How To: Hard Apple Cider With Ginger and Lemon From Scratch(ish)

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey adds a unique flavor while brown sugar is more economical.

yeast

💰Cheaper: bread yeast

Bread yeast is more accessible and works in fermentation.

hops

💰Cheaper: bittering agents

Bittering agents can provide similar flavors at a lower cost.

spices

💰Cheaper: cinnamon

Cinnamon is a common spice that adds flavor without high costs.

Grind the apples using the Maximizer.

Press the apple pulp to extract juice, yielding about 2.5 gallons.

Supplement the pressed juice with 1 gallon of store-bought apple cider.

Peel 3 pounds of ginger and juice it.

Add the apple juice and ginger juice to the kettle.

Add agave syrup to boost fermentable sugar content.

Bruise lemongrass stalks to release oils and add to the mixture.

Heat the mixture to a pasteurization temperature of 170 degrees.

Cool the mixture down to 80 degrees before adding yeast.

Pitch the yeast into the cooled mixture and transfer to a fermentation chamber set to 63 degrees.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary