woodsconsin81

Recipes 

I'm thinking of trying my hand at a cider, after several rounds of homebrewing. Unfortunately, I realize that hard cider requires unpasteurized cider, as the pasteurized kind will kill the yeast. I'm living in Chicago and was wondering if anyone from the area would know where to go to get all natural cider, or do I just have to wait until Fall when farms press their own (if they even still do that, given recent federal laws on unpasteurized cider production. Would a place like Whole Foods have some? If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

Thank you!

wreckinball9

Recipes 

pasteurized cider is fine. you just dont want it to have preservatives in it like potassium sorbate etc. you can get it at trader joes, whole foods, and places like that

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mysigp226

Recipes 

i live in chicago and have used several brands of cider from Whole Foods. Works fine. Also, in the fall they have an AWESOME fresh pressed cider in 1 gallon plastic jugs (eg: milk jugs) and I pick that up for my large fall batches. Has all the chunky goodness in it!

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On Deck: looking for something
5g Primary: nothing
5g Carboy: nothing
1g Carboy's: Sweet Sparkling Apple Cider,empty,empty,empty
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Past Work: Raspberry Cider

david_42

Recipes 

You can make hard cider from any juice or concentrate that has no preservatives other than ascorbic acid. Some people have succeeded in fermenting juice with other preservatives. Pasteurized juice also works, just add yeast.

I've got a batch fermenting that used HyTop concentrate.

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Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

Lcasanova

Recipes 

I've also used the cider from Whole Foods. It comes in the 1 gallon glass carboy and runs about $7.99 or so and is preservative free. I'm almost positive it is the 365 brand of juice that Whole Foods bottles. If you want to use it in the glass carboy I think it takes a #6 stopper, someone else chime in if I'm wrong.

etp777

Recipes 

Whole foods is good. Quigs up in mundelein used to be great, but they shut down a few years ago. I don't think there was any others within a reasonable distance for me. One or two out in Harvard area if memory serves, but that's farther than I want to drive. three batches going right now are all the whole foods cider

mgr52

Recipes 

I believe there are a few farms around the libertyville area that sell it year round if I remember correctly