However, there was something I found appealing about the flavor, at least enough to motivate further experimentation using other ale yeasts to ferment cheap juices. Chintzy as I am, I went with the classic Tree Top apple juice dosed with a bit of brown sugar and fermented with Nottingham ale yeast, which produced a boozy beverage Uncle Joe loved but I wasn’t a big fan of. I was inspired to make my first batch by my brother-in-law, who’d spent some time in Spain where he developed a strong liking of Sidra. My first few experiences drinking hard cider were less than exceptional and caused me wonder whether I actually liked it or not. The range of available options is typically pretty vast with the cheapest being reconstituted from concentrate and filtered to crystal clear, while more spendy juices are often opaque and come straight from the apple press. While some modern cider makers rely on sweet and palatable table apples such as Gala or Pink Lady, traditionally, the varieties viewed as best for hard cider have a more prominent acid and tannic character– Cox Orange Pippin, Herefordshire Redstreak, Kingston Black, and Brown Snout, to name a few.įor those who don’t live near an apple orchard but want to make their own hard cider, acquiring high quality must can be a rather involved task, which has led many to experiment with juices purchased at the local grocer.

Mosaic Of Change IPA by House Of PendragonĪ common conception when it comes to making hard cider is that, like wine, the source of the must matters a lot with most cider aficionados heartily preferring to use juice from apple varieties not typically snacked on.

Unfiltered apple juice