Basic hard apple cider

Black Mountain Cider Works owners Jessica Puzzo and David Hall Bowman shared the following instructions and recipe for making five gallons of semidry, sparkling cider. “One can make cider as simple or elaborate as one likes based on one’s level of interest and how much of an investment one wants to make,” they say. “For your first batch of cider, we’d recommend not worrying overly about what kind of apples and what kind of juice. Acquiring five gallons of preservative-free juice is an accomplishment on its own.”

Supplies can be bought from local brewing supply stores, such as Asheville Brewers Supply and Hops and Vines.

What you will need:

Two 5-gallon buckets with air-tight lids and holes for airlocks

One bubbler-type airlock

5 gallons of preservative-free apple juice or juice from your own pressed apples

1-2 packets of white wine or ale yeast

Yeast nutrient (like DAP)

2 pounds of sugar

Plastic racking cane and tubing for siphoning

Large spoon (plastic or stainless steel are easiest to sterilize)

Star-San or equivalent phosphoric acid-based sterilizer

To make the cider:

Sterilize all supplies. Add sugar, yeast and yeast nutrient to juice, and stir vigorously.

Add small amount of water (or cheap vodka) to top off the mixture

Put on the air-tight lid with airlock

Place in cool dark area

In 1-2 weeks transfer to another container

Age for 3-4 weeks

For carbonation store in old soda keg with a small co2 tank

Bottle finished product

Enjoy homemade apple cider!