1–4 gallons
$11.99 per gallon
Cider Buy & Cider Day
Cider Day & pickup
Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 2–5 p.m.
Everyone is welcome to join us for a day celebrating apple cider. We’ll have fresh mulled apple cider, orchard-fresh apples and apple cider donuts, hard cider samples from past years, a cider share (a bottle share for ciders), and family-friendly games.
This year’s cider buy: heirloom cider
Each fall, we head to Uncle John’s Cider Mill in St. Johns, Michigan, to bring fresh-pressed cider back to Gnome Brew. This year’s cider buy features heirloom cider apples—an opportunity to fill your fermenter with fresh orchard juice and set aside a little to enjoy by the glass.
Uncle John’s Heirloom Blend has included Golden Russet, Winesap and Northern Spy apples. Their heirloom juice was also used in a fruit cider that won gold at the 2024 National Homebrew Competition.
The juice is fresh-pressed, unpasteurized and contains no preservatives. Use it to make your own hard cider or enjoy it fresh.
Pickup is Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 2–5 p.m.
5–9 gallons
$9.99 per gallon
10+ gallons
$9.49 per gallon
Cider buy details
- Quantities may be limited.
- Pickup date and time may change depending on conditions at the orchard.
- A container must be purchased or dropped off at Gnome Brew by Friday, November 6, 2026.
- Please call 773.961.7750 or email us with any questions.
- If you cannot pick up on Cider Day, contact us to discuss special arrangements.
- We are not responsible for cider that is not picked up on Cider Day.
Make hard cider at home
Brewing cider is easy, even for those with no experience. Follow our hard cider recipe and browse the cider yeast guide.
Choose a yeast
Explore yeast options in our cider-making guide.
Add nutrient and sulfite
The recipe recommends yeast nutrient and sulfite.
Choose a fermenter
Remember a stopper and airlock.
Hard cider recipe
- Clean and sanitize your fermentation vessel, airlock, and rubber stopper.
- Rinse thoroughly with warm water.
- Add 1/2 tsp StarSan to 1 cup water and pour it into your fermenter. Fasten the lid, insert the stopper and airlock, shake, then drain through the spigot. Some suds may remain—this is okay. Do not rinse.
- Fill your vessel with fresh cider.
- Crush and add 1 Campden tablet per gallon of cider, stir gently, then cover. Insert your airlock and fill it with sanitizer or water. Wait 24 hours.
- Add yeast and 1 gram Fermaid K per gallon. Cover the fermenter again, replace the airlock, and top it off with sanitizer or water.
- Active fermentation will usually start in about 12 to 36 hours. Ensure the airlock stays filled with fluid.
- Allow 3–4 weeks for your cider to fully ferment and for the yeast to settle.
- Using a spigot or siphon, carefully fill bottles to a half inch from the top.
- For sparkling cider, add up to 8 carb tabs per 12 oz bottle or 10 per 16 oz bottle. Cap your bottles and allow 2 weeks to fully carbonate before refrigerating and drinking.
- For still cider, allow a few days in the refrigerator before drinking.
For a healthy, low-sulfur fermentation, use yeast nutrient and sulfite your cider if you desire a “clean” fermentation. We recommend dosing your cider with 1 crushed Campden tablet per gallon, stirring, covering, and waiting 24 hours before pitching yeast. Then add 1 gram Fermaid K per gallon along with your yeast.
