Simple Apple Cider — Home Brew Recipe
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Style: Apple Cider | ABV: ~6.0% | Volume: 4.5 litres | Difficulty: Beginner
About This Recipe
Home-made cider is one of the simplest and most satisfying fermented drinks you can make. If you have access to apple juice (even supermarket pressed apple juice works well), you're most of the way there. This recipe produces a crisp, dry cider with a clean apple character — perfect served cold on a summer's day.
Ingredients
- 4.5 litres pure pressed apple juice (no preservatives — check the label)
- 100g brewing sugar (optional — boosts ABV slightly)
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- 1 packet Young's Dried Active Yeast
Equipment Needed
- Fermentation vessel and airlock
- Hydrometer
- Syphon and bottles
Method
- Check the apple juice — it must contain no preservatives (potassium sorbate or sulphites will prevent fermentation). Supermarket apple juice labelled ‘cloudy pressed apple juice’ usually works well.
- Pour apple juice into sterilised fermentation vessel. Dissolve sugar if using. Add yeast nutrient.
- Take OG reading with hydrometer (target ~1.046–1.052).
- Pitch yeast, fit airlock. Ferment at 18–22°C for 7–10 days.
- Rack off sediment when fermentation is complete. Clear in a cool place for a week.
- Bottle with a small amount of sugar (1 tsp per 500ml) for carbonation, or enjoy still.
- Condition 1–2 weeks if carbonated. Serve cold.
Brewer's Notes
For a sweeter cider, use lactose (50–100g) to add residual sweetness without risk of over-carbonation. For a more complex flavour, blend two or three different apple juice varieties before fermenting.