236: How to make cider at home

236: How to make cider at home

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist August 26, 2020 Duration: 39:32

Make Cider at home! It is fun and easy to do!

Cider Chat Episode 236 How to make cider at home episode 236

In this episode on How-to Make cider:

  • Benefits to you when you make cider at home
  • Where to get your juice, what kind of juice and "what if you have an apple tree in your yard?"
  • Basic equipment needed to make a gallon to 5 gallons of cider.
  • The process for both a "controlled" cider and a wild ferment.
  • How to clean your equipment

Equipment and Juice

By buying your equipment via the links provided, you provide a monetary kick back to Cider Chat at no extra cost to YOU.

  • Fresh pressed apple juice - try to find a cider mill that has on hand fresh pressed juice!
  • CarboyA carboy or some sanitized vessel to hold the juice, with enough room for it to ferment and not bubble over.
  • Airlock - The airlock helps release carbon dioxide (CO2) and keep out Oxygen!
    • The 1 piece, S-curved airlock design comes with a stopper.
    • Stoppers and Airlocks buy as one unit

Juice Options to Make Cider

  • Pick your own apples and press on site
  • Buy fresh pressed juice from a cider mill
  • Buy a gallon of juice at the grocery story - not top quality, but not a bad start to see if you want to go full in on making cider as a hobby.

Books on Making Cider 

The Big Book of Cidermaking


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
029: At The Hop | Oliver's Cider and Perry, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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027: Aaron Anderson | Austin Eastciders, Texas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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026: Neil Worley | Worleys Cider, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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024: Leonard Koningswijk | Bear Cider, Netherlands [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Leonard Koningswijk owner/cidermaker of Bear Cider in the Netherlands is turning his country towards cider one palate at a time. The idea was sprouted at his family home in the rural village of Beerze on the border of Ge…
023: Alec Steinmetz | Buskey Cider, Virginia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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022: Gregory Hall | Virtue Cider, Michigan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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021: Bill Bradshaw | Bill Bradshaw Photography, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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020: Curtis Sherrer | Millstone Cellars, Maryland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:58
Curtis Sherrer is barreling aging single variety apples at Millstone Cellars. An old grist mill dating back to the 1850s houses the Tasting Room. "We will have 50 barrels and then settle on 15 to pick from to blend for t…