Here’s a simple recipe to help you get started on the boozy apple path. It honestly doesn’t get much easier than this! You can produce a drinkable cider from this base recipe. When you’ve got it mastered, you can get creative!
This recipe is made from a gallon (3.8-L) of unfiltered apple juice in a plastic jug. You can use white sugar, but I prefer brown sugar, which imparts a bit of dark caramel flavor and color to the final product.
1 gal (3.8 L) apple juice, divided
1½ cups (330 g) packed brown sugar
1 tsp (2.5 g) Safale S-04 dry ale yeast
1 oz (28 g) priming sugar, optional
1. Gather and sanitize equipment: Gather your ingredients and sanitize your supplies. For this recipe, you’ll need a 2-cup (480-ml) liquid measuring cup, a funnel, a gallon (3.8-L) carboy and a bung and airlock.
2. Make the brew: Open the apple juice, pour 2 cups (480 ml) into the measuring cup and set it aside. Add the brown sugar to the apple juice container. Close the container and shake it until all of the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Add the yeast: Open the container and pitch the yeast directly into the apple juice. Close the container and shake it again to aerate the must and wake up the yeast.
4. Funnel: Using the funnel, pour the must from the plastic container into the carboy. If needed, top off the carboy with as much of the remaining 2 cups (480 ml) of apple juice needed for the must to reach the neck of the jug. Seal it off with a bung and airlock. Label the jug with the brew name and date.
5. Ferment: Let the brew ferment until the cider has cleared.
6. Bottle: After the cider has cleared and fermentation has stopped, it is time to bottle your cider. You have a few options at this point depending on if you want a still cider or a carbonated cider.
7. If you want a still cider, go ahead and bottle it as it is.
8. If you prefer your cider to be sparkling, use priming sugar during bottling to give you bubbles. Sanitize a 2-gallon (7.5-L) brew bucket, a long spoon and a racking cane or siphon tube. Bring ½ cup (120 ml) of water to a boil in a small pan. Stir in the priming sugar until it is completely dissolved, reduce the heat and simmer the syrup for 5 minutes. Pour the syrup into the bottom of the brew bucket. Siphon the cider from the jug into the brew bucket; avoid transferring the trub sediment from the bottom. Stir the cider gently to ensure the syrup is mixed in evenly before bottling.
9. Bottle: To bottle your cider, first sanitize your racking cane, caps and bottles. Use the racking cane or siphon tube to fill the bottles just up to the neck. Cap your bottles and label them.
10. Age: Store your bottles of cider upright in a dark, warm area for at least 2 weeks. If you added priming sugar, the cider will carbonate in the bottles.
11. Mellow: Sharp, vinegary flavors are common in young ciders and will often mellow out with age. Don’t worry! The longer you age your cider, the better it will taste. Try a bottle after a few weeks and see how it is coming along.
TIP: Because this cider is brewed with ale yeast, there should definitely be some residual sweetness. The procedure in step 8 will not add sweetness—there is only enough sugar to carbonate the cider in the bottles.