How to Make Hard Cider in Three Easy Steps

yeast

🥗Healthier: wild yeast

💰Cheaper: bread yeast

Wild yeast can create unique flavors, while bread yeast is more accessible.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: corn syrup

Honey adds complexity, while corn syrup is often cheaper.

Clean and sanitize your fermenter using a product like Easy Clean or One-Step.

Select your juice, ensuring it is pasteurized and free from stabilizers like sulfites, sorbate, or benzoate.

Add the selected juice to your sanitized fermenter.

Choose your yeast; options include Red Star Cote de Blanc, Y yeast 4766, White Labs 775, or others.

Pitch the yeast into the fermenter with the juice.

If desired, add additional sugar to boost alcohol content, using options like corn sugar, table sugar, brown sugar, or Belgian candy sugar.

Consider adding fresh fruit or spices for flavor, but be cautious of wild yeast on the fruit.

Wait one to two weeks for fermentation to finish before bottling.

If bottling, add priming sugar and wait another one to two weeks for carbonation.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary