Hard Apple Cider. Need Guidance.?!


Question: Hard Apple Cider!. Need Guidance!.!?
i'm brewing some hard cider at home and had a few questions!. i've checked recipes and methods online and get varied results!. has anybody out there made hard cider before and if so:
what yeast did you use!?
what additives did you use!?
how much yeast did you use!?
how much did your airlock bubble at 1 day!? 1 week!?
any advice you could add to help me make a better cider!.
i'll be bottling like wine and not carbonating this time around!.Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
There are a few different styles of cider to be made, for a good traditional (colonial period New England style) you would want to use fresh pressed apple juice (no presevatives)!.

Yeast: For truly traditional, you use the wild yeast off the apples you pressed!. But there are a couple Cider specific yeasts (or you can also just use a basic wine yeast like Cote de Blancs)!.

Additives: None needed, but some optional!. You can add a little dextrose to bump up the ABV slightly (straight apple cider or juice will yield approx!. 5-6% ABV)!. Optional also, you might want to use an acid blend to balance it (like with some grape wine kits)!.

How much yeast: The same as any homebrew wine, a packet per 5 gallon batch (or however big the packet is designed for)!.

Airlock activity: Depending on the exact recipe, I've had airlock activity in as soon as 4 hours, or up to 2 days, after pitching the yeast!. Heavy activity will last a week or two!.

Advice: Check out EdWort's Apfelwein recipe for a good basic (and easy) hard cider, http://www!.homebrewtalk!.com/f25/man-i-lo!.!.!. !. also, give it time, at least a month in primary and a month in secondary, before you bottle!. If you can let it bulk age after secondary for a couple months (up to about a year), it gets better!. Feel free to email me anytime if you need help or have any more questions!. I could also recommend a couple great books if you are interested!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com





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