Craft Hard Cider: Recipes, Tips, and Ideas for Making & Enjoying Hard Cider
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?
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?
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?
Racking is a term used quite often by cider makers. It simply means to siphon off the clearer juice or cider from the sediment or lees that accumulate on the bottom of the container. The origin may be related to the old French word arracar, which meant to drain. A racking cane or tube is … Continue reading Cider Question: What is racking and why is it performed?
Which is more important when making great cider, the apple varieties you use in your juice blend or the yeast you use? It’s not an easy question to answer. If I asked whether the apples were more important than the shape of the fermenter, most of us would probably say the apple. I recognize that … Continue reading Cider Question: Apples or Yeast
Most books on cider making say that sanitation of your cider making equipment is important. Is it really? Those who don’t think it is will often note how cider has been made for centuries with rough equipment that may get rinsed out with some water each year but never sanitized. Like always, the real answer … Continue reading Cider Question: How important is sanitation?
You may have come across a recipe for making cider that calls for the addition of sugar or maybe you add sugar to your cider. The answer to the question of should you add sugar, varies. Fundamentally, you should never need to add sugar to make cider. In fact, in many countries, the addition of … Continue reading Cider Question: Should I add sugar?
Should juice be clear or cloudy, or does it really matter? If you are like me, you might think that cloudy juice will provide more flavor. But, as I have learned and demonstrated with some experiments, clearer juice actually creates more fruity aromas. Juice with high turbidity (cloudy) or colloidal compounds means it has higher … Continue reading Cider Question: Should my juice be clear or cloudy?
Is there an ideal amount of time to age cider? Ultimately, there is no one single right answer to the question of how long you should age cider. That is because it depends on the cider and the conditions under which it will age. The maturation or aging of cider, like wine, will allow it … Continue reading Cider Question: How long should you age cider?
Pectic enzymes or what are also referred to a pectinases, are enzyme compounds that cleave or breakdown the natural pectin found in both apples and pears. Generally, pears have higher levels of natural pectin. Pectic enzymes are often produced naturally during fermentation by yeast, but as is common, the amount will vary by yeast strain. … Continue reading Cider Question: Do you need to use pectic enzyme?
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