Peach Hard Cider

[nhcigarfan]

I'm making this batch this weekend so I may update this if needed:

To make 10 gallons of sparkling peach hard cider. (Divide by 2 for 5 gallons)

10 pounds of peaches, ripe.
11 gallons of fresh or pasturized cider.
Juice of one lemon (fresh)
3 teaspoons of yeast husks, or yeast nutrients
filing of your choice
3 lbs. of Honey
4 packs of a high alcohol tolerant ale yeast or wine yeast if you want sweet hard cider or 2 packs of champagne yeast if you want a dry cider.

First you peal and pit the peaches. Place peaches in a large bowl, crush peaches and reserve the juice. Don't puree the peaches it will just make for a major pain in the ass down the road. Leave them in pieces about the side of a tootsie roll. Then place in a plastic bag or tupper ware and freeze. (You don't have to freeze but it will help break down the cell walls and release additional flavor) Do this part anytime.

This next step, while preferred, is optional if you don't have enough parts to do this.

Now about a day before you do the batch take one (1) gallon of fresh cider or 1/2 gallon of pasturized cider and one teaspoon of yeast nutrients and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 mins. Then stick the pot in the fridge. If you used the 1/2 gallon of pasturized cider you can now add the pre-chilled other 1/2 gallon to speed up the process. You want to get the temp of the cider down to about 70 degrees.
Once at 70 degrees, split the gallon in half and place each in a 1 gallon glass jug, you can get these for about 5 bucks at a kitchen store, and add equal amount of active yeast to each jug, add airlock and let sit for 24 to 48 hours. This is called a yeast starter. If you have enough large glass carboy you can do it in one batch.

Next you want to put ½ of your fruit (thawed) in a hops bag or mesh bag. You can get these at a brew store. If they don't have them go back to the kitchen store and buy some cheese cloth and wrap the fruit in it, tying it tightly.

(Do the following twice for 10 gallons or once if splitting the receipt)

If you have pasturized cider (which will make this receipt easier if you have limited pot sizes) add 1 1/2 gallons to a pot, add yeast nutrients and bring to a boil, add 1.5 lbs. Honey and 1/2 juice of one lemon and boil for 10 min. Shut off heat, wait for the boiling to stop and place 1/2 of the peaches, in a bag, in the pot. Keep the temp at 180 to 190 degrees for about 20 min and the fruit will be pasturized. Then dump the pot, fruit and all, into a plastic fermentation bucket. Add the remaining 3.5 gallons of cold cider (keep it in fridge over night or even pop it in the freezer 30 min. before this point) and dump it into the fermentation bucket. Now put the top on and shake it, or stir it, or if you brew a lot and have an oxygen thing, which is basically a fish tank pump with an aerator stone, use that, and aerate the cider. Then place it in a cool place until the temp falls to 70 or so degrees. Now take the yeast starter you made a day or two ago and dump the entire contents of the gallon jug, or 1/2 the contents if you did just one batch in a carboy, into the fermenter. Or just add the yeast straight out of the pack. Place on top, secure airlock, and leave it for two weeks.
After two weeks, remove the fruit bag, and rack the cider in to a clean glass carboy, adding the filings. (Filings are a additive that helps clear the liquid so that any suspended stuff falls to the bottom - ask the person at the brew store which to buy for cider) Let it keep fermenting and rack it again in about a month. Again, rack and ferment for another month, and then each subsequent month, until all fermentation stops and cider has become clear. Then bottle like any other beer. Let it sit for a month in the bottle outside the fridge and then in the fridge for at least a couple of weeks up to a month. Then start trying them. High alcohol cider can take up to a year to really hit it's peak but this stuff should ready after the first month in the bottles.

If you are using fresh cider you will need to boil the entire 5 gallons with the yeast nutrients, honey and lemon, then use a wort chiller to bring the temp down. After that, it's the same process.

For ten gallons you will need two plastic fermentation buckets, four glass carboys and 2 one gallon jugs.
For 5 gallons, you will need 1/2 that, obviously.

If you just getting start and have just bought a brew kit that comes with just one bucket, you will need to buy at least one glass carboy or another bucket and go back and forth between them.