How to Make Hard Cider

The base of your hard cider will be 1 gallon of natural apple juice. You will need a total of one gallon (3.8L) of juice that is without preservatives and 100% natural. Review the ingredient label on your bottled juice and be sure to avoid preservatives like Potassium Sorbate or Potassium Metabisulfite. Such ingredients will prevent fermentation altogether. Ascorbic Acid is okay, it is just another name for Vitamin C.   

Avoid “Lite” juice, as this is usually made with non-fermentable sugars and won’t be able to produce a hard cider.

You can use name brand or store brand apple juice or apple cider. Feel free to use unfiltered apple cider from an apple orchard! Clear juices will produce clear finished hard cider, while hazy ciders will produce hazy hard ciders. 

Get creative with apple and fruit juice blends, like Cran-Apple juice. As long as you use at least 50% apple juice, you can use up to 50% of another juice. Here are some examples:

• 0.5 gallon of apple juice + 0.5 gallon of tart cherry juice
• 0.75 gallon of apple juice + 0.25 gallon peach juice

Yeast is a living organism that is technically a fungus. It grows and multiplies by eating the sugar in the juice, converting the sugar to alcohol and then releasing CO2 (yeast will eventually help to carbonate your cider). The Craft a Brew Hard Cider Kit includes a standard Ale Yeast that is well suited for fermenting hard ciders. It produces subtle fruity and floral notes in the finished product.

Do not use bread yeast or baking yeast, as these are not suitable hard cider ingredients. Bread yeast is not designed to produce alcohol content.

A 1 gallon carboy is where your apple juice and yeast become mead. A rubber stopper plugs the neck to maintain a proper seal. A carboy  is included in our basic Hard Cider Kit.

An airlock creates a barrier between your cider and the outside world. When filled with water, an airlock allows CO2 to escape the fermenter while keeping oxygen, dust and other contaminants in the air from getting in. An airlock is included in our Hard Cider Kit.

A racking cane is a rigid plastic tube that is submerged into your mead to start a siphon transfer. Whenever transferring hard cider, you should never pour it from one vessel into another. This technique helps lift mead up off of sediment. A racking cane is included in our Hard Cider Kit.

Transfer tubing connects to your racking cane (or mini auto siphon) to help transfer hard cider from your fermenter into bottles. A tube clamp allows you to start and stop the flow of liquid. Transfer tubing & a tube clamp are included in our Hard Cider Kit.

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.

After fermentation, your hard cider will need to be bottled for carbonation and for safe long term storage. A gallon of hard cider will fill eight 16 oz bottles or ten 12 oz bottles. We personally love flip top or Grolsch style bottles, since they don’t require any caps or capping tools. But you can certainly use pry off beer bottles and crown caps.

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.

Proper sanitation is the most important step of the hard cider making process. Yeast is the only organism you want coming in contact with your apple juice. Any other bacteria can quickly spread, making the cider undrinkable. The sanitizer packet included with this kit contains enough solution for both step 1 and step 14. You’ll use only HALF of the packet each time you sanitize equipment, mixing the powder with 1 gallon of tap water. Equipment does not need to be rinsed after soaking in this sanitizing solution. Simply let components dry on fresh paper towels.

1. After you sanitize your equipment for fermentation you will add one gallon (3.8L) of apple juice directly to the carboy using the included funnel.

2. Next, add one packet of dry yeast to the juice in the carboy.

3. Take your sanitized rubber stopper and plug up the top. Now you need to make sure the yeast has oxygen to multiply so you will need to aerate the juice. Take your clean thumb and place it over the top of the rubber stopper hole. Shake the carboy vigorously for over a minute.

4. Take out your airlock and remove the cap. Fill it with water up to the “fill line,” place the cap back on & gently insert into the rubber stopper. Gently place stopper into the carboy.

5. Keep the carboy in a cool 60°-75°F (15°-23°C) dark place for 10 days to ferment. After 10 days your cider will be ready to bottle, just make sure airlock activity has stopped before bottling.

1. Rinse bottles with warm water to wash away any sediment or dust.

2. Mix the remaining HALF of your sanitizer packet with a gallon (3.8L) of tap water. Soak your bottling equipment (bottles, caps, racking cane, tubing & a spoon) for 60 seconds to sanitize. No need to rinse. Let dry on fresh paper towels, though equipment doesn’t need to be completely dry before you begin.

3. In a large stock pot, that can hold at least a gallon, add 1.5 cups (355 mL) water and exactly 2 Tablespoons (29 mL) of table sugar. This is called priming sugar. It gives the yeast fuel to carbonate your cider in bottles. Heat the water on medium-high heat and stir in the sugar until fully dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes. Cover & let completely cool.

4. Once the pot and sugar water are completely cool it is now time to siphon the cider from your carboy into the pot. This transfer helps leave sediment behind in the carboy. To start a siphon, get a bowl of fresh, clean water. Attach the tube clamp to one end of the tubing then submerge the tubing in the water to completely fill with liquid.

Next, close the clamp and attach the non-clamped end to the racking cane. Now you have a siphon starter.  

5. Be sure to place the carboy high up on a table or counter. Place the pot much lower than the carboy (on a chair or on the ground) - gravity and distance are important. Attach the black filter tip

to the end of the racking cane. Remove the airlock and rubber stopper. Insert the cane into the carboy, making sure the end is far enough away from sediment so as not to suck it up. Hold the clamped end of the tube low to the ground over a glass or bowl and unclamp to drain the water & start the siphon. Clamp down once cider begins to flow out of the end.

6. Now hold the clamped end over your pot of priming sugar and unclamp to transfer the cider. Once transferred, mix gently to distribute the sugar.

7. Now place the pot up high and the bottles as low as you can. Repeat steps 4-5 to siphon cider from the pot into bottles. Fill each bottle to where the neck starts, cap & repeat.

8. Store the bottles in a dark place with a temperature between 68°-75°F (20°-23°C) for 10 days to allow the cider to carbonate.

After 10 days, move bottles to the fridge to lock in the carbonation. Leaving bottles at room temp beyond 10 days poses risks of over-carbonation or “bottle bombs.” Enjoy within 6 months for optimal flavors.

You don’t need to press your own apples to make hard cider! You can make hard cider using store-bought apple juice, as long as it is 100% juice and preservative-free (avoid potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate). Many homebrewers prefer unfiltered apple cider for a more traditional, full-bodied result.

If your airlock isn't bubbling after 24-48 hours, here are some possible reasons and solutions:

• Check the juice – Make sure it doesn’t contain preservatives that could inhibit yeast activity.
• Temperature issue – Yeast works best between 60-75°F (15-24°C). If it's too cold, move the fermenter to a warmer spot.
• Oxygenate the juice – Shake the fermenter for a minute to introduce oxygen, which helps yeast thrive.

Since fermentation converts sugar into alcohol, cider naturally finishes dry. To make it sweeter, consider these options:

• Backsweetening with non-fermentable sugar – After fermentation, add 2 Tablespoons of a non-fermentable sugar like erythritol to each bottle before filling with fermented cider. DO NOT add fermentable sugar, like honey, juice, white sugar, etc. to bottles - the yeast in the cider will ferment these sugars and can create dangerous bottle bombs.
• Juice blending – Pour a splash of  fresh apple juice into your glass of hard cider before drinking.

Apples and other fruits have natural pectins, which can create haze in the finished product. Sediment or yeast can also create a hazy appearance if the fermenter or bottle are agitated. Here’s how to clear it up:

• Cold crashing – Store the fermenter in the fridge for 2-3 days before bottling to allow sediment to settle.
• Use pectic enzyme – Adding this before fermentation helps break down pectins that cause haze.
• Why is my cider flat after bottling?

If your cider didn’t carbonate, check these potential issues:

• No priming sugar added – Sugar is needed for yeast to produce CO₂.
• Bottle caps or seals are loose – If bottles are not properly sealed, CO2 can escape instead of being forced into the cider.
• Temperature too cold – Bottles should be stored at room temperature for proper carbonation. If they do not have 10 days at room temperature to carbonate, yeast won’t be able to convert priming sugar into carbon dioxide.

After it is sufficiently carbonated, your bottled hard cider should be stored in the refrigerator. This keeps yeast dormant so they don’t continue to ferment. This also preserves the cider’s flavor and freshness. Once chilled, we suggest enjoying your hard cider within 6-12 months for the best possible flavors. 

The easiest way to make a sweeter homemade hard cider: erythritol. Erythritol is a non-fermentable sugar ideal for adding sweetness to bottle-carbonated beverages, like hard ciders. Because yeast can't break down or ferment this sugar it won’t trigger re-fermentation, which makes it safe to add directly to bottles on bottling day.

On bottling day, add 1 - 2 Tablespoons of non-fermentable erythritol to each 12-16 oz bottle before topping with hard cider. Proceed with carbonation as usual!

Adding spices to the fermenter is a simple way to add unique flavors. After 2 days of fermentation add 2 whole cinnamon sticks directly to the carboy, continue to ferment and bottle as usual. Get creative with mulling spices, cloves, or even star anise!

Another way to customize your hard cider is with fruit. If adding fruit to your cider, be sure to add less than a full gallon of juice to your carboy. Blend a few peaches or a few handfuls of berries until they become a thin puree, add water if necessary. Strain this mixture through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer. Boil for 5 minutes, let cool and add directly to the carboy. Top off with more apple juice as needed to reach the one gallon fill line. Proceed with fermentation and bottling as usual.