months before I put them on tap. They are hot when new, but smooth and tasty after aging.


----------



## non-grapenut

The easiest and crispest apple wine I ever made was from Musselman's gallons of pastuerized apple cider. I had to backsweeten very lightly. Unfortunately, I think it may only be available around cider season time, the fall. I ended up sparkling 1/2 the batch. What a treat!


----------

