Trying Cider

Hi there!  It's Michelle, the Creative Director and Cider Enthusiast for Algonquin Brewing Co.  Today, we brewed cider for the first time.  It was scheduled for tomorrow, but once we had the stuff, I just couldn't wait!
First up, though, we could not be a "brewery" without glasses, so here is one of the brand new, fresh-out-of-the-box pint glasses:

I am happy to say I am having a cider in one of these right now!  Now on to the first adventure in cider brewing...
First, we established the OG (Original Gravity) of the juice:

This reading of 50 means that the cider should be about 5.5% Alcohol when it's ready.
Next, we sanitized the Better Bottle that will be used to ferment the cider.  I'm not so sure about this contraption that Josh has made out of what used to be our basement bathroom shower:

I'm typing this as we are waiting for the water to cool to add the yeast.  For the cider, we are using this yeast:

We are really waiting on water to cool.  It's like waiting for paint to dry.  Since it has to stay covered to keep the foreign contaminates out, it takes forever!
Oh, finally!!!  Time to re-hydrate the yeast...

Next, we added the juice to the Better Bottle:

Then, we added the yeast, and we wait...

Here's hoping the first cider attempt works!

Prost!