How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar

You’ll need to source one gallon of natural apple juice that is without preservatives. Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) is okay, but be sure to check the ingredient label for Potassium Sorbate or Sodium Benzoate. These preservatives are intended to inhibit yeast or other organisms from thriving, which will prevent fermentation. You can use filtered or unfiltered apple juice from the store. You can also use fresh-pressed juice from a local farm, cider mill, or your backyard apple tree!

One of the most important Apple Cider Vinegar ingredients is the apple juice itself. It’s crucial to use the juice from apples - and NOT apple scraps - if you want a strong homemade vinegar similar to your favorite store bought brand.

Yeast is a living organism that is technically a fungus. It grows and multiplies by eating the sugar in apple juice, converting those sugars into alcohol. You need to use yeast that is specifically designed for fermenting hard cider. Bread yeast or baking yeast should not be used, as they are not designed for producing alcohol. Remember: vinegar is made from alcohol, so you need to use yeast that’s intended for hard cider-making.  Our Apple Cider Vinegar Kit includes a 2g packet of Standard Ale Yeast, which produces a hard cider with ~5% ABV.

Mother of Vinegar, often referred to as the “Mother,” is essentially previously fermented vinegar that’s full of good bacteria, yeast and other microorganisms. The Mother may sometimes include cellulose solids, clumps of yeast or other sediment. Just as yeast converts sugars into alcohol, the Mother converts alcohol into acetic acid. A healthy, strong Mother is important for turning Hard Apple Cider into Apple Cider Vinegar. If you’re familiar with Kombucha, the Mother is similar to a SCOBY. Just like a SCOBY, the Mother is harvested and reused for future fermentations.

Apple Cider Vinegar involves two rounds of fermentation - alcoholic fermentation and vinegar fermentation - so you’ll need a jar that’s up for both tasks. Our Apple Cider Vinegar making kit includes a one gallon glass jar with handy features, like a tapered jar lip for easy pouring and volume markers for quick measuring. 

Apple Cider Vinegar fermentation requires oxygen exposure and open air flow. Oxygen is an essential part of the process of turning alcohol into vinegar. This is why a wide mouth jar and a cloth cover are used instead of a traditional carboy, rubber stopper and airlock. A wide opening and a tight weave cloth cover lets oxygen through, while keeping dust or fruit flies out of the fermenter. Our Apple Cider Vinegar Kit includes an elastic cloth jar cover that’s easy to install and remove as needed. You can also use other tight weave, yet breathable fabric or material, like a bandana, a tea towel or a coffee filter. Cheesecloth is not recommended as a jar cover - the loose weave will allow fruit flies and other particles to pass through.

After your homemade Apple Cider Vinegar is finished fermenting, it’s important to bottle it for long term storage. You’ll need eight 16 oz bottles per gallon batch. Bottles should have a good, air tight seal. We personally recommend flip top bottles or Grolsch style bottles. You can also use other glass, plastic or non-reactive containers with a good seal. Apple Cider Vinegar is highly acidic, which may not be ideal for long term contact with certain metal or aluminum containers.

A funnel is a useful tool when it is time to bottle your Apple Cider Vinegar. It helps prevent messes and ensures an efficient bottling day.

Most importantly, you’ll need a sanitizing solution in order to prepare all of the items listed above for fermentation! A powdered no-rinse sanitizer is included with our Apple Cider Vinegar making kit. When dissolved in water, it creates a solution in which you can soak your fermentation jar, cloth cover, bottles & funnel prior to contact with ingredients. Sanitizing is one of the most important steps in the process. It helps rid your equipment of any contaminants, wild yeats or foreign bacteria that would otherwise spoil the batch.

Sanitation

First you must sanitize your equipment. This is considered the most important step in this Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe. You’ll do this by preparing a gallon of sanitizing solution to soak everything that will touch your apple juice and yeast. If you have our Apple Cider Vinegar making kit, locate the sanitizer packet. Add HALF of the contents of the sanitizer packet and add a gallon of water to your fermentation jar. Stir to dissolve. If using another type of sanitizer, such as Star San, follow the instructions on the packaging. Add the elastic cloth cover to the jar of sanitizing solution and let everything soak for at least 60 seconds to sufficiently prepare equipment for fermentation. Discard the liquid (safe to pour down the sink) and let the jar and cloth cover dry on fresh paper towels, though they don’t need to be completely dry before you begin.

Begin Alcoholic Fermentation

Apple Cider Vinegar begins with Hard Apple Cider. To make hard cider you’ll add yeast to apple juice. The yeast will convert sugars in the juice into alcohol during fermentation. Eventually, this alcohol will be converted into acetic acid during Vinegar Fermentation (step 8).

1. Pour apple juice into the glass jar until you reach the 1 gallon fill line on the jar. Most juice brands over fill their bottles, so you will likely have leftover juice. 
2. Tear open the yeast packet & add the entire contents to the jar. No need to stir or mix, the yeast will re-hydrate and begin fermentation within 12-48 hours.
3. Place the elastic cloth cover on the jar. This will allow CO2 (a byproduct of fermentation) to escape, all while keeping fruit flies and dust out of your fermentation.
4. Store the jar out of direct sunlight & away from produce, plants, compost or other fermentation projects. Maintain a temperature between 68 - 75o F. Ferment for 12 days. You’ll observe some fizzing, bubbles and foam forming at the surface during fermentation. It’s okay if some foam touches the cloth cover. If it does remove, rinse & re-attach the cover.Begin Alcoholic Fermentation

Harvest the Yeast

After 12 days of fermentation, you’ll need to separate the yeast from the cider before adding the Mother. You can harvest this yeast and re-use it for future fermentations instead of sourcing new dry yeast for your next batch.

1. First you'll need to sanitize a large bowl or pitcher that can hold a gallon of liquid. Dissolve the remaining contents of the sanitizer packet with a gallon of water in the bowl or pitcher. Remove the cloth cover from the jar and add to the sanitizing solution. Let everything soak for at least 60 seconds. Discard the liquid & set the cloth cover aside.
2. Slowly pour the hard cider into the now-sanitized bowl or pitcher, leaving about 1 cup of the cider and all of the sediment behind in the jar.
3. In the jar, swirl the sediment and remaining cup of hard cider to create a slurry. To harvest the yeast, pour the slurry into a mason jar or container with a lid. If you do not wish to harvest the yeast, simply discard this slurry.

Immediately store the yeast slurry in a sealed container in the fridge until you’re ready to make a future batch of hard cider. If left at room temp, the yeast will continue to ferment and the container could burst. When you ferment your next hard cider simply use this yeast starter instead of dry yeast on step 2 of this Apple Cider Vinegar recipe.

Begin Vinegar Fermentation

Now it’s time to introduce the Mother to your hard cider. The probiotic bacteria in the Mother will convert the alcohol into acetic acid to create vinegar! This fermentation is much slower and less active than the previous alcoholic fermentation.

1. Now that the fermentation jar is empty add the entire bag of the Mother - liquid & sediment - to the fermentation jar. 
2. Carefully pour the hard cider back into the jar to reach the 1 gallon fill line. Do not overfill. Stir with a clean spoon, for at least 1 minute, to provide oxygen for fermentation. 
3. Place the sanitized cloth cover back on the jar. 
4. Let ferment for 3-5 weeks. Store the jar out of direct sunlight & away from produce, plants, compost or other fermentation projects. Maintain a temperature between 68 - 750 F. A warmer temp of 750 F will help accelerate the fermentation process, while cooler temps will slow it down. 
5. As vinegar fermentation progresses the pH will drop and the solution will become more tart and acidic. Your taste buds are often the best indication of when your vinegar is ready to bottle. After 3 weeks of fermentation, you can taste your vinegar every few days until the flavor is to your liking. (If you prefer your vinegar less tart, taste test after 2 weeks). A thin jelly-like film may form at the surface of the vinegar. This is called a pellicle and is totally normal.

Harvest the Mother

After vinegar fermentation you now have Apple Cider Vinegar! Before you bottle it, you’ll need to harvest the Mother to use in future vinegar fermentations.

1. Remove the elastic cloth cover from the jar.
2. If a pellicle develops, use clean hands to remove it from the jar and place in a clean container with a lid.
3. Pour at least 1 cup, or up to 2 cups, of your fermented vinegar into the container along with the pellicle. Together, these are a vinegar Mother and will be used to start your next batch of Apple Cider Vinegar.
4. Seal the ACV Mother (liquid and pellicle) and store at room temperature until you’re ready to use again.

Bottling Your Apple Cider Vinegar

Now that you’ve harvested the Mother, it’s time to bottle and finally enjoy your homemade Apple Cider Vinegar.

1. Gather the bottles you’ll use to store your vinegar. Give them a thorough wash with soap and water. Rinse well.
2. Using the included funnel, pour ACV into each bottle leaving a little headspace.
3. Seal the bottles and store in a cool dark place (if you plan to enjoy within 3 months). If you don’t plan to use your vinegar that soon, store in the fridge to retain flavors.
4. You may have sediment & extra vinegar remaining in the jar after you’ve bottled. Add them to the container with the Mother (liquid and pellicle). 
5. Your vinegar is now ready to enjoy!

Starting Your Next Batch

Whenever you’re ready to make more Apple Cider Vinegar, all you’ll need is another gallon of apple juice. You’ll follow these instructions again, using the harvested cider yeast at step 2 (or a fresh packet of dry yeast) and using your reserved ACV Mother at step 8.

Craft a Brew’s Apple Cider Vinegar Kit includes reusable fermentation equipment & ingredients in one box so you don’t have to shop around. With one kit you can make countless batches of ACV!

Be sure to avoid apple juice that contains preservatives like Sodium Benzoate or Potassium Sorbate. These ingredients will prevent alcoholic fermentation - an important step in the vinegar making process.

Yes, this is totally normal! A layer of slimy cellulose may form in the fermenter. This is called a pellicle. It might float at the surface or may take form as clumps of slime or sediment at the bottom of the fermenter. This is all considered part of the vinegar Mother and is a natural byproduct of fermentation.

When your vinegar is ready to bottle, be sure to reserve 1-2 cups of vinegar from your fermenter, along with any pellicle or sediment. Together, these are considered the Mother. Store them in a sealed container at room temperature until you’re ready to use. Don’t refrigerate the Mother, this can stunt the good bacteria needed for future fermentations.