How to Make Homemade Hard Cider!

Though apples are available in the supermarkets year round, in the southern hemisphere, their natural season is from late July - early November (varies slightly depending on the variety). This is when you will see apples at their tastiest (and cheapest!)

So that means it is the perfect time to start brewing some homemade hard cider. Brewing cider now also means you have a delicious drink to enjoy as the weather starts warming up.  

There is so much satisfaction that comes from making something truly from scratch. Cider may seem like a complicated process but with all the right equipment, the steps are pretty straight forward and become second nature pretty quickly.

At MOD, we recently released our DIY Cider Kit that provides you with the tools and guidance to create delicious hard cider at home. 

You can purchase the Cider Kit through our website but we thought we would answer a few common questions right here! 

cider making kit

The first thing most people want to know is what do you need to get started?

Below is a list of everything you will need to start brewing from your home: 

  • Your MOD Cold Press Juicer
  • The DIY Cider Kit which includes:
    • Detailed, step by step instructions 
    • Cold water cleaner detergent
    • No rinse sanitiser
    • 4 litre glass carboy fermenter
    • Airlock
    • Rubber stopper
    • Funnel
    • Mangrove Jack's Cider Yeast
    • Transfer tubing 
    • Auto-siphon / racking cane
  • 8x 500ml swing top bottles - these are perfect!
  • A large saucepan or stockpot (enough to hold 6 litres of liquid)
  • A large spoon for mixing
  • Brown sugar 

 As you can see, the MOD Cider Starter Kit provides you with all the speciality equipment needed! 

Another common question is how long does the entire process take?

The process from the first fermentation to being ready to drink takes about 20 days. The actual hands on time is minimal and the 20 days is mainly to allow the yeast to ferment properly and create alcohol and carbonation. All that is required is a handful of simple steps and some patience. 

Lastly, a popular question we get asked is how do you flavour your cider?

Cider is created using apple juice as the base so the type of apples used will have a direct impact on how it ends up tasting. To create a cider that has an interesting flavour profile, we recommend using a wide variety of apples. By using a combination of sweeter apples with more tart apples, you will achieve a nice balance of flavours that isn't overly sweet or overly dry. 

We have listed out the most common apples and their flavour profile so you know what to shop for! 

For sweeter apples, try: 

  • Gala
  • Fugi 
  • Red Delicious

For more tart apples, try:

  • Crab apples 
  • Pink lady
  • Braeburn
  • Granny Smith 

Our Cider Kit makes a great gift to anyone who loves experimenting in the kitchen or has a passion for cider or beer!