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Bottled Apple Cider??
I have been wanting to make a batch of cider but apples this far south would probably be hard to come buy. I have been really thinking of trying to pitch 5 gallons of organic cider that i can buy at a local store. Has anyone tried this? If so do you think it will work? Please let me know the details!!
Hi BigTemp,
I've made a cyser (apple mead) using Knudsen's Organic Apple Juice, Unsweetened and Unfiltered. It makes a lovely cyser. You don't have to add much acid as part of the juice is from granny smith apples.
I've heard Trader Joe's has a granny smith apple juice. It would be interesting to try that for a tarter version.
Since I'm not sure what part of the country you are in, I would suggest checking out your local health food stores. This is the time of year that they have sales on apple juices and ciders.
MzIce
I have made 5 gallons of cider from a kit. It turned out great. I forgot what the kit's name was, but everyone swears it's the best cider they have tasted.
I have also been thinking about getting some organic apple juice from Central Market and just pitching it. Should work great. I say go for it.
yup - doesn't even have to be organic, just make sure it's pure... Organic has to do with the farming/growing methods, and not really related to the ingredient list.
I have made cider, cyser, and whatever you want to call it several times from using commercial apple cider.
Flavorite 1 gallon jugs has worked great in the past, but I have also used CUB Foods brand and Members Mark (available at Sams Club). I have used both apple cider and apple juice.
I heat some of the cider to almost boiling and than add any ingredients, for example, honey, or fruit preserves if you want a flavored cider.
After you cool it, I add the yeast. I usually yeast 1 to 2 packs of Pasteur Champagne Yeast.
Most often times I add both honey and some sort of fruit preserves. You can use fresh fruit too, but preserves are easy to come by any time of the year. It does take at least 6 months to kind of smooth out. You can drink it sooner, but it does have a hot taste to it (strong alcohol).
So it doesn't even have to be real apple cider?
It can be apple juice, as long as it's pure, you can just pitch it?
I love hard cider, I like it with a cinnamon and vanlla, when would you add the spices?
Everything that I've read says that apple juice will make apple wine and sweet cider will make "hard" cider. What you really want to be sure of when selecting your sweet cider is that it doesn't have any preservatives. Preservatives will kill your yeast and it'll rot before it ferments.
Okay, thanks John D.
And orchard on the other side of town, gonna have to head that way.
Marv.
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