(This is part I of the cider making series. Read part II, part III and part IV here.)

I want to make my own apple cider! Years ago, I’ve been brewing beer which was fun, boozy and – well – messy. Now I want to try my luck with apple cider, which is a little easier to make regarding the effort, but nonetheless interesting and promising.

So, you need apple juice for brewing cider and in order not to use store-bought material I’ll need an apple press to make my own. Here it is:

Due to lockdown here, I had to make do with what I had in the shop, but luckily that’s what I’m good at 🙂 So I made a frame of about 40 x 40 cm, as sturdy as possible and secured with 10 mm bolts. I made a tray with a draining hole from an old sheet pan I stole from the kitchen and a block of wood serves as plate to distribute the pressure from my car lifting jack. A coat of paint – and that’s it.

Let’s see how (and if) it works when I’m able to grab some apples from the local farmer’s market.