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By: John Eaton
I'm an avid homebrewer and appreciate the intricacies
and characters of
different beers and ciders. I've made a few batches
of a darned
drinkable cider and would like to share my very simple
recipe for other
budding cider makers out there.
Equipment:
glass carboy (size doesn't matter)
rubber bung with hole for airlock
SS keg or champagne bottles or beer bottles
filling tube and tubing
funnel
Ingredients:
apple juice (if real apple juice isn't available,
or if it's too costly,
apple juice from concentrate is fine provided it don't
have any
preservatives in it.)
yeast (I use liquid ale wyeast.)
Bottling sugar (if needed)
After sterilizing the equipment, add your yeast to
the empty carboy. I
re-itch yeast from previous ale batches. Place funnel
atop carboy (like
you didn't know this already) and pour in apple juice
to within 6-8
inches from the top of the carboy opening. Splash
the juice to get air
into the must. Splash freely and liberally (unless
you have to clean up
your own mess).
Place bung in carboy opening and attach airlock. You
should see activity
in about 12 - 24 hours.
Wait 3-4 weeks or until you only get one bubble every
15-20 seconds from
the airlock.
If you want a still cider, wait until you see no activity
from the
airlock or within the carboy. Keg or bottle at will.
Give it a week.
ENJOY!
For fizzier cider, make a simple syrup of 1 cup bottling
sugar and 1 cup
water. Boil and let cool. Add simple syrup to a large
mixing vessel such
as another carboy or a food-grade plastic container.
Carefully and
without much splashing, siphon the contents of the
fermenting carboy
into the mixing vessel. Then keg or bottle at will.
Give it a couple of
weeks. ENJOY!
As you can see this is a pretty simple recipe -- deadhead
simple--
perfect for bachelors and college students. It is
tasty, refreshing and
invigorating -- about 6% alcohol. For the holidays,
I like to add
nutmeg, cinnamon, honey and orange rind into the must.
These (except the
honey) I'll put into a sterilized cloth/gauze bag
and let float in the
must. Experimentation and a brave heart will guide
you to some very cool
batches.
John Eaton
Plano, Texas
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