Georgian Novice

Recipes 

Alight, here is a strange question. . .I have several recipes to start my first batch of brewing hard apple cider. I go to the store and I see several choices. There is Apple Juice, pastuerized, with nothing else but Asorbic Acid (Vitamin C) added and then there is Apple Cider, pastuerized, with nothing added. Sometimes the Juice has the Vit. C and Calcium, but I can only find the Apple Juice with nothing added when I see the gallon bottles of Apple Juice made from concentrate with just Juice, Water, from concentrate.

Is the Asorbic Acid a preservative and which is better to use. . the Juice or the Cider (and what is the difference?)

Thanks for the clarification.

DAAB

Recipes 

Dont know the definative answer but I have made several batches using concentrated apple juice with nothing added and they have been great.

raynor

Recipes 

I've used juice and cider, have had good results with both. If I'm buying juice I look for the stuff that's 100% apple juice with asorbic acid, cider I try and buy the ones that are just flash pasturized. End product is close to the same from what I've made. I have found that the juice batches do clear quicker than the ones made from cider and are ready to drink sooner.

Juice is filtered much better than cider and has asorbic acid added. Cider is pressed and filtered, but not as fine and still has sediment and pulp.

Some believe that good hard apple cider must start from cider. I've used both and don't think one is any better than the other. I've even used the frozen concentrate that's 100% juice, that works pretty well also.

Georgian Novice

Recipes 

Raynor and Daab, really appreciate the answers, thanks a bunch.

DeadSquirrel

Recipes 

**Usually** Cider has more 'stuff' in it and gives you a higher gravity. So the potential alcohol levels are higher. As long as you use two fermentors, like with beer, most/all the extra sediment settles and isn't transfered to your secondary.

You're more likely to get a bite with apple juice. You are never quite sure what 'they've' done to the juice. At least with the cider it's less...processed.

__________________
Primary: nada
Secondary: English Cider
Secondary: Mega Mead
Kegged: Blackberry Hefeweizen
Kegged: Hard Lemonade, probably crap
Kegged: Coffee Porter
Kegged: Mini Mead
Future: Dusseldorf Alt this weekend

ScottT

Recipes 

Asorbic Acid (citric acid or vitamin C) is a color preservative that prevents oxidation. Without it the juice or cider will turn brown unless fully filtered.

Cider is unfiltered and contains some pulp.

Juice is filtered.

__________________
Scott

Primary: Empty

Secondary #2: Empty

Bottle Conditioning: Oatmeal Stout

Drinking from Keg: Ordinary Bitter, Kolsch

Drinking bottled: Brown Autumn Wee Heavy
Hefe Weizen
Peaches and Cream Weizen


"This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption... Beer!"
-Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, Friar Tuck.
Next up: Hefe Weizen

mrzud

Recipes 

I vote for neither.

If you go to a local orchard you might be able to get gallons of cider cheaper than gallons of juice (and definately cider) from the grocery... support the yocals

T_Baggins

Recipes 

I fully support the local yocal support team! My local fruit farm has the best tasting sweet apple cider I've EVER had...lucky me. It will definitely NOT be cheaper than "juice" from the grocery. The way I see it, building rapport with the local farm is much more personal than a Dillon's check out counter, and that adds to the whole experience. And worth the extra dough. The stuff I get is no more than squeezed apples, NOTHING added..not even water. And it is flash pasteurized..if left at room temp it will begin to ferment on it's own and explode! It happenned... I was able to save half of it and let it finish with it's own yeasts. It was not very good. But the same stuff, properly done with a recipe is terriffic!