Galas, Gravensteins, Newtown Pippins, Rome Beauties and Winesaps are a few common varieties that can add amazing nuances and depth to hard cider. Though you won't often find more than a few standard apple types in a regular grocery store, some specialty markets carry an expanded selection.

For example, if the hydrometer reading comes out at around 1.040, then you should end up with an approximate ABV of 5%. If you want it stronger just add more sugar. 17 grams of sugar per litre of juice will increase the ABV by 1%.

Liquid sugar is one of the most widely used sugars in cider production because its 67% sucrose content and low viscosity enable it to deliver consistent and reproducible results.

There are others; Clos De Bois, for an aromatic sip, or CL-23, for a clean, crisp cider. Any beer yeast will also create apple cider, however, some are much better than others. One of our favorites is the Safale US-05, which is a yeast commonly used to make pale ales and IPAs. It has a crisp, clean flavor.