Hard Cider From Store Bought Juice
Learn how to make a delicious and simple fermented hard cider recipe at home.
Yield: 5 Gallon
Materials
- 1 gal Apple Cider
- 1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
- 1/4 pack Safale S-04 Yeast
Instructions
- Clean and sanitize all cider making equipment before starting.
- Pour the Apple juice into the fermenting vessel.
- Take a hydrometer reading to measure the original gravity and record.
- Add yeast nutrient if desired.
- Pour the yeast into the fermenter.
- Close the fermenter and install an airlock filled with sanitizer.
- Allow the cider to ferment in a cool and dark place for about two weeks.
- Cold crash, rack and bottle.
Notes
This hard cider recipe can be multiplied for nearly any batch size but 1 gallon and 5 gallon are most common. Typically, one pack of yeast is enough for up to 5 gallons.
Once the fermenter is full and the yeast is pitched, place the cider in a cool and dark area to ferment for about two weeks. A blow-off tube may be needed as initial fermentation can produce a lot of krausen.
After fermentation complete the cider can be cold crashed to help drop out solids.
Next, the batch can be racked into a clean and sanitized fermenter for aging or to a botting bucket for packaging.
When ready to bottle, you can make your final adjustments such as flavoring or priming sugar.
Follow the standard bottling or kegging procedures to package the cider.