Welcome to our beginner’s guide to cider making. This is the first article in a series designed to give you all the tools needed to make your own cider. For the sake of simplicity we’re going to stick with fruit based alcoholic cider. If you wish to make wine or mead instead the procedures are almost identical but I’m more than happy to delve into the latter two in a later article.
But, why should I make cider?
Well, why not?…It’s fun, it’s affordable, it’s social, it’s (probably) legal where you live, and it’s relatively easy. Unlike beer, cider it’s entirely gluten-free and you can make it completely dry (sugar free) if you so choose. Not to mention It’s entirely possible to replicate or even improve upon your favorite commercial ciders. And if you’re feeling creative, cider is by no means limited to just apples and pears, any fruit is fair game. Armed with a bit of knowledge, good ingredients, and half-decent equipment you’re on your way.
What about the cost?
Assuming this might be your first rodeo and you may have a low budgetary ceiling, I’m going to keep this as simple and budget friendly as possible. So with budgetary constraints in mind you could get started by spending as little as $70 on equipment and $30 on ingredients. However for this article we are solely going to deal with equipment. The third article in our beginner’s guide to cider making will deal with all things ingredients. So without further ado, you’re going to need the following hardware to get started.
Hardware
Fermentation vessel
Price: $0-20/each
Quantity: 2 or more
This can be food-grade: glass, plastic, copper or stainless steel. Non-food grade materials or metals that are not copper or stainless steel may negatively affect flavor and your health. Each material has it’s own pros and cons but that’s a whole other topic… I would recommend starting with 1 gallon (3.79L) glass growlers or 4L milk jugs if you’re feeling frugal. 64oz (1.89L) growlers are perfectly fine too. Ideally you should acquire at least two vessels of the same size, so that you may transfer your beverages from one to the other.
Airlocks and Rubber Stoppers
Price: $9/set
Quantity: 1 airlock + 2 stoppers per fermentation vessel
This simple combination keeps the ambient air, bacteria, and wild yeast out while allowing Carbon dioxide to escape your fermentation vessel. There are two common styles of airlocks. The one you want is the 3 pieces version., it’s easier to clean.
As for the rubber stoppers there are two different types, those with holes in the middle for accommodating airlocks and those without. I would recommend getting one of each for every fermentation vessel. Also it should be noted, there many different sizes of stoppers for different applications. Assuming you’ve elected to with 1 gallon (3.79L) vessels, there are two sizes of stoppers that will fit #6 and #6.5. The one you want is #6, failing that the other will work in a pinch. The size is imprinted on the top surface of the stopper.
Funnel
Price: $5-10
Quantity: 1
If you’re feeling brave and have a steady hand you can forgo this one, but you really shouldn’t. Get a really big one!
5 Gallon (18.9L) Buckets
Price: $8
Quantity: 2
These are somewhat optional, but they will make cleaning and soaking things considerably easier. As a bonus you can use the buckets are fermentation vessels later when you’re ready to scale up, provided you have lids for them with airlock holes. Make sure your buckets are food-grade and clean.
Siphon (or Auto-siphon)
Price: $2-10
Quantity: 1
A siphon could be a simple hose, but an auto-siphon is even better. Ideal length is about 4-5′ (1.2-1.5m). It’s a good idea to have a stopper device on the outlet end of the hose to minimize spills. If you’re going with an auto-siphon be wary some don’t fit 1 gallon (3.79L) containers.
Measuring Devices
As you go along you’re going to be measuring various parameters of your cider so you’re going to need a few calibrated items.
Measuring Spoons and Cups
Price: $0-20/set
Quantity: 1 set of each
You probably already have these in your kitchen. Increments of 1/4 tsp – 1 tsp and 1/8 cup – 1 cup will be the most useful. For future articles I will try to provide measurements in metric and imperial for your convenience.
Hydrometer + Graduated Cylinder
Price: $20/for both
Quantity 1
A hydrometer measures the amount of sugar in solution (aka potential alcohol). It’s needed to determine alcohol by volume (ABV) and gauge sweetness. Alternatively you can use a refractometer but in this case we will stick with a hydrometer. The graduated cylinder is used to hold sample volumes while using the hydrometer.
Software
A quick note on note taking, I would highly recommend recording cider batch information in Microsoft Excel or a some other form of spreadsheet. The more data points you record throughout your adventures in cider making the better. That said, pen and paper works too. I will cover spreadsheets in a later installment of the beginner’s guide to cider making.
Chemicals
Chemicals are critically important to ensure clean fermentation and to prevent spoilage. The next article in our beginner’s guide to cider making will cover how to go about using chemicals properly and safely.
Acid Sanitizer
Price: $8-34/depending on bottle size
Quantity: 1
This is essential for cleaning equipment. Without getting into great detail, the best product on the market for a home-use is Star San by Five Star Chemicals. Alternatively if Star San is unavailable any other food-grade no-rinse sanitizer approved for the beverage industry will work. Please be careful when handling undiluted acid.
Alkaline Caustic Cleaner
Price: $8-40/depending on container size
Quantity: 1
This is also necessary as part of the cleaning process. Five Star Chemicals has a great product called powdered brewery wash (PBW). Alternatively Super-K Caustic Cleaner by ATP group works just as well. Other comparable alkaline cleaners can also be used, just make sure it’s suitable for the intended application. Much like the acid sanitizer be careful with caustic cleaner and do not mix the two together.
Optional Equipment
pH Meter
Price: $90 – 1000<
Quantity: 1
If you want to be precise and methodical a pH meter is a good investment. Be forewarned if you want your pH meter to be properly calibrated and clean you will also have to purchase pH buffer solutions, cleaning solution, and storage solution. Maintaining pH meters can be somewhat expensive and truly accurate ones start at over $1000.
Acidity Titration Test Kit
Price: $20-300
Quantity: 1
Total acidity or titratable acidity (TA) are interchangeable terms for a very useful metric. Combined with pH TA provides an acidity profile for your cider to help tweak the flavour. However if you’re just starting out, don’t worry about this one. Unfortunately accurate testing equipment for TA starts at about $300. The photo below is the $20 version.
Spray Bottle
Price: $0-5
Quantity: 1
A spray bottle full of sanitizer makes sanitizing things easy and convenient.
Wine Thief
Price: $15
Quantity: 1
A thief makes taking samples a lot easier, and can fit a hydrometer for convenience. That said, they tend not to work well for volumes smaller than 5 gallons (18.9L) and if you’re using 1 gallon (3.79L) containers a wine thief probably won’t fit.
Flip-Top Bottles
Price: $0-24
Quantity: As many as you like
These are the most convenient and reusable way to bottle your cider when all is said and done.
Scale
Price: $20-200
Quantity: 1
If you feel inclined to have more precise measurements, digital scales are the way to go. As with the pH meters and TA kits you have to spend quite a bit before you get a meaningful degree of accuracy. If you plan on spending less than $100 on a scale, I would just stick with measuring spoons/cups.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Price: $0-100
Quantity: As much as you feel you need
Here is your public service announcement: chemicals are inherently dangerous so please handle with care. Please wear protective equipment as needed and directed by the instructions written on the chemical containers. that is all.
Final thoughts on equipment
Alright, that’s the bare bones list of all the equipment needed to get started. So depending on your budget, resourcefulness, and how concerned you are with measurement accuracy, the grand total is in the range of $68 – 200<. Honestly if you’re just starting out I would go cheap. If you really love it, you can always upgrade and scale up later. You should be able to find all the above equipment at your local home brew or wine making stores. Failing that, there is a large number of online retailers who provide kits and individual equipment such as:
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/
https://www.northernbrewer.com/
Stay tuned next week, for the next segment in our beginner’s guide to cider making: cleaning! Not the most exciting step, but it is the most important. And if you missed our intro to Social Cider it can be found here: https://socialcider.org/what-is-social-cider/
Cheers!