Earligold: Sauce, Butter, and Cider

Earligold: Sauce, Butter, Juice

How many apples fit in a 5 gallon (19L) bucket? About 20 pounds (9kg). What about my totes? About 45 pounds (20.5kg) if you don’t heap them too high. I’ve filled them so many times, I don’t even really need to weigh them anymore. I can just tell by looking at them. We picked two … Continue reading Earligold: Sauce, Butter, and Cider

Harvesting Prickly Pears: Dangers and Rewards

Prickly Pear Harvesting

In my book, The Art & Science of Cider, I advocate for making hard cider that represents where you live. Almost every place in the world does or can grow apple trees. However, they also grow many other great fruits, flowers, herbs, and vegetables. Hard Cider is the perfect method to include and highlight these … Continue reading Harvesting Prickly Pears: Dangers and Rewards

Making Bitter Orange Hard Cider

Making Bitter Orange

Bitter Orange Hard Cider Label I love citrus adjunct hard ciders. This is because I like the bitters and aroma you can get from the peel. My favorites are pink grapefruit, guava, and orange. I think these tend to have a sweetness in the aroma that provides more balance to the bitter and acidic nature … Continue reading Making Bitter Orange Hard Cider

Making ‘En Chêne Hard Cider

‘En Chêne Hard Cider

I’ve been exploring the use of wood as an adjunct for hard cider. I’ve definitely been having a lot of fun with it. I need to not get carried away this season or I might end up aging every cider on wood. Hmmm... That might be a brilliant idea. Well, ‘En Chêne is a dry … Continue reading Making ‘En Chêne Hard Cider

Making Great Pumpkin Cider

Pumpkin Hard Cider: A Fall Tradition

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is quickly approaching. However, those in the Southern Hemisphere are starting to think about the coming winter. Either way, it’s time to be thinking about your fall hard cider plans. You might be deciding what to do with that final batch of last year’s hard cider or … Continue reading Making Great Pumpkin Cider

Making Pippin Magic Hard Cider

Making Pippin Magic - Hard Cider

Pippin Magic has been one of my favorite hard ciders of the 2019 harvest. I used Newtown Pippin apples, which are also known as Albemarle Pippin apples. The apple was a chance seedling, grown from an apple seed or pip, found in Newtown, New York in the late 1600s or early 1700s. It was taken … Continue reading Making Pippin Magic Hard Cider

Making My First Hard Cider

My First Hard Cider Label

This post is not so much a hard cider recipe as it is a simple and low cost method to making hard cider. It’s focused on providing a basic foundation for making hard cider my way. My way means organic and no sulfites. However, if that’s not your way, it can easily be adapted to … Continue reading Making My First Hard Cider

Making Cider Lite Hard Cider

Brewing Hops for Hard Cider: Pan, Hops, Tea Bag

For most people, hard cider isn’t their first drink of choice. That beverage is beer. My goal with this hard cider recipe was to make a cider that would appeal to the beer drinker. While hard cider is fermented like beer, it’s not generally brewed. Brewing involves the use of hot water like making a … Continue reading Making Cider Lite Hard Cider

Making Silver Sun Hard Cider

Silver Sun Hard Cider by Prickly Apple Cider I often make single variety hard ciders just to see what I will get. The worse case is that I don’t like how it turns out so I blend it with another cider or with an adjunct. With some apple varieties, I already have a good idea … Continue reading Making Silver Sun Hard Cider

Making Bitter Red Hard Cider

Bitter Red Hard Cider Recipe

Bitter Red Hard Cider By Prickly Apple Cider I have a friend whose family has an organic cranberry bog. Every year, he gives me several pounds of cranberries. My wife bakes with them as well as uses them for our Thanksgiving cranberry sauce. Naturally, I make hard cider with them. Cranberries are tart and astringent: … Continue reading Making Bitter Red Hard Cider