Craft Hard Cider: Recipes, Tips, and Ideas for Making & Enjoying Hard Cider
Are you ready to make your first cider? This quiz will test you on some of the basic concepts that are important to understand when making hard cider. If you can answer these ten questions correctly, you have a solid understanding of how cider is made and how you can avoid some common pitfalls. Don’t … Continue reading Cider Quiz #1
Musing: I believe yeast is the most important factor deciding whether a keeve will be successful or not. Let me explain. Keeving is a process that uses nutrient deprivation to create a naturally sweet hard cider. The main characteristic of a keeve is the formation of a thick cap. It is usually gelatinous but sometimes … Continue reading Cider Musings: Keeving
Acetic acid is generally considered one of the most undesirable compounds found in cider. In very small doses, it can have a positive impact but in general, it is something you should try to avoid because of the vinegary aroma and taste it can produce. You might think that the most common producer of acetic … Continue reading The Overview: Acetic Acid Bacteria
Do you have a packet of yeast where the expiration date has passed? Maybe you harvested some yeast from last season’s batch of hard cider but it has been sitting in the refrigerator ever since. Is this yeast dead and unusable or could it still be viable? The quick answer is that you can still … Continue reading Cider Question: Can I use expired yeast?
In other articles, I described how the apples and yeast you use are the two most important elements in defining the quality of your hard cider. However, there is another component that might be equally as important but it’s often overlooked in most cider books and discussions. My hypothesis is that this is because most … Continue reading The Overview: Lactic Acid Bacteria
Often the answer to common questions about hard cider and the cider making process is that it depends. For this question, I can firmly say the answer is no. Crabapples are not poisonous. You may be wondering why this is even a question. Growing up, I believed they were poisonous. We were told not to … Continue reading Cider Question: Are some crabapples poisonous?
(UPDATE: Sep 25, 2025) We decided to explore Europe for a while but are now firmly back in Southern Arizona in the United States. What that means is that I am now able to ship Cider Yeast to those living in the contiguous 48 states. Sorry to those in other locations, I have explored shipping … Continue reading The Shop: Cider Yeast
Languages often have multiple words that can mean the same thing. They also have words that can mean many different things depending on the context or situation in which they are used. Saying it is chilly, cool, or brisk this morning basically means the same thing. You might want a jacket. The temperature is low. … Continue reading Volatile Acidity Versus Vinegar
Sugars impact on acetic acid production in wine. Did you know that the amount of sugar in your juice can impact the amount of acetic acid produced. As noted in the Handbook on Enology(1), wines with higher specific gravity produced more acetic acid when fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts. As shown in the above chart, … Continue reading Cider Facts: Sugar and Acetic Acid
It seems like a simple question, but it’s really one of the most difficult to answer. Rarely is this question answered properly. More commonly, a quick answer is provided. That quick answer can be complex, like use this yeast for fruity flavors and this yeast for phenolic flavors. The quick response can also be simple, … Continue reading Cider Question: What is the best yeast to use for making cider?
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