Hard Cider

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Permalink Reply by mark surowiecki sr on September 3, 2011 at 3:18pm

there is a cider mill in portland ct on rt17 going toward glastonbury he sells by the gallon. you can bring your own containers or order a barrel (50gal  they are used burbon barrels and expensive) or get them from the farmers market in hartford, where he gets them.. most area orchards that make cider will fill your containers

Lymans, Bishops, avon cider mill , etc.

Have made hard cider for years and it can be tricky, depending on the weather and where you store your barrel.

 

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Sullivan on September 4, 2011 at 11:40am

Thanks for the reply, Mark. I'll give those places a shot. Any idea how much I can expect to pay a gallon? I'm probably only looking at doing either 5 or 10, though 50 gallons in a bourbon barrel sounds really good.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Wieting on September 11, 2011 at 7:25am

Hi Kevin, I get my unpreserved cider from Johnny Appleseed's farm at the farmstand on the Vernon/Tolland town line. They only have it in the fall, but that's when I do all of my cider brewing.

I've even done a batch from  Whole Foods cider.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Hayward on September 13, 2011 at 11:06pm

Scott - Please share your recipe/technique if you don't mind!

 

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Permalink Reply by Scott Wieting on September 28, 2011 at 9:46pm

Sorry for the delay, Bob. It's pretty easy really.

Get 5 gallons of unpreserved cider. Let it sit to room temperature over night.

Start 1 pkg. champagne yeast in 1 cup warm water with 1 tsp. sugar until there's a nice layer on top.

Pour the 5 gallons into a 6 gal racking bucket, add yeast and cover with lid.

After ferment stabilizes for about a day or two pour mixture into 5 gal carboy and top with vapor lock.

Watch it bubble for about 3-4 weeks and it will slow down to a few seconds between bubbles. Don't bottle it yet! Most of the sugar is gone due to the yeast.

Add wine conditioner to the level of sweetness you like. I like about 375 ml. per 5 gal batch.

Stir well and let sit another week.

If the fermentation has slowed enough it is ready to bottle.

I like to let the cider mature in the bottle a few days before handing it out for samples. It seems to taste better to me.

There are a few more things to know after you get going. Check sugar levels before you get started. These can be adjusted by adding different things to change the final outcome. Rich at Brew and Wine Hobby has been a great help to me so that is a good resource to keep in mind.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Sullivan on September 28, 2011 at 10:26pm

I called up Johnny Appleseed's and they told me they got their cider from a farm in Easton (I think, one of those quiet corner towns) and it was pasteurized. I ended up getting it from a place in Broadbrook. I imagine that pasteurizing wouldn't have hurt the cider too badly, but I read some mixed things on forums and wanted to play it safe for my first time trying it.

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Permalink Reply by Gary Tucker Woodruff on September 18, 2011 at 9:35am

Years ago I did a batch of cider using fresh unpastuerized cider from clydes cider mills in mystic, ct (it's at least near mystic if not in mystic). It came out undrinkable I don't know if it was process or recipe or infection due to the unpastuerized cider. However, in the past year I have made 3 batches of beer that included 2 parts cider added after the boiler (2 gallons cider added to 3 gallons beer)

Here is the recipe. Big thanks to rich from br and wine hobby for helping me out with is one

12 oz caramel/crystal 120 - steeped
3 lbs light dme - boil 45 minutes
2 gallons apple cider - added after cooling wort

2 oz hallertau boil 45 minutes
1 oz hallertau boil 10 minutes

1 whirlfloc tablet boil 15 minutes

Total boil time 45 minutes

Yeast danstar Nottingham

For the cider we have used store bought pasteurized cider. The reason that some people dont like the pasteurized for brewing/cider making is that traditional pasteurization methods mean heating the cider and that can change cider. The ideal ingredient would be cider that was pasteurized by exposure to UV light (from what I hear). I haven't done this recipe as all grain but could convert it if someone is intested

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Sullivan on September 28, 2011 at 10:23pm

I just wanted to let anyone that saw this know that after quite a few phone calls, I was able to get some raw cider from Applebrook Farms in Broadbrook. They press on site and the product changes as the different apples come into season. They charge $8 a gallon and $4.50 for a half gallon. I was told that you could get a discount if you caught them on pressing day and brought a bucket to transport the cider in. I guess they'd pass the bottling savings onto you.

 

Here's a link to their site:http://www.applebrookfarm.com/index.htm

 

I added about a pound of honey and brown sugar to 5 gallons of cider along with some yeast nutrient and a packet of champagne yeast last Saturday. My plan is to move it over to a secondary in a month and let it sit there for 5-6 months. I'm not sure if I'm going to try to carbonate or sweeten the cider once it's done. I've kind of got to do one or the other because I don't have the equipment to keg.

 

 

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