admin | 
02 21st, 2008| 
So you’ve decided to get in on the home wine making craze and are thinking about trying a home wine making kit. Or maybe you’ve dabbled with making wine at home and would like to make different types of alcoholic beverages - something that can make hard ciders in particular.
In comes the idea of a hard cider kit. A hard cider kit basically works like any wine making kit - the only main difference here is that instead of grapes (That you would use to make wine), you are using apples or other fruits (Peach and mango for example).
Another thing to keep in mind is when making hard ciders with these kits, the amount of sugar used is usally quite less when compared to average wine making. If you are a health freak, then I bet you agree that this is good news. So when you are looking for a hard cider kit (or even a wine making kit), go through the following checklist before you decide to make your purchase.
1. Do you know how it works?
These kits though might seem easy for the average person, but trust me, once you get them, you might not even want to put it to use due to lack of easy and clear instructions. Make sure you spend some time with the owner or seller of the store regarding the whole process and how to use the hard cider or wine making kit in question. It is almost like doing those science experiments in grade 11.
2. Prepare to spend extra cash for extra equipment.
Most of the so called easy hard cider and wine making kits will require you to purchase additional equipment. Equipment such as bottles, hydrometer, sterilizer and so on. Making hard ciders or wine does require bulky equipment with these kits.
3. They cost decent amount of money.
Whether you are preparing to make wine or ciders, make sure your pockets are fat, as these kits range from $20 (The absolute basic ones that require additional equipment) to the whole complete kit that goes upwards of upto $60 bucks. This is where most people make the decision to stick with the liquor store.
4. You must play the waiting game.
If you can’t wait 3 weeks to a month, then don’t bother getting these hard cider or wine making kits. As the fermentation process (wine making process) with these kits usually takes about a month. If you can wait that long while booze is being made in front of you, then good on ya - for me 30 days is like 30 years. I’d rather go grab a bottle of wine from my local booze shop then wait 30 days for wine - just my opinion.
Hope this helps you in making you an informed decision.