Hard Cider Fun!!

Since I bought some unpasteurized, organic apple cider for the first time a few weeks ago, I've been saving some to try to make into hard cider. My cider turned out to be perfect for this task - with no preservatives, nothing but apples, it didn't take long to ferment.

I had done a lot of research regarding the fermenting process of apples, and learned that it could be done without purchasing yeast. Typically, hard apple cider is made by adding champagne yeast, because it's reliable and tends to have a good flavor. Cider can still ferment using wild yeast; however, it is much less predictable. I was lucky on all accounts. Though I intended to add an apple peel to my cider to add additional yeast, I found it wasn't necessary. I accidentally left one of my cider gallons out of the fridge over night that only had about a quarter left in the bottom. The next day, the plastic container was highly pressurized and the cider contents were bubbly. My boyfriend insisted that it was fermenting (I thought it was just rancid), and we bought a few more gallons to allow them to do the same. He released the pressure through the gallon cap from time to time, and we let the cider sit for about 2 weeks.

Last night I tried it for the first time. I was nervous that it would make me sick, but after tasting it I could tell it was simply hard cider. It is much lighter than un-fermented cider, and almost has a beer-like flavor to it. One of the best parts is: $4.25 per gallon - talk about economical! This will certainly add an additional interest to my final analysis. I think my cider is delicious, I had soo much fun drinking it and I have lots more where it came from!

My first glass of hard cider!

As the night progressed, I adopted a jar and straw for my cider drinking