The process of making cider is complex. And, nothing is quite as refreshing as a nice, cold hard cider. As the cider market continues to grow, cider connoisseurs are being made every day. Just like the craft beer scene, some may be interested in the process of cider making. So, how is cider created and what goes into making your favorite alcoholic beverage?
Pick Your Cider Apples
Cleaning & Pressing Apples
Now we have all this juice and nothing to do with it. Well, hold your horses! They can collect the juice into either vats or casks and move it to the next step in the process.
Hard Cider Fermentation & Filtration
Are we close to drinking it yet? Not quite.
As the fermenting process continues, the liquor is placed into a new vat. Why you may ask? To leave behind the yeast that has built up and is no longer active (goodbye old friends, your duties were valiant). To avoid contamination and prevent other harmful bacteria, all air is removed from containment. The process of placing the liquid into a new vat and leaving the yeast behind is called racking and is essential to a clear and tasty cider. Fermentation takes care of the rest of the job, creating carbon dioxide with the remaining sugars, a natural layer of protective cushion for the pushin’. This fermentation can either be completely exhausted for a dry and still cider or it can be bottled up at select times to get some natural carbonation in the bottle. Now, most cideries will let the cider go completely dry and still and back sweeten it with sugars that yeast do not eat, to make it more palatable for the consumer. They also can mix other vats of cider for a mixture or other juice additives to get desired sweetness or flavor profiles. Keep in mind, the process of fermentation can take three months to up to three years depending on the particular product. Seems like yesterday our cider was just a young boy…Now its time to bottle it up.
Hard Cider Bottling & Pasteurization
Either way, the bottles are filled and capped. Every bottle must go through the pasteurization process to kill all of those little bits of bacteria that we can’t see without the naked eye (sorry eyes, put some clothes on). Either cold or heat treating bottles are available to cidermakers.
Side Notes & Shipping
It is worth noting that either at the “pomace” stage, vatting stage or directly within the bottling phase, other flavors, fermented fruit juices or additives are added to create unique flavor profiles or to keep the cider preserved like an Egyptian mummy.
As shown throughout the process, everyone can have such a different approach. That’s what allows each cider to be unique in its dryness, sweetness, bitterness, or any other flavor profile under the sun.
When the ciders are aged to the cideries liking, they have their labeled bottles package up and send to a store near you.
Now, yes, now, it’s time to pop the top and start enjoying your sweet, or dry, bubbly treat! I think we all came out of this a bit wiser and a bit closer to our cider, and that’s all we could ever ask for. This is how hard cider is created. This is how hard cider is made. You can also learn about the history of hard cider.