Last Saturday, September 18th, we started our third season of hard cider making. We didn't start brewing hard cider until October in 2008, so we ended up only making two batches that year. In 2009, we got off to a better start on September 14th, and brewed five batches. We will see what this year's ciders turn out like.

Generally, we've found that using a Trappist yeast works really nicely, and adding two cups of maple syrup when we start the second fermentation gives a nice little boost to flavor, the fizziness and the alcohol content. So, this year, we have a gallon of maple syrup waiting, and our first batch has been started with Trappist yeast.

For Christmas last year, my wife bought me a hydrometer and so I hope to be tracking the sugar content of the different ciders as we brew them through out the year. The ciders you buy at a cider mill change through out the season as different apples are used. Conventional wisdom is that cider press later in the season has a higher sugar content. However, I've always thought the first cider of the season tastes sweeter. This year, I'll measure the different batches. The first batch started with a specific gravity of 1052.

We generally get our sweet apple cider from Beardsley's Cider Mill. If you bring your own container during weekend afternoons they can usually fill it up for you with unpasteurized sweet cider.

Beardsley's has expanded this year. There little shop is now larger, and they are making their parking lot a little larger. I suspect more of this is for people coming to buy apples, and apple pies, but they do a brisk business in cider for home brewers as well.

It was a nice day when I picked up the first batch of cider. There were a couple of other people there picking up cider for home brewing, or at least thinking about it. We compared notes.

Then, I drove over to Maltose Express to pick up the Trappist yeast. The leaves were just starting to turn color on a few of the trees along the way, and there were various signs for upcoming fall festivals along the road.

This year, we have another carboy, so we can experiment with additional batches if we have the time and energy. Last year, we tried a batch of pear cider. A lot of friends liked it, but it was a bit astringent for my taste. After it aged for a year, it has mellowed, but I'm still undecided about whether I'll try pear cider again this year.

So, have you been making hard cider? How has it been going? What has worked well? What hasn't? Let's share experiences.