Hard apple cider is easy to make. Also as far as it goes, hard apple cider can be pretty cheap to make if you are going to be making a smaller batch. I just recently made a batch with a recipe that is from my great grandmothers recipe book. I have dubbed this recipe the, No Bells or Whistles Hard Apple Cider. This particular recipe is simple.
The key to making good hard apple cider is, you need to start with good apple cider. By good I mean without preservatives in it. I can not stress that it has to be WITHOUT PRESERVATIVES.
So what you need for this recipe is:
1 gallon of apple cider
1.5 cups of brown sugar
1 packet of dry wine yeast. (I prefer KV-1116)
1 gallon glass jug
1 air lock
1 #6 stopper drilled
1 gallon of cider
Directions
Take the cider, pour it in your brew pot and add 1.5 cups of brown sugar. Turn on the heat and bring to boil.
Let the cider boil for about 15 min. Once you have boiled the cider for 15 min turn off the heat and cool down to room temp. At this point in time its probably good if you have a funnel. Funnel the apple cider with sugar in it into your 1 gallon glass jug.
Now its time to make it, “hard”. Keep in mind that the yeast packets are usually good for 5 gallons, so adding the whole packet will result in a crazy fermentation and a yeasty product. It’s just good to think ahead. After you add the yeast, put on the air lock and let her do her thing.
This hard apple cider recipe will ferment for about 7-10 days then you can bottle it. Bottle it just like beer, I prefer using carbonation drops on smaller recipes like this so I don’t have to mess with fractions, call me lazy.
Either way you are going to ferment this for about 2-3 weeks and then your good. Enjoy.
Do you guys have any killer hard apple cider recipes?
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Jay's Brewing Blog 
September 29, 2011 at 8:42 am
Any idea where to purchase unpasteurized apple cider in Northern Virginia?
September 29, 2011 at 11:06 am
I had to do some searching for it but I did find one place that’s in NoVA:
Potomac Vegetable Farms
http://www.potomacvegetablefarms.com/
“We grow ecoganic vegetables in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington DC. We have two farms: one small farm in the suburbs of Tysons Corner and a larger farm in western Loudoun County. Our vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers are available at farmers markets, our two on-farm roadside stands, and through our 550-member CSA. We pick our produce at the height of ripeness every day–it’s a quick trip from our fields to your kitchen!”
I called up and they said that they have unpasteurized apple cider. Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Derek