Bottled apple cider. Own cider business

Real, authentic cider is produced exclusively within certain French regions, which is enshrined in law. True, the cost of such a drink, depending on the aging and varieties of apples used, may be unbearable for most average citizens. However, you should not be upset, because you can easily make apple cider at home, using fruits from your own plot, and, if necessary, even store-bought juice or concentrate. How exactly to do this, we will tell in our article.

Homemade cider from apples or juice: process features

Delicious and fragrant cider, made from apples from our own plot, is distinguished by a bright, unusual taste, a small degree of strength, and an indescribable aroma of fresh fruits. Recipes of homemade cider from apples of excellent quality will allow you not only to enjoy such a noble drink throughout the year, but also to process the surplus of the crop after making marmalade, jam, compotes and other preservation.

The classic recipe for apple cider at home and in any other conditions can only be considered one that is prepared without the participation of foreign agents. We are talking about sugar, as well as cultivated yeast. The fermentation process in this case can be based solely on wild fungi that live on the surface of the fruit. That is why the fruits should never be washed before processing. However, this takes quite a long time, and in order to speed up the aging, people have adapted to add additional components.

Initially, it was prepared exclusively according to one technology, using certain varieties of apples. However, over time, simple recipes changed, and it became permissible to add pears, cherries, quince and other fruits to the drink, as well as to spur the fermentation process with yeast and their first “feed” sugar. In English-speaking countries, pear cider is well known, which even has its own name - perry. Any homemade apple cider recipe can usually be broken down into three main steps.

• Washing and preparing dishes. This also includes the sterilization of containers in which cider will be produced. The easiest way to do this is in an autoclave or oven, but in extreme cases, you can simply rinse the dishes with boiling water.
• Fermentation and fermentation of apple must.
• cider clarification.

In the process of fermentation and fermentation, a water seal should usually be used, which can be replaced with an ordinary rubber glove or a tube lowered into a glass of clean water. If this moment is not taken care of, then when oxygen enters, your workpiece can easily turn into apple cider vinegar, a useful household liquid, but hardly tasty. When the jars are tightly closed, the carbon dioxide accumulated inside during fermentation can easily rip off the lids, which again leads to the first option.

Proven recipes for apple cider at home

Most apple cider recipes are simple and clumsy, even someone who has never cooked anything like this will be able to deal with them. This business can become your favorite, as it does not require special attention, large financial or time costs, and as a result, it will allow you to enjoy a tasty and pleasant drink that can refresh you in the summer heat or warm you in the winter cold.

"Long" French cider

This homemade cider recipe is very fond of folk winemakers in England and France. It most clearly repeats the recipe of the original drink, that is, without the addition of yeast or sugar. True, it has been preparing for quite a long time, more than six months, for which it received such a “talking” name.

Compound

• Apples - 75 -110 kilograms.

Cooking Method

Since only apples are clearly indicated in the recipe, no other ingredients need to be added to it. Therefore, even washing the dishes, you should make sure that there is no water left at the bottom, it can damage. Wipe the pot with a soft cloth to remove any moisture.

• Sort the apples, remove the damaged places, and it is better to throw the rotten ones aside. If the fruits are excessively dirty, it is permissible to wipe them with a clean cloth, but this is not necessary, since excess dust will definitely precipitate, with which it will be disposed of.
• Squeeze juice from apples in any way convenient for you. For example, you can use a household press, a juicer, a juicer, a regular meat grinder and a piece of gauze to squeeze out liquid.
• Pour the juice into a glass or enameled metal container, cover with two layers of gauze and let stand in a dark place for forty-eight hours.
• Drain the juice from the sediment (decant) and strain through several layers of gauze.
• Pour the resulting liquid back into a cleanly washed and sterilized fermentation tank, install a water seal and put it in a warm (25-27 degrees) and fairly dark place. You need to stand there for at least three, and ideally, about five weeks, trying not to touch the container, not to shake or shake it, and still not to allow direct sunlight.
• After the fermentation process is completed, as can be judged by the absence of bubbles coming out of the water seal, the cider must be decanted again, strained and poured into dark bottles.

On this, the process of making cider cannot be called complete, since it must also be well aged, ripened. Dark bottles must be installed in the cellar or basement for at least four months, even better, for six. After six months, the drink will have to be opened again, drained from the sediment and bottled again, after which it can be stored in a dark place without loss of taste or smell for up to three years. The strength is 6-8%, depending on the selected varieties of apples and their primary sweetness.

"Antonovsky"

A version of the French simple recipe for apple cider at home is so named because it uses apples, Antonovka varieties. The fruits themselves are juicy and with a well-tangible sourness, so that the drink from them is obtained with a rich and bright taste. This recipe will be more complicated, it has additional components, but it has also been tested by many home craftsmen, which they call it very worthy.

Compound

• Freshly squeezed juice of Antonov apples - 4 liters.
• Granulated sugar - 4 cups.
• Hot purified water - 1 liter.
• Berries for sourdough (raspberries, strawberries, currants, blackberries) - 1-3 handfuls.

Cooking Method

This recipe involves the addition of some sourdough berries, however, most likely their taste will not be felt in the final product. This is done in order to activate the fermentation process, since cultivated yeast does not go here, but sugar is added.

• Gently mash the unwashed berries with a fork, add about half a glass of water heated to 45-50 degrees and a few teaspoons of sugar to the mass. Mix everything well, cover with a cloth or gauze and put in a warm place until foam appears on the surface.
• Mix sugar with water and fresh juice until no sediment remains at the bottom. Leave everything under a layer of fabric for a day to ferment on its own.
• Add the starter prepared in advance to the bottle or jar, install a water seal and leave your future cider for three days.
• After the due date, add the rest of the sugar, diluted with water. Now it will take at least twenty days to wait for the end of fermentation.
• Drain the drink from the sediment and set it clean again in a warm place to finally complete the fermentation. In two weeks it will be finally completed and you can pour the product into dark bottles.

You can drink such cider immediately, but it is better to leave it until it is fully ripened, which, depending on the conditions of detention, can take three, or even all five or six months.

Ranetki

If Antonov apples are large and juicy, then ranetki, on the contrary, are tiny and rather hard, and on top of that, they are also tart, but you can also make excellent cider from them according to a simple recipe. The drink will turn out to be much closer to authentic than the previous ones, since it is precisely these varieties that are used in the homeland, which have a special acid and bitterness.

Compound

• Ranetok puree - 1 liter.
• Purified water - 0.5 liters.
• Granulated sugar - 1 cup (200-250 grams).

Cooking Method

Remember

Tiny, tart apples are perfect for use in homemade cider recipes. It turns out traditional, with a bright taste and rich aroma. Bones and cores of apples can be removed during the preparation process, but it is better to leave, because the seeds will give the drink a noble bitterness and slight astringency.

When figuring out how to make apple cider at home, you can’t miss this recipe. After all, it is quite simple, but it will certainly give an excellent result.

• Rub the apples on a grater or pass through a meat grinder. You can also use a standard juicer or household press, blender. The main thing is not to separate the juice from the pulp (pulp).
• Mix the resulting puree with water, and then leave in a dark place for pre-fermentation. This will take at least three to four days.
• Before foam and other signs of active fermentation appear, the juice will need to be stirred at least once every six to eight hours.
• As soon as all the pulp rises to the surface, remove it from the liquid by filtering through cheesecloth.
• Pour no more than two-thirds of the cider into the fermentation vessel, add the rest of the sugar and mix everything well.
• At the end of fermentation, and usually it takes from about five to seven to eighteen to twenty days. This will directly depend on the sweetness of apples, room temperature and humidity. You can check the readiness by the bubbles that will stop coming out of the water seal.
• Drain your almost ready cider from the sediment and strain, pour into pre-prepared bottles. Cork well and set in the cellar for at least ten to fifteen days, after which it can be consumed.

You can prepare apple cider of a similar plan from any, not very juicy, tart varieties. You will have to tinker a little, but after 20-25 days you will get a completely ripe and pleasant drink, with a strength of 6-12 degrees, depending on the sweetness of the fruits themselves.

Dry apple cider

In the same way as regular apple cider, you can make dry apple cider, that is, sour and low alcohol. To do this, the fermentation process should not be interrupted, but brought to an end, without the artificial introduction of sugar. The final maturation of such a cider will take at least five to six months, but those who really want to get an apple sparkling drink, no worse than industrial champagne, will wait.

Compound

• Apples of strongly sour varieties - 10 kilograms.

Cooking Method

Strongly acidic apples should be harvested or purchased and should never be washed before preparing the must for future cider. Wild yeasts are found on their surface, which activate the fermentation process.

• Wipe the apples with a soft cloth as needed to remove any dirt or dust.
• Spread the fruits in a dark place for one week. Make sure that they lie exclusively in one layer and are less in contact with each other.
• Twist the apples in a meat grinder or with a blender, then squeeze the juice. You can use a household press, if available.
• Pour the juice into a container, cover with several layers of gauze to protect from dust and insects. Leave it alone until you notice an active fermentation process. It can be detected by the foam, hiss and gurgling of the wort.
• After that, strain the raw material and pour it into the fermentation tank again, installing a water seal. Yeast sediment will soon fall out, and gassing will be inactive, but still constant.
• Place the container with the starter so that it does not interfere, but is in the dark and relatively warm (17-22 degrees), as it will stand for at least a month.

After the process is finally completed, the cider needs to be bottled and stored in a cool, dark place, preferably in a cellar. But before drinking it, at least six months must pass, otherwise the desired effect will not work.

Video recipe on how to make apple cider

If you don’t have enough of the proposed options, and you want something different, watch the video recipe below.

Connoisseurs of the drink do not agree with this, because it does not have the density of wine, splashes of champagne and the intoxicating heaviness of beer. They believe that apple cider is incomparable and deserves its place, but equate more to natural kvass. Apple cider, like bread kvass, is a pleasant and healthy drink for the body.

We will talk about the benefits and possible harms of the hero of today's article a little later, first a little history.

Apple cider - the history of the drink

Apple cider is not inferior in age to grape wines. The Celts believed that this drink was sent to them from the "country of eternal youth" and appreciated that it endowed a person with health and beauty. Scandinavians, Jews, ancient Egyptians are also on the lists of the first producers of apple cider.

The modern history of the drink dates back to the 14th century, when the famous English theologian John Wycliffe introduced the world to the "Cider Bible". At this time, the drink not only competed with wine, it was used for healing ablutions, and in churches babies were baptized in it, believing that it was purer than water. True, over time, wines nevertheless forced out cider to more distant positions.

Although the main ingredient is apples, different manufacturers have different drinks, from crystal clear filtered to dense unfiltered drink. Maybe that's why they compare it with champagne, then with beer. Rosé cider is made exclusively from red apples. Drinks also differ in the degree of sweetness - from brut to sweet samples.

Apple cider is used to make a strong drink called Calvados, it is also called apple brandy. Sometimes pears are added to apples from 30 to 50%, and cider only from pears is called perry.

Apple cider - recipe at home

To make cider with your own hands at home, you don’t need much - apples, sugar and a step-by-step recipe with a photo.

I recommend taking apples intended for storage, and these are autumn and winter varieties. Summer varieties overripe quickly and produce little juice. Apples should be firm, ripe, but not overripe. If you want to make the drink more healthy, you can replace sugar with honey.

How to make apple cider - step by step recipe with photos.

• 1 step - getting juice

An important point - you can’t wash apples, since beneficial bacteria that are needed for fermentation live on the peel. If the fruits are dirty, then they should be wiped with a dry cotton napkin.

Cut the apples into pieces, free from the seed lobule. Pass through a juicer.

• Step 2 - making the wort

Pour the juice into a saucepan or bucket,
cover with a cotton towel to protect from insects. We leave for 2 - 3 days.

• 3rd step - fermentation of the wort

During this period, the apple mixture begins to decompose into 2 fractions: pulp (remnants of the peel, pulp) and apple juice. The pulp will rise to the top, but in order for the spores of wild yeast to get into the juice, you need to stir 3-4 times a day.

• Step 4 - Separating the wort from the juice

After about 3 days, the pulp will collect in a dense layer on the surface.
It must be removed with a colander or slotted spoon. Leave the juice for another day to enhance fermentation.

• Step 5 - Apple cider fermentation

For this stage, you need a jar or bottle that can be tightly closed in order to exclude contact of the wort with air. If this is not done, then as a result, instead of apple cider, we get apple cider vinegar.

Strain the juice through cheesecloth and determine the amount.
This is necessary in order to add sugar. The amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of the apples and the sweetness of the drink you want to end up with.

To get a semi-sweet cider, then 150 - 200 gr. is added to 1 liter of juice. Sahara.

For the preparation of sweet and dessert wines, add 300 - 400 grams of sugar.

In order for the sugar to completely dissolve, you can take a little juice, heat it up to 25 degrees, add sugar,
mix until completely dissolved and pour into a bottle. Pour the rest of the juice in there.

It is important to remember that the bottle is not completely filled, it is necessary to leave at least 1/5 of the volume not filled for carbon dioxide and foam, which will be formed during the fermentation process.

Close the bottle with a special cap, into which a water seal is inserted to release the gas. It can be both home-made options and store-bought ones.

If there is no such device, then an ordinary medical glove will replace the water seal. It is put on the neck of the bottle, secured with a ribbon or tape to prevent air from entering and the glove does not fall off during fermentation. So that it does not burst, it is recommended to make a hole in one finger with a thin needle.

From the experience of making wine from grapes, we do not immediately pierce the glove. We look at the fermentation process, if the glove is very swollen, then we make a hole, if not, then we do not. If even with one hole the glove swells strongly, then you can make an additional one. Before making holes, it is better to remove the glove so that it does not burst. Try to do everything quickly to reduce the time the wine comes into contact with the air.

During fermentation, the container should be in a warm place, the desired temperature is 20 - 22 degrees. If it is not possible to put it in a dark place, try to find a place where direct sunlight does not fall on the bottle.

An important point - an excess of sugar can stop the fermentation process, as there is not enough natural yeast for it. Therefore, if you are making sweet cider, it is recommended to add sugar in parts. Add half of the portion first, close as above. As soon as the fermentation process begins to decline, remove the lid or glove and add the remaining sugar, dissolving in a small amount of wine. Close again and leave for the final fermentation.

The entire fermentation period lasts 55 - 60 days.

We made semi-sweet apple cider and put all the sugar at once - 200 gr. per litre. A glove was used as a shutter. I forgot to take a picture when she got up, it already happened the next day. Since we had a trial version and did not make much juice, there was more than 1/5 of the free space in the five-liter plastic container and there was no need to make a hole in the glove. The glove held for about a month, then fell off, but it was clear that the fermentation process had not completely ended and there was no transparency in the wine. Therefore, we did not touch, left for another month.

The cider stood for 60 days. Carefully, so that the sediment does not get into the drink, pour the finished wine into pre-prepared bottles. In order to exclude the ingress of sediment, it is better to pass through cheesecloth.

Bottles must be clean and dry to prevent additional fermentation. Bottles should be filled as full as possible. Close tightly, store in a cool (10 - 16 degrees) dark place.

• Stage 6 - aging of the wine drink

The cider turned out to be tasty, with a pronounced, but not intrusive aroma, a beautiful golden color. Wine can be drunk immediately, but to improve the taste, it is recommended to let it stand for 3-4 months. The shelf life of apple cider prepared according to a recipe at home is up to 3 years.

Apple cider - whole apple recipe video

If there is no juicer, but there was a desire to make apple cider at home, then I found a video recipe on how to make a drink from whole apples.

Lessons on the correct consumption of wine drink

1. Apple cider connoisseurs say that cider is drunk well chilled, poured into tall wine glasses or glasses.
2. In a natural drink, sediment may appear at the bottom of the glass after a while. Drinking cider with the rest is bad form.
3. Unlike other alcoholic drinks, apple cider is not used to make cocktails, it is drunk in its pure form.

The benefits and harms of apple cider

Apple cider, as you understood from the above recipe, is a product of natural processing, does not include heat treatment, which means it retains the vitamins and minerals of the original product - apples.

Due to the fact that it is an alcoholic drink, traditional healers used it as a remedy that reduces emotional stress, helps to cope with stress and chronic fatigue.

But modern research has found other properties in this drink that have a positive effect on the human body:

• increases appetite
• removes toxins
• has a positive effect on the digestive process
• dilates blood vessels, normalizes blood pressure
• strengthens the walls of blood vessels, making them elastic
• reduces cholesterol, removes atherosclerotic plaques
• slows down the aging process by blocking free radicals
• the high content of vitamin C makes it a drink that increases resistance to colds

Nutritionists allow drinking apple cider during a weight loss course due to the fact that the drink is actively involved in metabolism, it can improve metabolism.

In the process of fermentation, phenolic compounds are formed in the drink, which inhibit the wear of internal organs, thanks to which the skin and hair condition improve.

But with all the positive properties of apple cider, we must not forget that having a small fortress (no more than 9%), this is an alcoholic drink. And alcohol requires precautions and should not be consumed:

• persons under 18 years of age
• pregnant and lactating women
• people whose work is connected with the concentration of attention

Caution should be taken with this drink for people who have the following diseases:

• hepatitis
• peptic ulcer
• diseases of the genitourinary system
• pyelonephritis
• diabetes

For any chronic disease, a doctor's consultation is necessary.

The safe rate of use is 100-150 ml per day.

Non-alcoholic apple cider

If you are interested in a drink, and alcoholic beverages are contraindicated, then there is an alternative option. From apple juice, adding tasty and healthy ingredients, you can make a healthy and warming drink. Soft drink recipe video.

I told you about such a product as apple cider, the recipe for cooking at home is not complicated and, with moderate use, will be a good addition in the form of a tasty and healthy drink.

Bon appetit.
Elena Kasatova. See you by the fireplace.

Or add them as a filling to pies, but these are not all possible uses for the fruits, so you can try making delicious and healthy cider as an alternative. What is it and how to make it at home - read on.

Introduction to the drink

Apple cider was dubbed a fragrant and tasty drink, the strength of which is about 8 degrees. It invigorates well, tones up and at the same time it is drunk quite easily.

If you have more pears or garden berries, then you can use them instead of apples, although real apple (as cider is often called) is prepared solely on the basis of these.

Most connoisseurs of wine products believe that apple cider first appeared in France, although they also have opponents who claim that it was mentioned in ancient Egyptian history. Whatever it was, but the history of this wine has more than a hundred years.

Did you know? According to the conventional wisdom, apple cider appeared in the 11th century and was invented by Charlemagne. However, until recently (until the 19th century), it was considered rather a drink for the lower strata of society, but not for the nobility.

The natural fermentation process helps to get the desired result, for which yeast is added to the drink. Depending on the taste characteristics, all ciders can be divided into semi-sweet, sweet, bitter-sweet or bitter.

At the same time, they are classified into traditional, sweet and dry. Making apple cider will not take you much time, and given the great variety of recipes, every housewife will be able to choose the best option for herself.

Useful properties and harm of apple cider

Any drink has its strengths and weaknesses, but, above all, it is important to consider its effect on the human body.

As for home-made cider according to one of the popular recipes, it contains just a huge amount of useful macro- and microelements. That is, all the components of the fruit are not lost during the preparation of the drink.

Even in ancient times, cider was used by folk healers to treat spleen (in modern terminology - "depressive conditions"), as well as diabetes and gastrointestinal diseases.

True, there was a time when the medicinal properties of the product were questioned due to its alcohol content, but scientists managed to calm the skeptics by proving the usefulness of drinking apple wine in small quantities.

So, it activates the digestive tract, increases appetite, normalizes blood pressure and dilates blood vessels, accelerates the elimination of toxins from the body, and also slows down the aging process by blocking free radicals.

Important! The degree of usefulness of cider from apple juice depends on the variety and condition of the fruit. In addition, the cooking conditions also affect: the home version is much more useful than the industrial one.

However, in addition to the positive aspects of drinking such a drink, one should not forget about possible contraindications. The fact is that cider is a completely natural product and in some people it can provoke allergic reactions associated with individual intolerance to the constituent components of apples or other fruits used.

It is also worth remembering the strength of apple wine (depending on the recipe, it can range from 1 to 9%), using it in moderate doses. In addition, the drink will not have any other harmful effect on your body.

Did you know? In some beauty salons, clients are offered to take an apple cider bath, with a full body immersion. After undergoing such a procedure, the skin becomes silky and soft, and it is possible to smooth out shallow wrinkles.

Cooking at home

As we mentioned earlier, there are a huge number of recipes for making delicious and healthy apple wine, but in this article we will consider only a few of them, paying particular attention to the simplest and most affordable.

What you need for cooking

The classic recipe for making cider provides for the possibility of using any of the 50, in particular, such well-known ones as Stair, Amber Altai and Foxville.

All of them are usually characterized by a high concentration of tannins, which give the finished drink a unique taste. Simply put, you can pick up any variety common in your region, the main thing is that they are tasty.

Important! Never use overripe or underripe apples, as such fruits will simply fall apart during processing or turn out to be too sour, which cannot but affect the final taste characteristics of the wine product being made.

For the preparation of a drink, winter and containing a large amount of tannins and sugars are excellent. In this case, the cider comes out very fragrant, tasty and healthy. Other necessary ingredients include water and sugar, and for 10 kg of apples you need to take up to 1 liter of the first component and 1.5 kg of the second.

As for kitchen utensils, the main thing is to prepare a large pot, and everything else can be found in the kitchen anyway.

The easiest apple cider recipe

This easy apple cider recipe is perfect for those who want a delicious drink but don't have much time to make it. The secret here lies in the use of wine (), thanks to which it is possible to speed up the process of making cider.

The pomace of apples is well suited for the role of the basis for the future drink, which fills a three-liter jar by exactly a third. Next, you need to add a little white raisins, a glass of sugar and half a teaspoon of yeast to it, and then pour it all with cold water, filling the jar to the brim.

After performing these steps, it remains only to put the container in a dark place and leave it there for 5-6 days. At the end of fermentation, the finished cider is filtered, and it is considered ready to drink.

When using this or any other recipe for creating an apple drink, you need to remember a few simple rules:

Important! The smell of fermentation, hissing and foam appear already 8-16 hours after laying applesauce.

• Apple cider, which is prepared at home, should ferment at a temperature of +18…+27 °C. But if, after 50 days from the moment it was placed for fermentation, the process does not stop, in order to avoid a bitter taste, it is necessary to pour the cider into another jar with a straw, leaving it to ferment under the same conditions for some more time.

Other Popular Recipes

In addition to the recipe for instant apple cider, there are other equally popular options for creating the described drink: e.g. without sugar or with gas.

Sugar-free cider is considered a classic preparation, often used in England and France. It is characterized by simple technology and will surely please true connoisseurs of everything natural, and to get such a useful product, you need:

Important! If you do not plan to saturate the drink with carbon dioxide, then tightly close the container and place it for 3-4 months in a dark room with an air temperature of +6 to +12 ° C.

After the specified period, it is necessary to filter the cider again and, bottling, tightly cork.

Now consider the option of creating carbonated apple cider. All the main manufacturing steps remain the same as in the previous, “quiet” recipes, but at the same time there are some differences.

So, after removing the drink from the sediment and sterilizing the bottles (glass or plastic), where it will be stored after bottling, sugar should be poured into the bottom of each of them at the rate of 10 g per 1 liter of volume. It is sugar that will provoke weak fermentation with the release of that same carbon dioxide.

The technology for making a low-alcohol drink from apples has been known for several centuries. Real cider is made without the addition of yeast and without pasteurization of the finished product.

Preparatory stage

If you are seriously interested in how to make cider, then you need to decide what you will need in the process of making it. First you need to choose apples. For these purposes, sweet and sour varieties of these fruits are best suited. Also, to prepare the drink, you will need sugar, water and a container for fermentation. The composition of additional products depends on the recipe that you choose to cook. In addition to the above, you will need a regular medical rubber glove or a special cover.

Before you figure out how to make cider at home, you need to prepare the apples. Rinse them with water, remove the core with seeds and grind on a grater, in a food processor or with a knife. Apples do not need to be peeled, and do not pour boiling water over them or use detergents to clean them. The peel of these fruits contains yeast that promotes fermentation.

Preparing a drink in a standard way

One of the most common apple cider recipes is the following. It is necessary to prepare the fruit in the manner described above and fill the washed and sterilized glass container with them approximately 1/3. Also, sugar must be added there at the rate of 100 grams per liter of apple mass or, as it is also called, pulp. You can also add some raisins to the bowl.

If it seems to you that the apples are not juicy, then water should be added to the pulp container at a ratio of 1: 1. Now a regular medical rubber glove is put on the neck of the jar. From it you can judge how the fermentation process is going. In addition, it is needed to block the access of oxygen, otherwise the pulp may simply turn sour. Now the container must be placed in a dark place where the round-the-clock temperature is maintained at 21-30 degrees Celsius. She should stay there for about a week. We can assume that the production of cider at home was successful if after the specified time you see an inflated glove on the can. It's time to remove it and strain the resulting drink into a jar.

But that is not all. Now the filtered liquid must be put in the refrigerator and wait for the formation of a precipitate. After that, it remains only to drain clean cider without grounds with a hose, bottle it and cork it tightly.

Correct Method

Those who want to learn how to make classic cider will have to find ripe wild apples. From them it will be necessary to squeeze pure juice. It is the basis for the preparation of a classic low-alcohol drink. Juice is poured into a glass container so that it fills it 2/3. The used jar is closed with a special lid - a water seal. When it is used, air does not enter the container, but carbon dioxide can escape from it.

The jar must be placed for at least three weeks in a dark place where the temperature will be at the level of 22 degrees. After that, it is necessary to drain the clean liquid through the hose so that the sediment remains in the container. This fermented juice must be poured into jars, covered with a lid and stored for 3-4 months at a temperature of 10 degrees. Only after all these steps have been completed, the cider from the juice will be ready, it can be bottled, tightly closed and stored in the refrigerator for up to three years.

Note that it does not use sugar, raisins or yeast. Such a product is considered natural.

old recipe

But this is not all the ways to make cider. To make a drink according to the old method, you will need a canvas bag and a wooden barrel. If necessary, the barrel can be replaced with a large enamel pan. Washed and peeled apples are poured into a bag, which is placed in a prepared container. After that, you can start preparing the syrup. It is made from 6 liters of water and 1.6 kg of sugar (if desired, you can use honey instead), this amount is needed for 8 kg of fruit. From above, apples are covered with a lid - it can be either solid wood or mesh. Oppression is set on it - so that the apples cannot float up.

After completing these steps, the container is placed in a dark place for fermentation.

When the process is over, the liquid is drained into a clean container using a flexible hose. With the same apple pulp, these steps can be repeated several times. That is, you again need to prepare the syrup and pour the fruit over it, and after a month drain the clean liquid. The drinks obtained from several approaches are mixed and settled in a cold place for at least six months. Only after this low-alcohol wine cider is considered ready.

Recipe with yeast

Many believe that the use of additional components will help speed up the process of making a drink. But it is not always the case. It will take more than half a year to make cider with yeast. It is done in the following way.

Apples are finely cut, put in a jar and filled with water so that they are completely covered. This container is placed in a warm place for fermentation for about two weeks, during the process the liquid must be stirred regularly. After a specified period, the resulting juice is filtered and slightly heated.

Now you need to add sugar and yeast. The main thing is to keep the proportions. So, 25 grams of yeast and 5 cups of sugar are mixed with 4.5 liters of fermented juice. Now you need to put it in a container and cover with a lid. As soon as the liquid begins to ferment, it must be poured into a barrel, after the end of the process it is clogged and stays that way for about six months. Only after 6 months homemade apple cider will be ready, it can be bottled.

Quick Recipe

Another option for making a low-alcohol champagne drink is the following.

For it, you will need 8 kg of apples, 2 kg of sugar, 10 liters of water and the zest of two lemons. Note that with these ingredients you can make cider in just a week.

A homemade recipe with accelerated technology looks like this. Small apples are selected, they are peeled and cut in half. The fruits prepared in this way are put into a container, covered with sugar and poured with water with the addition of lemon zest. The container is covered with gauze, previously folded in several layers, and placed in a warm place. After a week, the drink can be filtered and bottled, this will already be cider. The home accelerated method of preparation, of course, does not coincide with the technology for making this drink without the addition of sugar and other components, established by specialists, but you can drink it in a week.

There is another way to make this low-alcohol drink. It can be made from freshly squeezed juice from apples of non-acidic varieties. Please note that packaged drinks sold in supermarkets will not be able to become the basis for cider.

For its preparation, it is necessary to add 100 grams of sugar, wine yeast or a special sourdough for each liter of juice. By the way, it can be made from unwashed raspberries, water and sugar. To do this, crushed berries are poured with half a glass of warm water and covered with a spoonful of sugar. The container is closed and placed in a warm place for three days. In addition, every day it must be shaken.

Juice mixed with sourdough and sugar is poured into a jar and closed with a water seal. The container is kept in a cool place until the release of gas bubbles is over, but this is not yet cider. The homemade recipe for making this drink requires that the liquid be carefully drained without sediment. After that, you need to wash the container, pour the base of the future wine into it again and put it in a cold place for three months. After this period, the cider can already be poured.

Dried fruit drink

If you are on fire with the preparation of this drink in the midst of winter, then you should not be upset and wait for a new harvest of apples. For a drink, you can buy inexpensive fresh apples, which are sold all year round, and dried fruits. Cider is made from these components as follows. A layer of dried apples is placed in a jar or barrel, and on top of them - prepared fresh ones cut into large pieces. The fruit should fill about half of the container you are planning to make the cider in. The home recipe for making a drink from these components is that they must be poured with boiled cooled water and corked for about three weeks, leaving in a dark place for successful fermentation. After the specified period, the cider can already be drained. The basis for this drink can be filled with water and infused at least three more times. But be warned, you'll end up with a fairly sour drink. It can be sweetened before use.

drinking culture

Having figured out how cider is made, it would be nice to also figure out how it should be consumed. It is believed that a dry drink is ideal for various seafood, such as shrimp, oysters. It can also be successfully combined with various cheeses, low-fat kebabs and vegetables. But sweet varieties are better to drink with desserts. This cider is suitable for pastries, yogurt cakes, sweets, chocolate, mascarpone.

This drink has many benefits. It does not contain any chemical additives, in addition, it is not only a source of vitamins B 6, B 1, C, but also iron, calcium, potassium, pectin. It is also said that cider is able to normalize blood pressure and positively affect the functioning of the stomach and intestines. But do not forget that an alcoholic drink is obtained during the fermentation process, so you should not abuse it.

Cider is a low-alcohol drink obtained by fermenting natural apple juice with or without added sugar and saturated with carbon dioxide. Depending on the production technology, ciders are produced in two types: sparkling cider with a strength of 5% vol. alcohol, artificially saturated with carbon dioxide, and sparkling cider with a strength of 1% vol. alcohol, saturated with carbon dioxide by secondary fermentation in sealed tanks. According to the sugar content, ciders are produced in three types: dry (sugar not more than 0.3 g per 100 ml), semi-dry (2.5 g per 100 ml) and sweet (5 g per 100 ml). Titratable acidity in terms of malic acid in the finished cider should be 5-7 g per 1 liter. The content of volatile acids is allowed no more than 1 g per 1 liter, the total amount of sulfurous acid is not more than 200 mg per 1 liter.

For the production of cider, apple varieties of autumn and early winter ripening are used, which are distinguished by a high content of sugars, aromatic and extractive substances in the juice, with a sufficient amount of tannins and with a titratable acidity of at least 7 g per 1 liter.

The best varieties are Antonovka ordinary, Calvil white, Anise gray, Borovinka, Renet, Aport, Bogatyr, Welsey, Antonovka new, Rossoshanskoye striped. The fruits of summer varieties contain little tannins and acids, so they are less desirable for cider production. Apples mainly contain malic acid, so the titratable acidity of apple juice and cider is usually determined by this acid.

Preparation of cider materials

Cider materials are prepared from gravity juice and first pressing juice, i.e. juice of the first fraction. Dilution of juice with water is not allowed, therefore, the juice of the second (water) fraction is not used to produce cider. Juice is obtained by pressing. The juice coming out from under the press contains suspended particles (dregs) that impair the taste of the cider. Therefore, freshly squeezed juice is clarified by settling. So that the juice does not deteriorate during settling, sulfur dioxide or potassium metabisulfite is added to it at the rate of achieving an anhydride content in the juice of 50 mg per 1 liter.

Settling is carried out at a temperature of 1-6°C for 12-24 hours. The juice is cooled using plate, tubular or other heat exchangers. The settled juice is drained from the sediment into previously prepared clean fermentation containers and subjected to chemical and microbiological analysis. Taking into account the data of the analysis, sugaring and an increase or decrease in acidity are carried out with the expectation to obtain cider with a titratable acidity in the range of 5-7 g per 1 liter.

To obtain fizzy cider, the sugar in the must must be 10% before fermentation. If its content is insufficient, add beet sugar to the desired amount. Apple juice for sparkling cider is not sugared, it must have a natural sugar content of at least 8%. To increase the acidity, no more than 20% of the juice of wild apples with high acidity is added to the apple juice of cultivated fruits. If necessary, reduce the acidity of acidic juice blended with low acidity.

During the fermentation period, the development of undesirable microflora is possible, therefore sulfurous anhydride or potassium metabisulphite is added to the wort to the content of 75-100 mg of sulfurous anhydride per 1 liter of wort. Instead, you can pasteurize the wort at 80-85 ° C for 2 minutes, then cool it and put it on fermentation.

Fermentation. The prepared wort is fermented in a closed way in fermentation tanks filled with 3L of their volume. To the wort add 3% of the wiring of a pure culture of yeast. At the optimum fermentation temperature of 20-25 °C, the yeast races Apple Xa 7, Vishnevaya No. 33, Moscow No. 30 are used, and at a lower temperature, cold-resistant races Sidrovaya No. 101, Minsk No. 120 are used.

Fermentation is systematically controlled: the density and titratable acidity of the must are measured daily, the accumulation of alcohol is monitored, and microbiological control is carried out. The temperature of the fermenting wort and the air in the fermentation room is measured daily. If the temperature of the wort rises above 25 ° C, then measures are taken to reduce it.

Fermentation to obtain wine materials, both effervescent and sparkling cider, lasts 10 days. When fermentation is attenuated, it is resumed by adding the same, but more rapidly fermenting material to the wort. The cider material must ferment dry to a residual sugar content of not more than 0.3 g per 100 ml. The fermented cider material is drained from the yeast sediment and sulfurous acid (up to 120 mg per 1 liter) is added to prevent spoilage, then processed.

For clarification, the cider material is pasted over by one of the known methods. Processed with gelatin, and with a low content of tannins in the juice - with gelatin and tannin. Good results are obtained by using bentonite alone or bentonite together with polyacrylamide.

In the finished cider, the content of iron salts is allowed no more than 10 mg per 1 liter. If the cider material contains more iron, then before gluing it is treated with phytin or yellow blood salt. After fining, the cider material is settled, drained from the sediment, filtered, sulfurous acid is added again at the rate of 30 mg of sulfurous anhydride per 1 liter and sent for storage.

Cider material is stored in wooden barrels topped up, or even better - in hermetically sealed enameled containers. Storage temperature is not higher than 10 °С. The most progressive way is storage in tanks under pressure of carbon dioxide in the range of 0.6-0.8 MPa. Carbon dioxide prevents the development of unwanted microflora, especially at low temperatures. During the storage period, containers are timely topped up with cider homogeneous material, since air access promotes the development of membranous yeast and acetic acid bacteria. During long-term storage, a precipitate forms, from which the cider material is periodically drained.

During storage, make sure that acid-reducing yeast does not appear, which destroy malic acid. Decreased acidity contributes to the appearance of a brown color and a "flat" taste in the cider. In dry fermented materials with an increased concentration of sulfur dioxide (about 150 mg per 1 liter), the development of acid-reducing yeast is delayed (in the presence of sugar, they develop even at a high concentration of sulfur dioxide).

Production of fizzy cider

The clarified cider material is blended. If it is not possible to achieve the required acidity, citric acid is added to the blend, but not more than 2 g per 1 liter. To prepare effervescent semi-dry and sweet cider, the blend is mixed with sugar to the required conditions in the form of 70-75% expedition liquor (the technology for preparing circulation and expedition liquor is described below). The mixture is then filtered. To improve the transparency of cider, diatomite or tripolite is added during filtration.

Filtration is carried out on closed plate filters that provide minimal air access. Exposure to air will cause the cider to become cloudy, as retained yeast may begin to develop again after being sugared. To destroy the microflora, the blend is pasteurized at 80-85°C for 2 minutes.

To stabilize cider before saturation with carbon dioxide, it is allowed to introduce sorbic acid into the blend in the amount of 200 mg and 40 mg of sulfur dioxide per 1 liter or bring the total content of sulfur dioxide in cider to 200 mg per 1 liter. The prepared blend is cooled to 0, -2°C and saturated with carbon dioxide in saturators at a pressure of 0.3-0.4 MPa, and then served for bottling.

Sparkling cider production

Sparkling cider is produced by continuous and batch methods by secondary fermentation. With the continuous method, secondary fermentation is carried out in a stream, in a battery of six acratophores (hermetic fermentation tanks) with a capacity of 500 dal. The production of cider begins with the blending and filtration of processed cider materials. Then the clarified material is pumped into containers and sugar is added to it in the form of a tirage liquor in such a way as to obtain a sugar content of the cider material of 3%. Before the start of secondary fermentation, nitrogenous nutrition for yeast is added to the cider material in the form of ammonium salts (0.3-0.4 g per 1 liter) or 25% aqueous ammonia solution (not more than 0.4 mg per 1 liter). The draw mixture prepared in this way is filtered, pasteurized in a pasteurizer at 80-85 ° C for 2 minutes, cooled to 20 ° C and pumped into preparatory apparatus (Fig. 45).

A pure culture of wine yeast (6-8%) is introduced into the circulation mixture for secondary fermentation. Cold-resistant races are used, which quickly ferment sugar at 10-12°C and ensure the formation of a good bouquet and taste of cider. In the preparatory apparatus, rapid multiplication of yeast takes place at atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 18-20°C.

In the initial period of work, a gradual filling of the entire battery is carried out, and cider material is periodically supplied from the preparatory apparatus to the acratophores. After charging the battery, the cider material is fed in a stream continuously from one acratophore to another. Periodically, only the first acratophore and its backup work, into which the fermentation mixture is supplied alternately from the preparatory apparatus.

The capacity of the preparatory apparatus is 2.5 times greater than the capacity of one acratophore. Therefore, only a part of the fermenting mixture is supplied to the first acratophore. To the fermenting mixture remaining in the apparatus, a new circulation mixture is served, but already without yeast wiring. The acratophores of the fermentation battery are hermetically sealed and, due to fermentation, the pressure of carbon dioxide is maintained in them within 0.4 MPa. The flow rate in the battery is adjusted so that the fermentation cycle lasts 5-6 days. During this time, dry cider should be obtained in the last acratophore. The temperature in the acratophores is maintained with a decrease from 16°C in the first to 12-10°C in the latter.

To remove the main yeast biomass, the last acratophore has Raschig rings or rings made of polyethylene tubes on which the yeast is filtered. Fermented dry cider, saturated with carbon dioxide due to natural nadir, from the last acratophore passes through a sand filter and is cooled in a heat exchanger to 0 - 2°C.

In the manufacture of semi-dry and sweet cider, after cooling the dry material in a stream, the required amount of expedition liquor is introduced into it, cooled in the second heat exchanger to -2, -3 ° C, filtered and sent to a thermos tank. In a thermos tank, sparkling semi-dry or sweet cider is kept at -3°C for at least 10 hours, and then filtered through a filter cardboard and bottled.

When using the batch method, blending, processing of cider material and preparation of the draw mixture are carried out in the same way as with the continuous method. Yeast is added to the draw mixture in the preparatory apparatus, and fermentation is added in acratophores. If there are one or two acratophores, then they also perform the functions of a preparatory apparatus.

At the beginning of fermentation, the acratophore maintains a temperature of 16-18°C, and then, when a pressure of about 0.15 MPa is reached, it is gradually reduced. At the end of the secondary fermentation, which lasts 7 days, the temperature is maintained at 10-12°C. The resulting dry cider is filtered, cooled; in the production of semi-dry and sweet cider, it is mixed with expedition liquor, cooled again, aged, filtered and bottled, i.e. use the same technology as in the continuous method. The first cooling to 0, - 2°C can be carried out directly in the acratophore after the completion of the secondary fermentation of the cider material.

Preparation of circulation and expeditionary liquor

Tirage liquor is made by dissolving sugar in cider material. Sugar is mixed with cider material in containers with stirrers and dissolved without heating to a concentration of 70-75% in liquor. Containers before preparing liquor are carefully checked for the strength of the internal anti-corrosion coating (exposed iron areas can react with acids and increase the content of iron salts in cider). Circulation liquor is used to make a circulation mixture in the production of sparkling cider.

Expedition liquor is prepared in the same way as tirage liquor, and is used to bring fizzy or sparkling cider to sugar content standards. Cider is a low-grade drink. Therefore, in order to ensure stability and maintain the high quality of bottled cider, sulfurous and ascorbic acids are added to the expedition liquor, in contrast to the circulation liquor. The amount of acids in the liquor is added in such a way that after mixing the expedition liquor with the second-fermented cider material, the finished cider contains 30 mg of sulfur dioxide per 1 liter and 50 mg per 1 liter of ascorbic acid. Less liquor is added to semi-dry cider, so the content of sulfurous and ascorbic acids in liquor must be greater than in liquor to produce sweet cider. The prepared expedition liquor is filtered through a cellulose or asbestos filter and stored in enameled containers until use.

Preparation of fruit and berry low-alcohol carbonated drinks

Currently, in addition to cider, other low-alcohol carbonated drinks are also produced. For their preparation, alcoholized juice of fruits and berries and dessert grape red or white wine are used, depending on the color of the juice used. For example, in the state farm named after V.I. Budagovsky of the Tambov region, the Apple drink is produced from apple juice and white grape wine. Grape wine gives the drink a special taste. To bring the blend to the drink condition in terms of sugar content, acidity and strength, citric acid, sugar and drinking water are added.

Before making the drink, the blend is calculated according to the alcohol given with alcoholized fruit and berry juice and wine. The amount of sugar is determined taking into account the invert sugar introduced with alcoholized juice and wine. Wines take 3-5% of the total volume. In the finished drink, the alcohol content should be 8% by volume, sugar 10 g per 100 ml, acids 7 g per 1 liter. Alcoholic juice has a strength of 16% vol., White dessert grape wine is also usually taken with a strength of 16% vol.

Therefore, first they calculate how much alcohol will be taken with grape wine (it is most often taken 5 decalitres per 100 decalitres of the finished drink), then they determine how much alcoholized juice should be taken in order to get 8% in the finished drink, taking into account technological losses (about 12%) about. alcohol. The content of sugar and acids taken with wine and alcoholized juice is calculated, and the amount of sugar and acids missing to the drink's conditions is determined. Then determine the volume of the blend of wine, spirited juice, sugar and citric acid. The missing volume to the norm will show the required amount of water.

Preparation of inverted sugar syrup. Sugar syrup is boiled in enameled or stainless steel boilers with steam heating and thermal insulation. The syrup is mixed with mechanical mixers, and in small boilers - manually. Water is poured into the boilers, heated to 40-45 ° C. After the sugar is completely dissolved, the solution is allowed to boil, the resulting foam is removed with a slotted spoon. Then the sugar solution is boiled for 30 minutes with constant stirring. After boiling, the hot syrup is filtered and cooled to 70°C in a counterflow refrigerator or in a sucrose inversion collector. The collector is equipped with a cooling coil.

To invert sucrose, an aqueous solution of citric acid is added to the syrup, mixed thoroughly and kept at 70°C for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Then the syrup is cooled to 20°C and sent to closed collections for storage. The foam removed during the cooking of the syrup is collected in a separate bowl, dissolved with water in a ratio of 1:3, carefully filtered until transparent and used in subsequent cooking. In some cases, as, for example, at the state farm named after V.I. Budagovsky, sugar syrup is prepared without inversion. First, sugar is dissolved in warm water with stirring, then the required amount of citric acid is added and used for blending.

Preparation of carbonated low-alcohol drink. The required (according to calculation) amount of wine, alcoholized juice, sugar syrup, acid is added to the blend mixture and adjusted to the required volume with water. In this case, the blend is thoroughly mixed. The prepared blend is checked for the content of alcohol, sugar and acids, and the compliance with the conditions of the finished drink is established.

Then the blend is cooled to 1-5°C and kept for 11 days at this temperature in sealed containers with a cooler. With aging, the taste of the drink becomes more harmonious. After aging, the drink is filtered on filter presses, cooled in plate coolers of the VO1-U2.5 or VO1-U5 type to minus 2 - plus 2 ° C, saturated with carbon dioxide in saturators and bottled.