Homebrew cider isn't hard to make, you simply need apples or a high quality unpreserved any fruit juice, a great recipe and a few fundamental wine-making equipment. There are lots of specific apple varieties referred to as cider apples but it might be nearly impossible to find the precise right variety unless of course you reside near an orchard. It's even more complicated to call the best Cider pears. For the reason that situation you might want to accept any decent apples/pears in the supermarket. In situation you opt for apple or pear juice - make certain it's not preserved, or else you will obtain a fermentation problem.
The fundamental recipe for cider contains:
- Apples or pears (sliced and pressed)
- Yeast (wine yeast, or better a cider yeast if you're able to locate one )
If you're making still cider, you can it in the finish of fermentation, utilizing a homebrew stabiliser sachet (potassium sorbate and sodium metabisulphite), or by utilizing campden tablets. The benefit of this is your cider will remain fresh and unoxidised for extended and it'll be also easy to give a fining agent to have it very obvious. For sparkling cider, you can't add preservative as you may need a secondary fermentation within the bottles (or even the keg - Rotokeg or similar). You'll still rack them back and take away just as much sediment as possible before bottling, but you can't make use of a fining agent as you would like some quantity of yeast left inside for that secondary fermentation to occur.
Cider recipe with sweetener
For still ciders, you'll be able to add sweeteners for example honey, or any fruit juice following the fermentation for any better balanced cider (otherwise it might be bone dry). For any sparkling cider again, you cannot do this because it would certainly ferment away. If you prefer a final sweetness within the sparkling cider, you may either use unfermentable sugars (hard to call), or make use of a cider yeast having a sweetener added (non-fermentable). The Greater Brew range offers one of these simple (obtainable in most homebrew shops).
Magnum Cider making kits
The Magnum cider package range includes a special cider yeast with sweetener incorporated. This can ensure a medium degree of final sweetness, stopping the ciders from fermenting lower to bone dry. This is an abnormally fully flavoured selection of ciders for homebrew kits. Most homebrew specialists stock this range however if you simply aren't able to find it, contact Hambleton Bard Homebrew for the nearest full-range homebrew supplier stocking homebrew cider making kits.
