NE Cider

Classification: cider

Source: Jay Hersh (hersh@expo.lcs.mit.edu) Cider Digest #59, 11/1/91

Ingredients: (for 3 gallons)

3 gallons, Cider
4 cups, cane sugar
wild yeast (ie. Don't add any yeast)

Procedure:

Toss 3 gallons of a good blend of Cider along with 4 cups of cane sugar into a carboy. Shake until the sugar dissolves. Put a blow off hose into the top of the carboy and let stand at room temperature. After a few days (or even weeks) the wild yeast will take off and things will start moving in the carboy and blow off will rise up from the cider. Be sure to empty the blowoff jar as needed. Eventually things will settle down, then put an airlock on and take the blow off hose off. Place the carboy in a cool dark place (45-55 degrees). After 2-3 months you can rack this off to another carboy. At this point you can rack onto some unpreserved raisins which will add yeast nutrients and sugars and kick in a secondary ferment. Let this go for a month or two more and then bottle. You can prime at bottling time if you want a sparkling cider (use bottles that can handle some pressure like American Champagne bottles), or unprimed for a still cider.

Specifics:

Primary Ferment: 2--3 months
Secondary Ferment: 1--2 months