Apple Cider

By Nick Raymond
Time Required: 4 hours

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One crisp Autumn afternoon I had the privilege of joining MAKE founder Dale Dougherty as he used his wooden apple press to make cider from the apples that grow on his property. Dale has been making cider for over 20 years and since this was only my second time making cider he was kind enough to share his technique as we worked together.

December 18, 2012, 10:48 pm PDT

Parts
/
Tools

Parts

3 Gallons of Water (1) used to make sanitizing solution
Iodophor BTF Sanitizer (32)
Apples (1)

Tools

5 Gallon bucket for mixing sanitizing solution
Air Lock
Clean rags
Funnel
Glass Carboy
Grinder (apple or fruit)
Large Container preferably with a spout at the bottom
Large Pot for straining cider
Press (Apple of fruit) buy, rent, or make you own
Small Pot for collecting cider
Strainer very fine mesh

Steps

Step #1: Harvest and Wash the Apples

NextPrev

Collect your apples for making cider and move them to a central location. We used a blend of Jonathan, Golden Delicious and Rome apples that grow around Dale's property.
Most of the apples that we used were leftovers from the fall harvest and did not look very appetizing.
Don't worry about worm holes or small bruises; they add to the complexity and flavor of your cider.
Before tossing the apples into the apple grinder, wash them in a tub of water to remove any dirt.

Conclusion

Special thanks to Dale Dougherty for taking the afternoon to share his process for making cider. Before leaving I was able to try a batch of hard cider that had been fermented last year and it was tasty. I took a gallon of cider home with me that day, and it was gone within three days.

Hopefully, after seeing this project someone will be inspired to make their own apple press and document their project and share it on Make: Projects. Have fun!

Nick Raymond

Nick Raymond

Hi Derek, that’s for catching the error. I have changed the links and they should be working properly. Both Happy Valley Apple Presses and Pleasant Hill Grains offer several styles of equipment, but honestly I bet you can build your own press just by looking at the images, at a fraction of their cost. Here is great a website about building a [http://www.sentex.net/~mwandel/press/apple_grinder.html|DIY apple grinder] in case I forgot to put it in the article.

I have read similar findings about different metals imparting flavors into beer and ciders as they ferment. There is an excellent article on byo.com called [http://www.byo.com/stories/projects-and-equipment/article/indices/20-build-it-yourself/1149-metallurgy-for-homebrewers|Metallurgy for Homebrewers] that should be helpful. Good luck!
Apple Cider Vinegar Sleep Aid

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Bill Katsmera

Are there any blueprints to making the press?
Ian

Looks easy enough. I’m looking forward to having a go myself soon… we’ve certainly got a enough apples! I just purchased a medium sized press from http://www.simplyciderpresses.com and it looks great. Nothing as big as the one here though but hopefully it will get the job done. The one in this article is a Correll model isn’t it? Anyway, thank you for the clear instructions and tips.

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