How To: Homemade Hard Cider

Whether or not the autumn chill has hit your town yet, it will soon, and friends, we need to be prepared. And for my money, nothing tastes like fall like toasty pumpkin seeds… and apple cider. Whether warm and mulled with spices for everyone or fermented with crisp carbonation for adults, it’s just plain wonderful.

And we think it’d be great to make it at home…easily. Some folks are lucky enough to own cider presses, but, thankfully, that’s not the only way to get the job done.

For those with a bevy of actual apples, this Instructable shows you how to press them using a simple 2×4 structure and a car jack. (You can also use an electric juicer.) For the rest of us, it’s perfectly acceptable to start with pasteurized cider from your local orchard or farmer’s market.

From there, it’s standard fermenting techique – make a starter culture with brewer’s yeast, and allow it to go to town in an extremely sterile environment. We’re digging on this recipe from Mother Earth News, and appreciate the explanation of the gear and materials from ActsOfSubterfuge.

Has anyone ever tried this at home? What’s your technique? Any advice to share?

Please let us know in the comments.

Happy Autumn!