Equipment

For those who already have experience of wine making, the equipment required to craft a cider is going to sound fairly familiar. Clearly there are differences as grapes (and come to think of it most fruit) are easier to crush than apples and pears. However, practice is similar in many regards. Because apples contain acid, it is important that all equipment is of a food grade and will not rust (e.g. Grade 316 stainless steel, plastic, glass etc.)

The simplest way to present the equipment is to break it down, as there is quite a lot of equipment available. Please select the required icon for the equipment list. We have tried to list suppliers of equipment where possible. If you know of a good supplier not included, please let us know.

Within the tradition of craft cidermaking, there have always been those who prefer to make their own equipment. Where possible, we have included information to assist those creative people.

Basic Equipment List

Realistically, the following list should cover the basic toolkit of a craft cidermaker (there are some parts that may be debated, depending on how much of a ‘purist’ you are:

• Apple Mill or Scratter
• Press

• Buckets (with sealable lids)
• Tubing (for siphoning)
• Airlocks and bungs

• Steriliser
• Sodium Metabisulphite (e.g. Campden Tablets)
• Yeast

• Bottles and caps/corks]

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list - once you get going you will find that each year you will replace something (usually the thing that stops you making that little bit more!)

If you have any questions about cider making equipment, please do ask us on the group.