Carbonating unfermented apple juice?

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DougBrown

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A friend has asked me to carbonate some plain (i.e. unfermented apple juice) as I have a CO2 carbonation system. I'm concerned that the thickness of pure, freshly pressed apple juice will clog the pores of my lovely stainless steel .5 micron carbonating stone. Am I overly concerned? Can I just blow out all the residue with air and cleanser as I usually do or will some of it get left/stuck behind in those tiny pores?
Doug Bown
 
I would think that regular apple juice would be fine, but if you're overly worried you could always run it through a <0.5u filter to be sure. In Germany carbonated apple juice is pretty common (Apfelschorle) and it's good if you like carbonated beverages. Much better than many of the artificially flavored sodas that plague the market.
 
There's no reason for the sediment to even want to go into the stone. You're applying positive CO2 pressure from inside the stone. Shouldn't be an issue.

Running it through a filter beforehand would only exacerbate the problem, as any sediment that passed the polishing filter is now the perfect size to get through the pores in the stone.
 
GNBrews said:
There's no reason for the sediment to even want to go into the stone. You're applying positive CO2 pressure from inside the stone. Shouldn't be an issue.

Running it through a filter beforehand would only exacerbate the problem, as any sediment that passed the polishing filter is now the perfect size to get through the pores in the stone.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen a situation where filtering yields a greater chance of clogging, especially with positive pressure. Filtering removes sediment which causes blockages. I believe he is worried about sediment sticking to the outside of the stone.

Another thing to note is to be very careful when handling the stone, as oils from your skin can clog the pores.
 
I don't think it would pass through any size filter. Freshly pressed apple juice is pretty 'thick.'
 
It's a multi-step process. If you didn't filter the juice while pressing, then I would suggest running it through a strainer, then cheesecloth or nylon, then using a plate or cartridge filter system. In the filter system you can run it through a course filter then a fine filter to clear up the juice.
 
Stick it in the keg and crash cool it for a few days? If you ever notice fresh ciders at the store, they always have a layer of sludge at the bottom. A few days at 42F and some gelatin will knock all that crap out.
 
Yes, I've had it in the cooler (34F) for almost a week and there is some sediment on the bottom. I was thinking of using SuperClear KC or Sparkolloid as a fining.
Doug
 
Just use a carbonator cap. Fill up a 2-liter bottle with the juice leaving a couple inches of headspace, screw on the cap, squeeze out the air in the headspace, apply 30PSI CO2 pressure, and shake the heck out of the bottle for a few minutes. Done, and no worries about the sediment issue. :)
 

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