Make Your Own Apple Cider

Yeast are microorganisms that will compete with others in what they do. The yeast make a marked difference in the flavor of the final beverage. This means that you have to sanitize EVERYTHING that will come into contact with the liquid (measuring cups, airlocks, stoppers, jugs, thermometers, etc.) You can use a solution that is marketed specifically for brewing, but boiling water will do too.

Here is a condensed version of an applice cider recipe:

1. Buy a jug of apple juice that doesn't have preservatives. Pasteurized is fine. I prefer Tree Top or Mott's brands, but anything without sorbate or benzoate that is 100% juice should work.
2. The yeast used will affect the taste, but just about any yeast will do. Champagne yeast (like Lalvin EC-1118) will give a champagne taste to the cider. People have used bread yeast, brewer's yeast, and even wild yeast, but that's a bit more complicated.
3. Make sure the location you use for fermenting has a cool ambient temperature and doesn't fluctuate much. Basements are good. 70 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal, plus or minus 10 degrees in order to not kill the yeast.
4. Empty about 3 ounces out of the apple juice container. Then pour another 3 ounces into a sanitized glass and add the yeast. 1 gram is enough for 1 gallon, 5 grams is good for 5 gallons. Stir in the yeast then pour it back into the apple juice container.
5. You need a way to let the CO2 out, but keep oxygen from coming back in. You can get a ral airlock for about $1.25. You can also use a deflated balloon with pinhole poked in it. A piece of tubing attached to the top of the jug and the other end underwater in a bowl will work.
6. Wait a few days until the yeast stop producing copious amounts of bubbles (if you're using the tube/water method). After 10 -15 days, your apfelwein should be nice and alcohol-rich (anywhere from 4 to 9% ABV depending on the yeast used.) Pour that stuff into glasses and drink! Careful though, it drinks really easily and WILL get you drunk.

It boils down into 3 things: Get apple juice, put yeast in, wait.

Enjoy!