I have been making hard cider for a couple of years now. First year I started fermentation in the carboy - and was getting the explosions. This year, I started fermentation in a large mouth 5 gallon tub. It came with a lid and a hole in which you put the bung and air lock. Use the champagne yeast, not brewer's yeast or baker's yeast as this will increase the alcohol content. Cider only takes about 2 weeks to get done - some people keep wine for 30 or 60 days. In the first few days, you'll see "head" and bubbles, you will also see the yeast in suspension. After a week, the bubbles will disappear but the yeast is still there. I tried drinking it - and it gave me a pretty bad hang over - the reason is that the organic products in suspension give off trace quantities of methanol. After a week more, the yeast will die and fall to bottom and the cider will clarify. You won't see the yeast in suspension. Now it's done and ready for bottling. I tried drinking it again - and no hangover. The taste is not quite cider - more like white wine. --- Regarding your question - you can add the sugar and the yeast. If the vinegar is not "strong" enough as a pickling agent - then the yeast will continue to ferment. If it is strong enough - then the yeast will not - which means it is a strong enough pickling agent. However, be sure to add champagne yeast - as that can tolerate the highest alcohol content and acidity - I believe around 18%. Also, you can just taste the vinegar and compare it to another product with a published acetic acid content of 5%. Is it more or less sour - if it is more sour - it should have higher vinegar concentration. It sounds to me like you vinegar is still oxidizing. You have to stir the vinegar and keep it open to air to allow oxygen to interact with the alcohol. If it is unstirred, in a large barrel it can take six months, with an automatic stirrer it could take a two or three weeks. The more surface area that is exposed to air and the frequent agitation will reduce the time to complete the process.

This sounds soooo good, I have to try it. I can just imagine curling up on a snowy evening with a good book and sipping this. Thank you for the recipe. Vique.

There are a lot of ways to make hard cider, here is a way to cheat if the apple juice / cider is pasteurized! You might notice a certain level of snobbery emanating from experienced cider brewers. This way of making it will satisfy all but people who have already brewed it themselves. I'm sure the experienced brewers here will have heart attacks over this method but I have done it this way several times for parties and it's amazing how well it has gone down... literally :) My friends all now think I am an ace brewer.. I posted how I do it on my blog 'Make Hard Cider Easy', check it out and let me know what you think! Here is a link that might be useful: Make Hard Cider Easy

Believe it or not, this idea just came up tonight while having a friend over for dinner - he has a garden and is always looking for new idea and strawberry rhubarb pie came up in the conversation and he mentioned rhubarb wine and - well - here you are, LOL, glad I read this tonight. I'll be sending your recipe along to my friend - thanks.