The Small Ciderhouse - Blackberry Cider
Cider is by far the easiest brew you can do. It is generally pre-pasteurized and ready for yeast so there is no need to boil, just toss it in the carboy and let her rip. Apfelwein was most likely re-popularized to the American community by a user over at homebrewtalk way back in 2006 and it has continued to spread its love ever since. Neither I nor my beer-loving friends were spared the addiction to this wondrous brew once I made my first batch. It is by far the easiest thing I have made. Eventually, I worked on my own version that has become quite popular around here that I would love to share with you to inspire a generation of first time brewers and cider lovers. Find out what you will need to start your very own small ciderhouse and create one of my favorites, Blackberry Cider, after the jump.
This can be done on any scale but I usually make about 2 gallons at a time in a 3 gallon carboy. My recipe is simple and is listed below, along with the equipment I recommend using.
Ingredients
2 gallons Apple Cider (fresh is ideal, no preservatives is necessary)
2 pounds Blackberries
Safale-05
Materials
3 gallon Carboy with 1 Drilled Stopper & 1 Air-lock (I love this one, light and easy to clean!)
1 Auto-siphon, bottling wand and 6 feet Tubing
12, 22 oz Bottles, Caps & Capper
Sanitizer
Extra 2 gallon container (pot, bucket, anything that you can sanitize)
Procedure
Sanitize the 3 gallon carboy, rinse and pour in the apple cider and shake for a while. Add the (previously frozen) blackberries and yeast. Seal with air lock and let sit for a month, covered, in a dark room at about 62-68 F. Rack into a bucket, add priming sugar (calculate using this tool) and cap. I like to store my cider in 22 ounce bottles and share the outcome with a friend. It is tart, highly carbonated and mildly sweet.
If you liked this then you should check out the No Fuss Starter Kit in this post to get you on your way to becoming a full fledged homebrewer.
Happy fermenting
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