thereactionsite's quick and easy hard apple cider

[thereactionsite]

Hi, thought you guys might like my quick and easy hard apple cider recipe, so I'm sharing it here.

1. First we are going to make our yeast. We are capturing wild yeast from the air. This can lead to really good results, or some sour ones. Anyways get one organic apple, and don't wash it. Skin the apple and put it into an empty seltzer water bottle, that has been sanitized with a little bit of bleach and the rest water. Fill this bottle half way with 100% apple juice, and make sure there are no preservatives in it (ascorbic acid, or vitamin C is okay). Now leave this in a warm dark place. Check back the next day, and feel if the bottle is hard. If it is that is a good sign. Release the pressure by slightly unscrewing the cap, and while doing this take a whiff, it should be a pleasant yeasty smell with and apple smell also. Do this everyday for about a week or two. If you smell anything sour, throw it away. For this reason it is a good idea to do a couple bottles with different apples and find the best one. When this is done your yeast is ready.

2. Next you will set up your fermentation vessel. For a small batch, you can use the bottle that your apple juice came in. Otherwise, use a 5 gallon bucket. Before you start, sanitize your bucket and all of your tools, again with bleach and water. If you have an airlock, attach it to the lid of your bucket, by cutting a hole in it and attaching it to a cork and cork the hole. If not cut a small hole in the lid, and put a line of sanitized tubing into, making sure it is sealed. Lead this tube into a glass of water or vodka. Do the same if you're using your apple juice bottle.

3. Pour ~4 gallons of your apple juice into your bucket. Add brown sugar, table sugar or corn sugar, if you'd like to change the specific gravity to make a higher alcohol content brew. Add in your yeast liquid and give it a good shake. Put the lid on your bucket or bottle, and connect the airlock. Let this sit in a dark warm place. For a sweeter, less alcoholic drink wait a week. Adjust the time for your taste up to about a month, any longer than that and your getting into wine territory, and you'll be waiting much longer.

4. Time for bottling. With another sanitized tube, siphon your cider from the bucket into more empty, sanitized seltzer bottles. If you want it carbonated, add about a teaspoon of sugar. Close the bottles, wait about a week or two and refrigerate. Your homebrew cider is now ready to drink, enjoy your tasty refreshing beverage.

So that's it guys, I hope you enjoy it. If you guys make it, tell me how it went or if you altered anything. Any questions just ask here!

[The Duke]

Why not just buy brewers yeast?

[thereactionsite]

You certainly can, but I like to do it this way because its fun capturing wild yeast and can yield results you would've never gotten from packaged yeast. It just adds some personality to it.

[The Duke]

Yeah, it does. It's just with wild yeast you have a bigger problem with contamination.

[thereactionsite]

Thats certainly a concern, but hasn't really happened to me. Just the "bad yeast" as I described, but its easy to take care of.

[thereactionsite]

Really, no one is.interested in this?

[litefire]

Pretty cool man.. I've never had hard apple cider but it sounds pretty tasty.
I'll have to give this a tr.y and let you know how it goes

[thereactionsite]

Id be interested to hear what you think about it, it's quite tasty.

[My Mom Is Dead]

I make my own beer and wine. From my understanding, wouldn't bottling the cider at only a week--before all the sugars properly ferment--result in slight carbonation as well? In addition, wouldn't adding a spoon of sugar to a batch with residual sugars still fermenting possibly result in what are known as "bottle bombs" (exactly as it sounds) from an overabundance of released gasses?

I always wait about three weeks before bottling my beer. A month for my wine. You always want to be sure they are done processing the sugars, and might want to give them an extra week to start clearing out waste products.



Pic related, the big bucket is 6 gallons of beer. The smaller one is two gallons of wine.
Beer is a microbrew quality Red Ale for Pabst price. Wine is just whatever the fuck fruits I had laying around, mixed with an assload of grapes and honey then blended till liquefied.
I use store-bought yeast.

[thereactionsite]

Usually the cider is a quick fermenter and is almost complete within a week or two. It does get a little carbonation in the tank, but not enough for most people. As for bottle bombs its never happened to me, and shouldn't happen if you refridgerate as it will pretty much kill any fermentation. The key here is really just feeling out whats happening with your brew.

E: also im in intetested inhow yourwine comes out, it looks like something I was thinking about doing.

[Duelist]

one of the worst hangovers i've ever had was from my buddys apple wine

[thereactionsite]

Not a big fan of apple wine, how dry was your buddy's?

[Duelist]

I don't really know exactly.. I mean it was sour/harsh as fuck. straight foul, actually. But it messed us up.

[I Kill Null Airtime]

Interesting

[bumble]

A while back I made some bum wine / sugar wine using store bought sweet tea and some quick rise yeast. Half gallon jug. It came out nice, didn't taste repulsive or anything, didn't make me wanna vomit, it was sweet / sour. I fermented it for a little over 2 weeks, no balloons. I just burped the thing twice a day. I started drinking it at 11 am Thursday on an empty stomach, I was nice and buzzed all day, started chugging the stuff as it started be night. I didn't filter it, which was probably not very smart of me but I haven't experienced any ill effects. Plus, other people have done it and turned out fine. I did experience a slight laxative effect from injesting some yeast though, but I needed to go to the bathroom anyhow. It's fun to make and has fun results, I'd like to move on to better, larger scale home brew projects sometime soon.

[thereactionsite]

Originally Posted by Duelist

I don't really know exactly.. I mean it was sour/harsh as fuck. straight foul, actually. But it messed us up.

May have had an infection? Also could have just been fermented into the wine stage, but then not aged enough after that, which often results in an undrinkable beverage.

Originally Posted by bumble

A while back I made some bum wine / sugar wine using store bought sweet tea and some quick rise yeast. Half gallon jug. It came out nice, didn't taste repulsive or anything, didn't make me wanna vomit, it was sweet / sour. I fermented it for a little over 2 weeks, no balloons. I just burped the thing twice a day. I started drinking it at 11 am Thursday on an empty stomach, I was nice and buzzed all day, started chugging the stuff as it started be night. I didn't filter it, which was probably not very smart of me but I haven't experienced any ill effects. Plus, other people have done it and turned out fine. I did experience a slight laxative effect from injesting some yeast though, but I needed to go to the bathroom anyhow. It's fun to make and has fun results, I'd like to move on to better, larger scale home brew projects sometime soon.

Yeah, siphoning it will partially clear it and get the dead yeast out, which boosts the drink-ability a lot too. Glad to hear yours came out nice though. Definitely should move on to more things though, its fun! Try my recipe out and see how you like it, I'd like to hear your results.

[Rodrat]

Subscribed! I have always wanted to try to make my own alcohol. I might give this a try in the next few weeks if I remember.

[thereactionsite]

Cool man! Can't wait to hear how it works out for you. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[ayingerbrau]

Nice little guide. I'll try this out.

[thereactionsite]

Tell me how it goes, ayinger.

[yawanur]

it would be great to see a cost/time analysis to put a price on a bottle of home made vs store bought...

[Pee Vee Proots, M.D.]

My dad has decent wine making equipment and yeast. Got a couple big ass glass tanks full of wine just sitting and aging by the bar in their basement. There are a few empty tanks... I've been considering making a big ole batch of something alcoholic, but I don't know what. Maybe I'll make this.

[thereactionsite]

You definitly should, with all that equipment. What kind of yeast would use?

[My Mom Is Dead]

Originally Posted by thereactionsite

also im in intetested inhow yourwine comes out, it looks like something I was thinking about doing.

I tried sampling it the other day while drunk as fuck, and it was definitely good, but had a distinct watery aspect to it. This is the largest batch of wine I have made so far, and was definitely an experiment to use up some wine yeast I had laying around.

My first thought was to freeze off a little extra water, but that would obviously decrease the volume of wine I had.
I didn't want that, and this being an experiment after all, I just dumped a couple pounds of dry malt extract into the bucket, gave it a gentle stir (as to not oxidize already created alcohol content).

Now if you are familiar with dry malt extract, you will know that it is a beer making component. I have never heard of it being used to make wine and I have no idea how this is going to turn out.
Quite probably horrible, but I am a man of science, and will drink the whole bugger regardless of flavor when it finishes.

The air lock has been rather steadily bubbling for a week straight since the malt extract addition, and has shown no signs of stopping any time soon. I believe the yeast will die of alcohol poisoning before they finish fermenting it. The brave soldiers will be honored in a toast using the very monstrosity they've created.

I am hoping for the best, but fully prepared for the absolute worst--some mudlike thick and highly potent swill that tastes like Ovaltine and rotten fruit.
I'll let you know what's up next time I crack this bad boy open.

[thereactionsite]

Not sure how that ones gonna turn out, I've never heard of anybody doing that either. But like you, I'm a man of science so I will be eagerly waiting to here how it turns out, although I agree it probably won't be to great.

[Village Idiot]

Bitches love hard cider.

[thereactionsite]

That they do, that they do.P

[Rodrat]

Slightly off topic, but I will be starting my first attempt at mead tomorrow. I'll be starting a thread most likely with some pictures and notes maybe.

[skygear]

Interesting, I have had mead a couple times and could go for a taste again in the future. Making it might be an interesting venture also.

[Michael Scott]

Going to do this in a few months when i get my own space back

[thereactionsite]

Mead is super fun to make, and its easy too. Also I forget what the name is but adding fruit to a mead has some really cool results.

[Rodrat]

Ok. I have added cinnamon some allspice and an orange to the mix. I'll make a thread for it later. I'm on my phone. Most likely tomorrow. I got a few pictures as well.

[skygear]

Originally Posted by Michael Scott

Going to do this in a few months when i get my own space back

Isn't it interesting what things we have to give up when we go back to living with someone?

[thereactionsite]

Originally Posted by Rodrat

Ok. I have added cinnamon some allspice and an orange to the mix. I'll make a thread for it later. I'm on my phone. Most likely tomorrow. I got a few pictures as well.

That's gonna be really nice. Orange and cinnamon is an awesome combination.

[Rodrat]

So I have a question. How hard is it going to be to get out the orange wedges later? I have it in a glass carboy. I followed directions to a t on the got mead site for there begginer mead.

[thereactionsite]

Should be pretty easy when you rack it, they wont go into the tube. You might get small pieces but I wouldn't worry about that.