By the way, since I made this video, I have dispensed totally with the use of the airlock. It is not necessary. I just loosen the cap half-way to allow the carbon dioxide to freely escape while it ferments. It works perfectly. No oxygen is going to get in because the carbon dioxide keeps forming to flush it out. When the visible fermentation stops completely, I then tighten the cap and place the jug in the fridge for a day or so to carbonate the cider. Make sure you don’t over-carbonate as there IS always a danger of building up too much pressure, causing a dangerous explosion (it has never happened to any of my brews and the sturdy plastic jugs can take a lot of pressure, even bulging slightly.) When I pour myself a cold, bubbly hard cider, the pressure is allowed to release at that time. I then tighten the cap again until the next pour. This system works perfectly (but always check the pressure to make sure it doesn’t become a bomb!). Never shake the jug or otherwise disturb the yeast sediments! Watch the update: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=qcNNUkafYuA
Quick & Easy Hard Apple Cider
Quick and easy hard apple cider, brewed right from the bottle using Costco’s 100% fresh-pressed apple juice and a champagne wine yeast. Just add the yeast right into the bottle of apple juice, apply airlock and let ferment at room temperature for about 4 days. Once fermentation has ceased, just remove the airlock, recap and store the cider in the refrigerator. The starting specific gravity is about 1.050 and the ending specific gravity will be about 1.002, which will yield an ABV of about 5 – 6%, approximately equal to regular beers. If you prefer a slightly sweeter hard cider, with a little fizz, just add a little more fresh apple juice and close the lid tightly and allow it to ferment inside the bottle a little more (watch out for exploding bottles if you added too much new juice!) The finished product will be a little tart, crisp and refreshing, not unlike a champagne and much better than store-bought hard apple ciders. Enjoy!