Sanitize your carboy. - Use home brew sanitizer which is food safe , which you can pick up from any home brew shop. A carboy is the vessel in which your apple juice turns to hard cider. I use a glass carboy so tastes can’t transfer. They are a bigger pain to clean out but I think they’re worth the investment.

Pour in your five gallons of apple juice. - Invest in a funnel. Trust me – I make all my hard cider in my bathtub for easy clean up.

Pitch your yeast. - This is the brewer’s term for pouring a packet of yeast into a carboy filled with liquid.

Add your airlock. - An airlock is a little dohicky on top of the carboy, which allows carbon monoxide (pressure) to leave the carboy, but which also acts as a barrier so that outside contaminants don’t get into your hard cider.

Relax. - Store your carboy in a cool, dark place, like a basement, laundry room or guest room.

Keep an eye on your carboy and it should be ready to keg or bottle in about a month.