Cider This Weekend

[Stuster]

Definitely don't boil the juice. There are different approaches - you can either just ferment it, or you can add some sulphites to kill off any wild yeasts, wait a couple of days and then add the yeast you want to use. I've just fermented it though I've always added a yeast, mainly just a clean ale yeast. There is plenty of wild yeast on the apple skin though and that will ferment it with nothing else added but I've always been too chicken to go that route.

 

[manticle]

Don't boil the juice unless you want stewed apple cider.

You can pasteurise (bring juice to 75 degrress for a few minutes) but my experience and reading suggests it's unnecessary for hard cider. The alcoholic environment combined with low pH makes it difficult for the wrong microbes to grow.

You can also use campden (sulphites) but again my experience suggests it's unnecessary and I don't like the eefect they have on me or on the flavour.

My take? - make a starter with your yeast so that fermentation starts quickly and trust in the cider gods.