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Homemade Hard Apple Cider

Making hard apple cider at home is simple and rewarding, requiring minimal equipment and ingredients.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Drinks and Beverages
Cuisine: American
Calories: 95
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main
  • One gallon of fresh apple cider or apple juice unpasteurized preferred, but pasteurized works
  • One packet of champagne yeast or ale yeast such as Lalvin EC-1118
  • One quarter teaspoon of yeast nutrient optional but helpful
  • Water for sanitizing equipment

Equipment

  • One-gallon glass carboy or fermentation jar
  • Airlock and rubber stopper or carboy cap
  • Auto-siphon or bottling wand
  • Sanitizing solution (Star San or bleach)
  • Hydrometer for measuring specific gravity
  • Large pot or pitcher for mixing
  • Strainer or cheesecloth
  • Bottles with caps or cork bottles
  • Bottle capper
  • Thermometer

Method
 

  1. Sanitize all equipment using sanitizing solution according to package instructions.
  2. Pour one gallon of apple cider into the carboy, leaving about one inch of headspace.
  3. Take an initial gravity reading with a hydrometer and record the value.
  4. Sprinkle the yeast (and yeast nutrient if using) onto the surface of the cider and let it hydrate for 10 minutes.
  5. Gently stir the cider for one minute to aerate and incorporate the yeast.
  6. Fit the rubber stopper and airlock, then ferment at 65 to 72°F for 21 to 30 days.
  7. Monitor fermentation by observing airlock bubbling and cider clarity over the fermentation period.
  8. After 2 to 3 weeks, check the final gravity with a hydrometer to ensure fermentation is complete.
  9. Optional: Rack the cider off the sediment into a secondary carboy to improve clarity.
  10. To bottle still cider, siphon into bottles leaving a half-inch headspace, cap, and refrigerate.
  11. To carbonate, add one quarter teaspoon of sugar solution to each 12-ounce bottle, cap, and condition at room temperature for two weeks.

Notes

Temperature control is your single most important variable; keep your cider between 65 and 72°F for the cleanest results.