How Is Cider Made?

Brief History

For thousands of years, humans have been making by fermenting apple juice. As far back as 6500 BC, ancient cultures in Europe and Asia were using apples to create early versions of cider. Cider, an alcoholic drink, ranks as the second most popular fruit wine globally, following wine. It is especially favored in countries like the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, the United States, and Argentina. Cider stands out among fruit wines for its strong apple aroma and sweet taste, making it appealing to those who may not typically alcoholic beverages. Its widespread availability is due to its large production and simple manufacturing process. While traditional cider-making regions include southern England and northwestern France, contemporary cider production is concentrated in Western Europe and North America. Though the brewing techniques for cider have evolved over time, the fundamental principles remain largely unchanged.

Picking Apples

Cider making starts with apples. Cider apples can be further defined as sweet, sour, and traditional cider apple varieties. These apples differ in their sugar, acidity, and tannin content, as well as flavor. Combinations of these apples are blended together to achieve the ideal sweet-tart balance and flavor complexity.

Washing and Pressing Apples

Wash and sort the apples, remove rotten and blemished fruits, and use mechanical equipment to wash and process the apples in large-scale production. Then the apples are ground into a pile of apple pomace. Finally, the pomace is piled up in layers and squeezed with a basket press to collect the apple juice. It is then moved to the next step in the process.

Cider Fermentation

Like all alcohol, we need to introduce a fermentation process. The fermentation process heats the delicious juice to a temperature of about 40 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The fermentation process allows the cider to ferment naturally, or kills the native yeast and adds other yeasts. Slower fermentation of ciders prevents the loss of key characteristics such as aroma and flavor profile. In most cases, yeast is added to commercial ciders.

Primary fermentation: The apple juice with yeast is placed in a fermentation vessel (such as a fermentation barrel or stainless steel tank) and equipped with a fermentation lock to prevent oxygen from entering. Primary fermentation usually lasts 1-2 weeks and is kept at a temperature between 15-20°C. During this process, the yeast converts sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Transfer: After the primary fermentation is completed, the cider is transferred to another container (to remove the sediment) for secondary fermentation. Fermentation continues in the secondary fermentation vessel for 1-3 months at a slightly lower temperature (10-15°C) to further develop alcohol and flavor.

Clarification: After the secondary fermentation is completed, the cider is clarified by cooling, centrifugation or filtration to remove residual yeast and impurities.

According to the taste requirements, the sweetness and acidity can be adjusted before bottling by adding appropriate amounts of sugar or acidity regulators.

If you want the cider to have bubbles, you can add sugar and yeast before bottling, and then seal it after bottling for fermentation in the bottle (similar to the champagne process) to produce natural bubbles.

The entire fermentation process is completed in stainless steel tanks, which are hygienic and economical.

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Cider Bottling

Use dedicated sterilization equipment to thoroughly clean and sterilize the bottles to ensure that there is no microbial contamination. Then, the cider is bottled, usually leaving a little space to prevent excessive pressure in the bottle. Next, in order to prevent oxidation and maintain the flavor, an appropriate amount of carbon dioxide can be added or nitrogen can be used to cover it. Before the bottle mouth is sealed, the bottle cap or cork also needs to be sterilized. Finally, after the bottle is sealed, a label is affixed with information such as the production date and alcohol content, and quality inspection and packaging are carried out to ensure that each bottle of cider meets the factory standards.

Now you can enjoy the delicious cider！