Make your own cider - pt 1

U-Suck Brews have had a few requests for some cider, but to quote a traditional Chinese proverb instead of giving you a fish I thought I'd teach you to catch your own. No, I'm not suggesting fish cider (although there's a thought) but showing how anyone can make cider without any specialist equipment*.

In the directions below I'm using bottled apple juice, but make sure you get juice with no preservatives added as the preservatives can prevent the yeast from doing its job. Reconstituted juice is fine. Aldi juice works well and is also cheap. Fancy organic cold pressed juice from a deli would give a better result but costs more than buying Old Rosie cider.  

Better still is freshly juiced apples. You can experiment with different types of apples and of course don't be afraid to chuck in other juices such as pear, strawberry, mango and carrot. If you're using very watery juice like watermelon then you may need to up the sugar content though.

So - you need

1 4l water container
1 funnel
1 clean handkerchief
1 elastic band
1 patient partner
Around 4l of apple juice (not all required at the start)
A few hundred grammes of honey
Brewers yeast. You can get some yeasts at supermarkets (Coopers is best) but it's much better to visit your local homebrew shop. Alternately give me an email and I'll post out a sachet to you*

First off sterilise your water container by filling it with 'as hot as you can get it' tap water and giving it a shake. This isn't perfect but will almost certainly kill anything in there. Don't use boiling water as the plastic will deform. If you're worried about contamination, get a full 4l bottle and transfer the water to another bottle / kettle /etc. You can be sure that the new bottle is sterile.

Next warm a litre or so of the apple juice on the stove and dissolve in the honey. Don't bring it to the boil though.

 Let the honeyed apple juice cool a bit and then pour into the bottle along with another litre of juice

When you're sure the mixture is around body temperature or below, sprinkle in about half a pack of the yeast. Don't use the funnel as the yeast will stick to the wet sides, pour it directly into the bottle

Cover the top with the handkerchief and secure with an elastic band. This acts as an airlock which stops any nasties getting in but allows the carbon dioxide that will be produced to escape without exploding the bottle (which is a bad thing). Thanks for the hankie Liz :)

Leave somewhere at room temperature. After a few days there will be a bit of a scum forming on the surface, kind of like below. This is normal so don't be alarmed. This is also one of the reasons why you don't initially fill the bottle at first - if you're brewing with malt this can foam up a few inches or more and dribble out of the top.

If you look at the bottom of the bottle you'll see little volcanoes of yeast drub rising and falling as the yeast gobbles the sugar to create alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide rises and carries yeast particles with it in little lava-lamp style geysers.

After a few days it's time to add more juice. If you're using a juicer then add the extra juice in three or four batches over a week or so. If you're using bottled juice just top it up, unless you're patient and have room in the fridge to store the spare juice.

And that's it for part 1. After this all you do is leave at room temperature for a couple more weeks, strain it, bottle it and let it age. I'll cover those steps in a couple of weeks.

*I know that only about 5 people read this blog but just in case I should add that the directions above should only be followed by those old and responsible enough for the consumption of alcohol, and I'll only post out yeast to people I know!