WICKED HARD CIDAH

This is the inaugural batch of hard cider. I have been wanting to do this for some time, and now that I'm fully stocked up on beer I thought I give it a go. I'm not a big fan of a lot of the American commercial products on the market. Unlike the European ciders, I feel they are too sweet and although it is impossible to determine the exact blend of apples, a Magner's Clone is what I am aiming for.

Wicked Hard Cidah

2 gal Wild Oats Organic Apple Juice

2 gal Hy's Apple Cider

4.5 Quarts 100% Gravenstein Apple Juice

Wyeast Cider Yeast

Making Cider is as easy as you want it to be. I just smacked the yeast pack the night before, let the juice warm up to 64 degrees, poured the juice in a sanitized bucket, pitched the yeast, aerated, and that's it. Some say to use yeast nutrient, some say to use Campden tabs to kill any wild yeast, and some say to make a starter. I wanted to start from a simple recipe and build upon it. I may add some oak in the secondary. All the juice had been pasteurized and none had added preservatives.

The next day it was bubbling like crazy!

The cider sat in primary for 2 weeks and secondary for 3 months.
When I kegged this I added about a quart of simple syrup that I made with clove and cinnamon sticks, along with about a half gallon of pasteurized apple cider. The best way is to add this in stages, and taste as you go to get the right sweetness level that you are looking for.