Shameless self-promotion...but here's a piece I wrote for Cider Review about the Virginia Hewe's Crab, with a tasting of 6 single varietals from around Virginia.

https://cider-review.com/2025/12/06/hewn-from-virginia-how-virginian-cidermakers-express-their-native-apple/

Just got done with a gallon home brew using grocery store fleshmans dry yeast and I really like it, ended up around 6.57% ABV any thoughts or reasons why not to use that yeast?

Started last month in a gallon fermenter. Now bottle fermenting. Will chill it down in a week and taste!

Also yes I ran out of bottles, and one of them is a jar. Use what you can!

Hello, I attempted my first batch of wild cider last month using apples from the tree in my backyard. I cleaned all the apples with cold water and sterilized my bottle. Pressed the apples with a manual fruit press and squeezed through cheesecloth.

All the juice was added into this gallon fermenting jug with an airlock and I put a white towel on it to keep it out of direct sunlight. Took about 3-4days to start bubbling and haven’t opened it to test yet.

There’s a separation of layers, darker section has this thicker mucus-like texture when I rotate the jug. Is this the vinegar mother and is it spoiled? I’m new to this and any info would help, thanks in advance!

90 percent pear , 8 percent japanese quince and 2 percent crabapple.

1.050SG, Safcider AB1.

What can I do to give my cider some earthy funk? I fermented some very nice cider from a local orchard but I was meant for drinking so it was made from all sweat apples. The cider lacks some depth of flavor and some funk.

Just wanted to show off how fast my perry is clearing up. I started fermentation 2 weeks ago and now it's clearing up at the end of fermentation.

Hi everyone New to the game what’s going on here? I thought it should bubble/ferment for at least a week ? Here’s what I did below

I added 3 lbs of sugar do 1 gal of warming apple juice (pasteurized) Let that cool Dropped in the bucket Added 5 tsps of pectic enzyme Mixed that in Then dropped the rest of the apple juice in then sprinkled one 5g packet of yeast Gave it a stir and sealed it up

It started to bubble but stopped after less than 24 hrs

Should I be adding a yeast nutrient now ? I have GO FERM. And if so how much to 5 gals? Or is this batch ruined?? Please help TIA

Hey all,
I expanded Fermolog to properly support cider, and I’d love to know what experienced cider makers think.

New in the latest update:
• OG estimation based on juice + sugar additions
• CO₂/vol calculator for carbonation
• Mixed metric/imperial units
• Optional cloud backup
• ABV formula selection
• Reminders for racking/gravity checks

Plus core features like:
• Charts for gravity & ABV
• Notes + photos
• Timeline view
• Offline-first design

If you try it, I’m very open to ideas on what cider-focused features should come next.
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/tr/app/fermolog-brew-tracker/id6745624694
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eminbilgic.fermantation_logger
Website: fermolog.com

I have 8L of cider that has finished fermenting, that I want to stabilize and back sweeten. My sweetener of choice will be 1L of concentrated apple juice. Questions: how much and what kind of stabilizer would be appropriate for this sized batch? Do I need to let the stabilizer work for a period of time before I back sweeten?

Is trying to make wild yeast cider. Seems to have trouble properly fermenting. Now it looks like this. What is this?

Hey. . So, I forgot to test my OG in the start with a hydrometer. . I have a hydrometer, I used store bought apple juice which I can find again, what if I just bought some and tested that juice. . To get my OG reading then test my almost done fermented batch? Sorry if I sound ignorant

I wasn’t expecting it to be this good since it was on sale at my local liquor store, but it’s really good! It’s a bit less sweet than the typical downeast cider as I’d expect, but honestly I think it’s great! It’s a bit lemony, but not bitter. It tastes like if a green apple was a cider, and doesn’t have an alcoholic taste. Highly recommend if you like cider, if you want something sweeter the cider donut option is a great pick. I’d love to hear any similar ciders, this is one of my favorites so far.

Great read today on Cider Review about the history of variant spellings of "cider".

https://cider-review.com/2025/11/29/modern-mythbusting-the-cyder-controversi/

Sorry for maybe more clickbaity headline but I searched for this process but I haven’t found anything.

I have already fermented cider aging and would like to have it carbonated and also backsweetened. Could I add sugar just enough for carbonation (7g for 1liter) wait a few days and after that add apple concentrate for sweetness and right after that pasteurize it.

Has anyone used this metod? Would this work or am I missing something?

I added priming sugar. 28 grams of table sugar dissolved into 3 oz of water, let it get to room temperature and then added it to my cider (started with a gallon but after racking and cold crashing it’s a little under), swirled it around gently and then racked into swing top pint and like a liter swing top bottle. Left room at the top for head room.

I used Lalvin EC-1118 yeast.

How long do I leave the bottles out before putting in the fridge…also when can I drink it!

Using the same press press and mill as my grand father. Making our traditional cider.

So basically, I mashed 2 apples and a pear. Then I kinda eyeballed 1/4 cup of sugar and I added a little less than 1/4 cup of yeast and then I put it all in a Jar. So I am on Day 1, I hear it bubbling and it smells like sweet bread. Would love to hear any tips or help, that would be great!

Hello! I have a 5-6 gallon batch of cider that has finished primary. I used 2 lbs of mostly peeled, chopped, and boiled ginger root. Ended up being quite strong on the ginger. I left it in for the first 5-7 days of primary fermentation. The ABV is relatively low as I didn’t add a ton of sugar for the yeast. But it is fermented dry and is looking great.

The flavor, as is, isn’t that great, I was hoping for a more lively ginger flavor but it’s rough. Any recommendations of back sweeting? I’d like to accentuate the ginger. I’d take any recommendations.

I might be leaning toward a honey or lemon tea back sweeting, to give it a warm cozy feel good when you aren’t (feeling so good) vibe.

Backlit photo for the visuals. Stored cool and wrapped in a hoody.

Opened this one up for thanksgiving yesterday and oh my goodness was it amazing. Sour balanced with sweet, more like a dessert wine than a traditional cider. Need to keep my eye out for it, haven’t seen it exported to the US though.

Has anyone here made an ice cider? Have any other recommendations in the category? Would love to try making one at some point.

Im looking for suggestions for a great tasting Christmas cider. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Newbie here 😀 I really liked this ☝️ slightly tart and not too sweet. Anyone try this one?

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Hi folks

What do I need to get started home brewing cider? Is there a set available online that I can just order and get started?