Question about hard cider...

[Wingnut]

Years ago, a brother of mine who lives in Virginia told me that some folks would leave gallon jugs of apple cider on the back step, and in due time that cider would ferment (or whatever) and turn into hard cider. Can anybody here verify this claim? My brother is no liar, I just wonder if he heard someone else say this... I would very much like to try this method if it works, since hard cider is so expensive in stores. Does the cider have to be raw, or will pasteurized cider also turn hard and become alcoholic in due time? Reason I ask, I have all the room in the world here for jugs of cider, and I'll buy two dozen of the goldurned gallon jugs if they'll eventually turn into the good stuff, lol. Well, I like regular cider too, it's mighty tasty, but hard cider is great over the holidays, lol. I suppose I should do a little web research on this subject, as seasonal jugs of cider are on sale now at the store... wouldn't wanna miss an opportunity to get some hard cider at a reasonable price, even if I gotta wait two months for it to turn, aye?

P.S. Here are some bonus shots of the censorship crew... still on the job, as you can see, lol.

 

[Spikedriver]

It can be done with homemade apple cider. I've never heard of using store bought cider but if it's raw, I suppose it should work.

To my understanding it should be left in a warm, dark place to ferment. Take all this with a grain of salt, as I have never made hard cider. But my brother built a press with a hand operated hydraulic cylinder, actually a porta-power from the hardware store, and he makes around 30 or 40 gallons of raw cider a year. He doesn't drink alcohol, but he gives about half of his raw cider away every year as gifts and I know for a fact that some of it gets "transformed" by the recipient...

 

[Magus]

Add a cup of powdered sugar, let ferment 2-3 weeks, put it in a straight walled bucket and cover it, then set it out overnight to freeze, in the morning, remove the ice, the alcohol infused stuff thats left will kick your butt!

 

[Magus]

Ice brewing.
Works on home brew beer too.

 

[Wingnut]

I'm gonna look into this on the web... I've always liked apple cider, and hard apple cider too, so it's worth checking the web. Y'all know I'm a cheap b@stard, and if I can save money by going this route, I'm gonna do it! In the past, I've been known to stretch a dollar from San Diego clear to Bangor, Maine, lol. Y'all know how expensive that hard cider is in the store, I bet I can find some raw unfiltered cider here somewhere and give it a day in court, maybe a month or two, lol...

 

[Spikedriver]

If you're creative you could buy apples from a local orchard or just somebody who has a few trees, and if you can figure out a press you can juice them yourself. Depending on how ripe and juicy they are, it can take more or less apples than you'd expect. (I'd advise against Granny Smith apples!) My grandpa and his brother had a press built of 4x4 wood frame with 2x4 for a chute that the juice ran down into the spout. The mechanism was a screw with a long handle so you could really apply some leverage to it.

(Hint: if you build one, invest in a tarp to cover it when not in use. If kept in a shed, birds will roost on it and leave deposits. Since you have kitties, if you keep it indoors...well, let's just say the tarp will keep their fur and their poopy litter box feet off it.)

 

[Neb]

I attended a beer brewing event and one fellow presented on collecting and using wild yeast. He put screen covered jars of sugar water in his garden to collect the yeast and keep critters out of it.

My wife and thought I agreed he may have consumed too many wild yeasts for his own good.

I would think an air lock is useful to at least let you know when it is done fermenting.

Ben

 

[Spikedriver]

I attended a beer brewing event and one fellow presented on collecting and using wild yeast. He put screen covered jars of sugar water in his garden to collect the yeast and keep critters out of it.

My wife and thought I agreed he may have consumed too many wild yeasts for his own good.

I would think an air lock is useful to at least let you know when it is done fermenting.

Ben

Most internet instructions use an air lock. I have read that Apple skins have enough natural yeast to do the trick, but slower and with less consistent results.

 

[Neb]

Ben

 

[Magus]

I'm gonna look into this on the web... I've always liked apple cider, and hard apple cider too, so it's worth checking the web. Y'all know I'm a cheap b@stard, and if I can save money by going this route, I'm gonna do it! In the past, I've been known to stretch a dollar from San Diego clear to Bangor, Maine, lol. Y'all know how expensive that hard cider is in the store, I bet I can find some raw unfiltered cider here somewhere and give it a day in court, maybe a month or two, lol...

Make your own "tuti fruity" a gallon of apple peelings, a gallon of peach peelings, a pint of grape juice simmered for an hour in clean water, remove the peels, strain, add extra sugar and do like the cider.

 

[Magus]

You can also water this mix down and add 6-8 tea bags and make home made "Snapple".

 

[Caribou]

Make your own "tuti fruity" a gallon of apple peelings, a gallon of peach peelings, a pint of grape juice simmered for an hour in clean water, remove the peels, strain, add extra sugar and do like the cider.

Equal parts water and fruit?

 

[Wingnut]

Wow, you guys have been helpful... I've been yakkin' on the phone with a good friend, lol. I AM gonna look this up later tonight, I'm trying to figure out whether someone can just store gallon jugs till they turn, ya know? Maybe add some yeast or other ingredient(s) first, then cap 'em and let 'em sit till the cider turns hard, lol. I only broached this subject because I saw a huge seasonal display of cider jugs at the store, and they reminded me of how expensive the goldurned hard cider is, aye? The 'Angry Orchard' cider is pretty good, but it's expensive to a cheap b@stard like me, lol. Neb, I will view that video in a bit, and thank you kindly for posting it... same holds for all who replied, I appreciate the input!

 

[dademoss]

Wow, you guys have been helpful... I've been yakkin' on the phone with a good friend, lol. I AM gonna look this up later tonight, I'm trying to figure out whether someone can just store gallon jugs till they turn, ya know? Maybe add some yeast or other ingredient(s) first, then cap 'em and let 'em sit till the cider turns hard, lol. I only broached this subject because I saw a huge seasonal display of cider jugs at the store, and they reminded me of how expensive the goldurned hard cider is, aye? The 'Angry Orchard' cider is pretty good, but it's expensive to a cheap b@stard like me, lol. Neb, I will view that video in a bit, and thank you kindly for posting it... same holds for all who replied, I appreciate the input!

DO NOT cap em tight, when yeast ferments, it produces 2 things, alcohol and CO2, thats why people use an airlock. You will be way ahead to do it "right", with a nice known yeast and an airlock.

Use cider without any preservatives.

 

[Wingnut]

Thanks, Dademoss, I will keep that in mind if and when I do this... I haven't even gotten around to searching the web yet, I'm having too much fun looking at posts here at this site, including Hashbrown's monster bud pile, lol.

 

[Wingnut]

Okay, I spoke too soon, I'll watch a movie in a moment, I searched the web and found a truckload of info about making hard cider, and here's what I gleaned from multiple websites:

1) Yes, I can use pasteurized apple cider from the store, but hopefully it won't have any preservatives, which are undesirable for whatever reason in the fermenting process.

2) I'll need yeast, a "screw-top stopper" which will take some rubber tubing as a "blow-off" for excess CO2, and an airlock for later in the process. Not sure if I got all this right, so bear with me.

3) There are some more complicated methods of making & bottling hard cider, but I'm only interested in fermenting gallon jugs of cider and refrigerating them afterward, or somehow "sealing" them as if they were "bottled."

4) Apple cider does naturally contain some yeast, though all the websites said to add yeast to cider to aid in the fermentation... I reckon it expedites the whole process.

If what my brother told me is true, and some folks had cider turn hard just by letting the jugs sit on the back step, well, I reckon the lesser amount of natural yeast in the cider didn't create enough CO2 to blow the tops off the jugs?

Meh, that's enough for now, I've had a long yet productive day and I'm ready to sit on the leather sofa and watch a movie, lol... but I think I'm onto something with this hard cider production. Gonna look into it "harder" tomorrow...

Y'all have a good night, tomorrow's another day... sometimes ya just gotta take one day at a time, and keep an eye on the future so things don't go downhill in a big ol' hurry, lol. Got enough globalist-sponsored BS to deal with as it is...

Y'ALL HANG LOOSE, I'LL BE BACK LATER LIKE A BAD RASH TO CONTINUE THIS CONVO, AYE???

 

[freelove]

When I was a kid the cider wasn't pasteurized and no preservatives were added. It was sold in glass gallon jugs locally. My Mom and Dad bought cider every year and it fermented just enough to be fizzy before we finished it. We always kept the top loose. One time someone forgot and tightened the top. In the night we heard a loud noise, but thought it was outside. In the morning we found out that one of the jugs of cider exploded and there was glass everywhere and the kitchen was splattered with sticky cider. The glass shards were even embedded in the ceiling. If it hadn't been in the night when we were in bed someone could have been seriously hurt.

 

[Wingnut]

Somehow that reminds me of the time when my dad was using a pressure cooker in the kitchen, and the lid blew sky-high and bounced off the ceiling, lol. Put a ding in the ceiling too, it hit that hard... had anybody been in the way of that piece of flying shrapnel, that person probably would've been seriously injured or killed, lol.

Later today, I'm gonna pull more research into making cider... find out where I can get those items needed to make it properly. Rubber tubing shouldn't be hard to find, but the "screw-top stopper" and the airlock might be more difficult here in the boondocks. Might have to order those items and have 'em sent to my home.

 

[VThillman]

Add a cup of powdered sugar, let ferment 2-3 weeks, put it in a straight walled bucket and cover it, then set it out overnight to freeze, in the morning, remove the ice, the alcohol infused stuff thats left will kick your butt!

That is pretty close to what Par used to do with a keg of sweet cider. It takes longer for a whiskey barrel (don't want to destroy the keg) of cider to freeze though. Say, Thanksgiving 'til the day before Christmas setting in a shed. It fermented in gallon jugs with a cork stopper, in the kitchen. When the cork stopped popping it was done fermenting.

[I'm pretty sure that was too simple for the details to be necessary . . .]

 

[Wingnut]

Well, that is just the sort of old school method I seek... I should be able to find corks without too much problem. I have plenty of room under the table in the kitchen, that's where the cats eat so I never use it for anything else, except to set down bags and unload groceries after store runs.

Now, a question about the yeast... do I even need it if some yeast occurs naturally in cider? I have plenty of yeast packets in my cupboard, I flush one every month for my septic system. I just looked at one of the packets, it's "active dry yeast"---is "brewer's yeast" different, and is THAT what I need? If I need it at all?

I guess I should start viewing some videos, starting with the one Neb posted. One website I checked yesterday said to use a 5-gallon bucket for fermenting, but I'd rather just use gallon jugs if possible... and somehow "seal" them afterward, as I won't have room in my fridge for so many jugs. I need to keep looking into this to see whether it's feasible...

Sure would be nice to make some hard cider and enjoy it over the holidays, without paying the whorehouse price for hard cider at the store, lol. If some hands in Virginia can make cider the way my brother described, then I should be able to pull it off... but I don't want any explosions or flying glass shards in the equation. No future in that, lol...

 

[Wingnut]

Whoa, I watched that CLASSIC cider-making video that Neb posted, that couple was hilarious! And they had it down too, that setup with the 5-gallon jug looked just my speed, lol. That glass (?) doohickey atop the jug, was THAT an airlock? I'll have to research airlocks next. I like how the guy added yeast and sugar... evidently, sugar will create "fizzy cider" and NO sugar will create "flat cider." I don't mind a little fizzy action, so I reckon I'll be using yeast & sugar in my effort to make cider.

My plan now is to buy a 5-gallon jug for fermenting, get an airlock (?) like the guy had in the video, and dump 5 separate gallons of ready-made cider (no preservatives) into the big jug, then add the yeast & sugar and attach the airlock (if that's what the guy had atop the large jug). Do you reckon that was a glass or plastic 5-gallon jug the guy was using, can anybody tell? It *looked* like plastic with those structural ribs, but maybe it was real glass? Kinda hard to tell...

Seems like glass would be the way to go, but if plastic doesn't affect the process, well, I know I can buy a 5-gallon plastic jug at Walmart, I've seen them on the front wall inside the store. I'll have to pull more research, lol. I don't want to use plastic if it affects the quality of the cider, you understand. If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna "do it right" as Dademoss says, lol. And if it works, I'm gonna do about 3 or 4 of those 5-gallon jugs NEXT year, lol. Meh, why not?

Sure would be nice to never pay the whorehouse price again for hard cider at the store... and a little sediment in my cider won't bother me at all, I used to drink Cooper's Ale with heaps of sediment at the bottom of each bottle, and THAT ale was delicious, lol. Thanks again, Neb, that video was quite entertaining, there was even a kitty cat in there! Those folks were doing things just the way I like, and my cycle shed will work perfectly for stashing big jugs while fermentation occurs.

 

[Neb]

Well, that is just the sort of old school method I seek... I should be able to find corks without too much problem. I have plenty of room under the table in the kitchen, that's where the cats eat so I never use it for anything else, except to set down bags and unload groceries after store runs.

Now, a question about the yeast... do I even need it if some yeast occurs naturally in cider? I have plenty of yeast packets in my cupboard, I flush one every month for my septic system. I just looked at one of the packets, it's "active dry yeast"---is "brewer's yeast" different, and is THAT what I need? If I need it at all?

I guess I should start viewing some videos, starting with the one Neb posted. One website I checked yesterday said to use a 5-gallon bucket for fermenting, but I'd rather just use gallon jugs if possible... and somehow "seal" them afterward, as I won't have room in my fridge for so many jugs. I need to keep looking into this to see whether it's feasible...

Sure would be nice to make some hard cider and enjoy it over the holidays, without paying the whorehouse price for hard cider at the store, lol. If some hands in Virginia can make cider the way my brother described, then I should be able to pull it off... but I don't want any explosions or flying glass shards in the equation. No future in that, lol...

As I wrote above wild yeast can work.

But...

You can't predict how strong it will be. Yeast is present in the air everywhere. It differs from place to place. The sourdough bread from San Francisco due to the yeast in that area.

Brewer's yeast is food ay producing alcohol. There must have been 50 varieties in the cooler the last time I was at the brewers supply place. Some dor beer others for red wine then white wine and others for vodka.

As the yeast ferments the spirits, the alcohol concentration increases. The yeast for vodka can survive higher alcohol concentrations.

If you have access to a brewing supply place ask what they suggest. I would guess yeast for making beer would be good guess to start.

Re:air locks

They are dirt cheap. They allow CO2 to escape and keep nasty stuff out. As the brew ferments the CO2 escapes as bubbles through the air lock. At first the bubbles are fast and steady. When the fermentation completes the bubbles slow and stop. The bubbles let you know the fermentation is done and safe to stop up.

Ben

 

[Wingnut]

Yes, I gleaned that from the video: when the bubbles stop, no more excess gas is being produced due to fermentation. Kinda like a high school chemistry experiment, lol. I don't think there are any brewer's supply joints here in Alamo, but I can check... wouldn't Walmart or Albertson's sell brewer's yeast? Or is that a specialty item they don't bother stocking? I will have to check and see... the airlock will probably be difficult to find here in the boondocks, I may have to order that online. I will check prices in a bit, it's time for a beer break. You suppose that couple in the video were Irish or English? I would guess Irish, but they were certainly humorous... and obviously partyers, lol. I like when the guy said the shed smelled like a pub, lol... my kinda guy. And I have that cycle shed which would be perfect for stashing large jugs during fermentation...

 

[Neb]

Whoa, I watched that CLASSIC cider-making video that Neb posted, that couple was hilarious! And they had it down too, that setup with the 5-gallon jug looked just my speed, lol. That glass (?) doohickey atop the jug, was THAT an airlock? I'll have to research airlocks next. I like how the guy added yeast and sugar... evidently, sugar will create "fizzy cider" and NO sugar will create "flat cider." I don't mind a little fizzy action, so I reckon I'll be using yeast & sugar in my effort to make cider.

My plan now is to buy a 5-gallon jug for fermenting, get an airlock (?) like the guy had in the video, and dump 5 separate gallons of ready-made cider (no preservatives) into the big jug, then add the yeast & sugar and attach the airlock (if that's what the guy had atop the large jug). Do you reckon that was a glass or plastic 5-gallon jug the guy was using, can anybody tell? It *looked* like plastic with those structural ribs, but maybe it was real glass? Kinda hard to tell...

Seems like glass would be the way to go, but if plastic doesn't affect the process, well, I know I can buy a 5-gallon plastic jug at Walmart, I've seen them on the front wall inside the store. I'll have to pull more research, lol. I don't want to use plastic if it affects the quality of the cider, you understand. If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna "do it right" as Dademoss says, lol. And if it works, I'm gonna do about 3 or 4 of those 5-gallon jugs NEXT year, lol. Meh, why not?

Sure would be nice to never pay the whorehouse price again for hard cider at the store... and a little sediment in my cider won't bother me at all, I used to drink Cooper's Ale with heaps of sediment at the bottom of each bottle, and THAT ale was delicious, lol. Thanks again, Neb, that video was quite entertaining, there was even a kitty cat in there! Those folks were doing things just the way I like, and my cycle shed will work perfectly for stashing big jugs while fermentation occurs.

I like his videos. Pretty sharp and creative for being so young.

I am sure there are some that would prefer glass over plastic but I have used 6 gallon plastic buckets. I have attempted;

Beer - successful

Vodka - failed when my makeshift still failed

Wine - when I killed the yeast... Bummer

I do have a 5 gallon glass demijohn (?) that I don't know where it came from... but never used it. It is heavy! It would be useful if you want to see through the side and make sure you are not siphoning out the dregs at the bottom.

I am far from an expert. Failed more than I succeeded. Watched a lot, read a lot, went to seminars. I know just enough to know what I don't know.

Please report your effort good or bad.

Ben

 

[Wingnut]

Yes, I certainly will... I'll post some pics of the operation once I gather everything I need. I'm gonna look for cider with no preservatives, the label on the jug I have in the fridge says that it contains less than .1% of potassium sorbate as a preservative... but I suppose that's enough to botch or hinder the fermentation process.

I know that some fruit ferments naturally, maybe after it falls from the tree... I remember seeing a video of an elephant which ate fermented fruit in Africa, and the critter was staggering drunk, lol. NOT what ya want in your living room, that's for sure, lol... I had enough trouble dealing with drunken humans at the old party house in Coronado, those fooliots!!!

"NO DRUNKEN ELEPHANTS, PUH-LEEZ!!!"

 

[dademoss]

Go take a peek here : Anybody makin' their own homemade wine? :D

Do your research.

Then, forge your own path forward and let us know how it goes.

 

[Neb]

Yes, I gleaned that from the video: when the bubbles stop, no more excess gas is being produced due to fermentation. Kinda like a high school chemistry experiment, lol. I don't think there are any brewer's supply joints here in Alamo, but I can check... wouldn't Walmart or Albertson's sell brewer's yeast? Or is that a specialty item they don't bother stocking? I will have to check and see... the airlock will probably be difficult to find here in the boondocks, I may have to order that online. I will check prices in a bit, it's time for a beer break. You suppose that couple in the video were Irish or English? I would guess Irish, but they were certainly humorous... and obviously partyers, lol. I like when the guy said the shed smelled like a pub, lol... my kinda guy. And I have that cycle shed which would be perfect for stashing large jugs during fermentation...

The Princess ( who is a Scottish princess)



Claims it is Welsh from Wales.

Ben

 

[Wingnut]

Before I go watch a movie on the curved screen, I wanna say that I've started looking at glass carboys & plastic fermenters, trying to compare the advantages & disadvantages of each. One website I checked has plastic fermenters made in Germany (?) by some outfit called Spiedel (?), and I like the large volume, wide top for easy cleaning, spigot above the normal sediment depth, etc. The fermenters are made from some food-safe plastic and the airlock is included, but I noticed that there are heaps of replacement parts also available, as if the seals regularly wear out or something? And though they're heavier and their volume isn't as great, the glass carboys won't scratch while cleaning, and the cider will *probably* taste better out of glass, I'm thinking.

I'm gonna keep looking into this cider making, as I think I can find a way to make relatively cheap hard cider in my cycle shed, which is ready-made for the purpose and will keep all the equipment out of my way as I continue the home rehab work indoors. One thing I like about the plastic fermenters, they're big, they're fairly light compared to glass carboys, and they don't cost that much... plus each one comes as a kit with everything you need except yeast, I think? There were yeast packets available at the website, which was MoreBeer.Com---actually the first site I checked, so I still have some web research to do, lol. One thing about the fermenter kits, I can also make beer with 'em, though maybe I can also do that with glass carboys, I dunno. I'll surf the web manana and see what else I can learn... Cheers!!!

Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD NIGHT, I'M OFF TO DRINK BEER & WATCH SOME ENTERTAINMENT... HASTA LUEGO!!!

 

[Peanut]

In case you haven't found any corks... any quantity or size at amerzit. Several small brewing suppliers have store fronts on the zit too.

I bought a bag for storage but now that I have a bag of new corks I use them, handy.

 

[dademoss]

For what it's worth, do it gallon at a time. Big carboys are a pain in the ass. go buy a gallon of wine, drink it, then use it to make some cider, repeat as needed. I HATED my 5 gallon one,