Homemade Hard Apple Cider
 

So I got a TON of apples from a guy I did some work for off all his trees. So I decided to get the cider press my dad built out and smash them up.

He built the whole thing out of pallet wood and aluminum stock at work about 10 years ago. He only ordered the grinder.

Pics:
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Theres the honda riding lawn tractor going on 21+ years old.
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After smashing about 4 gallons worth I went to work adding sugar:

I simply heated the cider up but did not boil it. I added a bunch of sugar and let it cool slightly.

Then I added some yeast to it. I didn't use brewers yeast or anything special, just simple bread yeast. I've read it's fine to do that and that different yeasts give a slightly different flavor.

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I put it all in a watercooler jug. I simply threaded a brass pipe fitting and hose barb into the cap where the water cooler plug is supposed to go. then ran some vinyl line into a bottle of water to act as an air lock. So far it's working excellent as the cider has been fermenting. It lets a bubble of c02 out ever couple seconds.

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This is the first time I've ever brewed it. So we'll see how it comes out in a few weeks. I'm going to bottle it all using a really old school bottler and some 22 oz bottles. I'm pretty confident it will come out decent.

Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
 

Make sure you filter that ---- very well... bread yeast left in there will taste like HIV infested ass. A buddy of mine has an uncle that makes beer with bread yeast including porters and other such strong things. They're good, until you get near the bottom of the bottle and there's chunks of nasty ---- because it wasn't filtered well. Makes me almost want to throw up thinking about it.

Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
 

Looks more like chocolate milk than cider.

Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
 

Give it time, JD... give it time...

I need to do this sometime. There's a farmer's market nearby that sells big bags of bakers yeast for super cheap. The stuff is like a half pound bag for under $2. You can't get it for that at Walmart, not even close. I have a bag of yeasties I need to put to good use.

Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
 

lol yeah this is hard core stuff. Not the ----- filtered cider in stores. Fresh, it tastes like magic.

Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
 

My friend used to do that with fruit but he called it brandy. We would start out filtering a gallon or so figuring it would be plenty for the night. One of the last fuzzy memories would be siphoning straight out of the big container too drunk to filter properly just trying not to suck up the garbage at the bottom. ---- wasn't the best flavor but fucked you up.
Was always like a real life version of 'dude where's my car' in the morning learning of the stupid ---- that took place in the days after

Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
 

I wasn't mocking, it just looks like chocolate milk. I guess the sediment settles over time? Post progress pics over time?

Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
 

shouldnt that jug be somewhere dar?? didnt think it would ferment properly if it was left in direct light..

Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
 

If i were you i would boil the cider before fermenting. There are all sorts of bacteria and wild yeasts on the apples. You want your yeast to do the fermenting not the other things. By boiling you kill them and then add your yeast. The wild strains may give it a more sour, lambic style flavor. Since the apples have lots of sugar and you added even more you might want to consider a champaign yeast that can survive at higher alcohol contents. I think you might end up killing the yeast due to the high alcohol content before all of the sugars are converted. Finally, plastic is a great start but if you plan to do it again you should spend $20 on a glass carboy. They are easier to clean and sanitize. Some people also say plastic leaves and aftertaste but i have never noticed it. Are you planning on bottling? If so, you should clean and sanitize all of the bottles then add a small amount of sugar right before bottling. That way the leftover yeast will ferment the sugar and naturally carbonate it for you. As TorganFM pointed out natural fermentation will leave yeast in the bottom of the bottle. It isn't an issue of filtering as that yeast is a product of the second phase of fermentation for natural carbonation.

I have been homebrewing for a while and am finally set up with a C02 setup so i can artificially carbonate and keg my beer. I will have to post some pictures of my kegerator. I just finished brewing an Oktoberfest and have a Brown Ale on tap.

It looks great! It must be nice to have access to that much natural fruit. Oh, and that press is tits.

Re: Homemade Hard Apple Cider
 

That plastic jug might make it taste a little weird. I need to get in on this. I love hard cider and apples are dirt cheep here.