Hard Cider, Napa Valley Recipe

Directions — Hard Cider, Napa Valley

1. 1

   Sanitation

   Sanitize all brewing equipment: fermenter with lid and airlock, siphon, bottling bucket, bottles, caps, and any utensils to prevent contamination.

2. 2

   Prepare must

   Pour 16 cups (3.8 L) of unsweetened apple juice into a sanitized fermenter.

3. 3

   Dissolve priming sugar

   In a small pot, dissolve 1 cup granulated sugar in a little warm water, then add to the fermenter and stir to ensure it's fully dissolved.

4. 4

   Add nutrients and enzyme

   Stir in 1 teaspoon yeast nutrient and 0.25 teaspoon pectic enzyme into the must.

5. 5

   Pitch yeast

   Rehydrate if required, then pitch 1 packet cider yeast into the fermenter.

6. 6

   Aerate and start fermentation

   Gently stir (if needed) and attach the sanitized airlock. Maintain fermentation at 60-68 F (15-20 C) in a dark, cool place.

7. 7

   Primary fermentation

   Allow fermentation to proceed for 7-14 days, until activity slows and gravity settles toward 1.010-1.000.

8. 8

   Rack to secondary (optional)

   Siphon the cider off the sediment into a sanitized secondary fermenter or bottling bucket to help clarify. Optionally cold-crash for 24-48 hours.

9. 9

   Prepare priming solution

   If bottling now, prepare priming sugar by dissolving 0.5 cup of priming sugar in 1 cup of hot water; let cool before use.

10. 10

    Bottle conditioning

    Add the cooled priming solution to the cider and gently mix. Siphon into sanitized bottles, leaving headspace, and cap securely.

11. 11

    Age and carbonate

    Store bottles at room temperature for about 2 weeks to carbonate, then move to a cool, dark place to age and mellow for several weeks.

12. 12

    Serve

    Chill and serve cold in clean glasses. Enjoy the crisp Napa Valley-style hard cider with light carbonation and a dry, apple-forward profile.