simple cider
with the holidays looming and an AP-imposed kibosh on brewing until the new year, I had to find a way to satisfy my fermentation cravings.
- adding staggered nutrient additions to my mead (now around 12-14 brix or so) wasn’t cutting it, so I decided to throw together a quick and easy cider.
- how quick and easy? this sucker took about five minutes start to finish:
- 1. purchase preservative-free apple juice (I went with trader joe’s flash pasteurized refrigerated juice and let it warm up to about 70F)
- 2. crack open the juice and pour yourself a small glass (this creates some head space for fermentation)
- 3. add 1/4-1 packet of champagne yeast to the juice container, depending on volume (I added half a packet to 1/2 gallon of juice, which was actually a bit overboard)
- 4. re-cap juice container and shake to aerate
- 5. remove cap and secure sanitized foil to top of container with a rubber band (can optionally use an airlock if it fits).
- I usually give the fermentation a few weeks before priming and bottling. the champagne yeast ferments out completely (resulting in a dry cider), so if you would like any residual sweetness you could add in potassium sorbate or other inhibitors (or just drink the juice earlier).
- this cider, although dead simple to make, is always a hit and is a great way for someone to get into home fermentation. also, if you can score fresh unpasteurized juice, I recommend splitting the batch, adding yeast to only half, and letting the other half ferment out spontaneously (I have wanted to do this for a while).
- HAPPY HOLIDAYS – be sure to treat yourself and pull something out from deep in the cellar this week!
Tags: champagne yeast, cider, trader joe's
January 6th, 2011 at 8:45 am
Nice!! i want to do this. At the moment I have no space for all of the gear you’ve amassed. I made a jug of something similar once, it was called Hobo Wine. Hot damn I smelled like a hobo for a long while after drinking that sh**