Anybody have how to for Hard cider or Apple Wine?

[rittert3]

Looking for info to make either or, I got some good potent HM apple wine givin to me last year and would love to try my hand at making some.

 

[menageriemama]

I don't have info, but stumbled across some homebrewed hard cider randomly at a Halloween party last week. It was DIVINE. So smooth, apple-y and not too sweet. Hope someone here can help

 

[jerryb]

I cannot help you with apple wine, but apple jack, or if your from the UK scrumpy jack, is easy and good!

first find a homebrewing supply and get some Nottingham yeast packets. they will have it so just ask for nottingham yeast it is a staple of homebrewing and will cost you about $1.50 for a packet.

next get some cider, freshly pressed unpasturized is my preference but store bought pasturized will work too.

find yourself a container large enough to hold the cider and still be about 1/3 empty on the top.

add about 1/4 of the yeast packet to one gallon of cider, I used to use four gallons of cider in a five gallon water bottle and a full packet of yeast.

put an airlock in the bottle top and wait for it to stop fermenting. its ready. bottle in 2-liter pop bottles.


the other thing you need to know here is that it is VERY important to have all containers sanitized the best you can, oddball bacteria or wild yeast in the containers will cause problems. ask at the homebrew shopt about sanitizers, I used Iodophor mix as directed on the package and no need to rinse after as it leaves no detectable taste.

good luck
Jerry

 

[rittert3]

Is that the same as brewers yeast? I think I've heard of a similar method for making homeade wine where you use a cheap kids punching balloon pulled over the mouth of your bottle to detect the stages of fermentation.

 

[jerryb]

No, brewers yeast as sold in pharmacies and health food stores is not what you want.

lots of online stores can help you out too, try for example www.northernbrewer.com

Jerry

 

[rittert3]

Thanks Jerry, I don't have any local stores so I think the online stores will probably be the way to go. I did find a reasonably priced book on that site that is all about making cider but it's out of stock right now.

 

[jerryb]

You are welcome, apple jack made this way can be really good, if everything is clean and sanitized you should have good luck.

Jerry

 

[rittert3]

Are applejack and hard cider the same thing more or less?

 

[jerryb]

yep