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Well, I have a question and you will be my personal hero if you can answer this for me so here goes:

Back in the 80's my dad would make this awesome fermented apple cider. He would keep it on top of the fridge. It was the large glass bottle type of cider. I think he kept the lid off it with cloth over the lid spout. Well, it would sit there for a bit and I guess ferment. Then all I know is that it would end up in the fridge to get cold and drink and it did not taste super sweet or anything but it had a "beer" taste to it. That was the thing that I remember and none of the cider beers today taste anything like it. I am not sure if there was an alcohol content to it, maybe a little but it tasted terrific. My dad is no longer with us to ask how he did this, but do you know what he did and where he would have gotten the starter etc?

It was not a complicated process because he never did anything complicated with it...

I would be really grateful for some pointers if you know exactly what I am speaking about... This is different than making a regular cider beer fancy set up.

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Did he brew beer also? If so he may have been making Malted Cider 50/50 beer wort and Apple juice.

Or it may have simply been Apple juice and using a bakers yeast that lended a slight bready flavor to be similar to a beer malt taste.

Or even a spontaneous fermentation from juiced apples. Did you have an Apple tree?

Using a foil cover works really well for fermentation, just drape it well below the top. Though not as good as an airlock it works. Once the bubbles slow/stop after a week or so, it sounds like he would cap it and cold crash then serve right from the jug.

Hope this helps.

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  • No ne never made any type of beverage except I recall some sort of mushroom fermented thing on top of the fridge... He used Apple cider or juice that was in the gallon jugs. I think what he used to do was put the metal cap ontop but loose I think I now remember that.... he just set it ontop and did not screw it down at all...
    – den
    Jun 21, 2016 at 0:45
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    @den sounds about right. Grab some organic juice (no preservatives) and add a pack of rapid rise yeast from the grocery store.
    – Evil Zymurgist
    Jun 21, 2016 at 3:34
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Okay so for those that are reading this I have found the answers to these questions:

  • How much yeast to 1 gallon of organic cider: 1/2 Packet of champagne yeast.

  • How long to let it ferment for that beer taste: about 4 days.

  • Once it is done fermenting do I need to do anything or just refrigerate it? YES! Remove the hard cider with a pump into another jug leaving the yeast cake at the bottom. Add some honey or brown sugar to back sweeten and cap tight.
  • Can I start another jug with the fermented apple juice as a starter? Yes!
  • Do I need to add yeast along the way while it ferments: No but there are some yeast feeders you can buy if you want to ferment for higher alcohol levels beyond a few days. Warning, the cider gets drier the longer you ferment.
  • Is putting it atop the refrigerator okay or should it be in my pantry? Cool dark place is best but refrigerator top is okay if it is cool.
  • Do I need to stir it or do anything else? NO! Just keep the cap ajar or better yet use a cork bubbler that lets gas out and keeps it water tight.

As I side note you can use cider that is pasteurized but shy away from concentrate juices however I have heard you can still use concentrate, even frozen...

P.S. Although you can use bread yeast you will not get a high alcohol content because the yeast stalls out after a couple of days whereas champagne or beer yeasts go many days longer for higher alcohol content.

You can buy the yeast packets online at your most popular general sites.

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Was wondering if you could answer the following:

  1. how much yeast to 1 gallon of organic cider.
  2. how long to let it ferment for that beer taste. Not worried about alcohol level.
  3. once it is done fermenting do I need to do anything or just refrigerate it?
  4. Can I start another jug with the fermented apple juice as a starter?
  5. Do I need to add yeast along the way while it ferments.
  6. Is putting it atop the refrigerator okay or should it be in my pantry?
  7. Do I need to stir it or do anything else?

I really appreciate your help!

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    please ask as separate question, and then delete this. Thanks.
    – Mr_road ♦
    Jun 30, 2016 at 16:02

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