Pasteurized juice & Hard cider

Hello,

I'm just starting to look into making hard cider. I'm trying to avoid crushing the apples etc and would prefer to buy the apple juice. The orchards farmers tell me they are required by law to only sell pasteurized juice. Will I be able to use pasteurized juice to make hard cider? If pasteurized juice will work what else could they put in the juice to harm the fermentation process that I need to be aware of?

Pasteurized = OkeDokee!
Avoid juice with any additives and or preservatives.

WOW Cat! We think a lot alike...and at the same time!

Pasteurized juice will work just dandy. In general, when they pasteurize it they don't have to add other preservatives. Those are what you want to check for as they can inhibit fermentation.

OK, thanks. I'm I'm reading a book on cider making tonight and I'm off to the orchards tomorrow. Fools rush in ... etc

There are two big preservatives to avoid- potassium sorbate and another one called benzoate or something like that. Otherwise, your cider should work out fine.

Yooper said:

There are two big preservatives to avoid- potassium sorbate and another one called benzoate or something like that. Otherwise, your cider should work out fine.

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I read on thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=83060 that cider from pasteurised juice doesn't keep well... can anyone confirm that?

KIC-8462852 said:

I read on thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=83060 that cider from pasteurised juice doesn't keep well... can anyone confirm that?

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I guess I can disconfirm that. My experience is that cider will keep as well as any fruit wine that has an ABV of about 6 %. You are not going to keep cider for more than a year, are you? Two at the very most. The next year's harvest demands to be pressed and fermented.

Why would "pasteurization" shorten the shelf life of a cider? But that said, UV pasteurization is what you should be looking for. Cooking the apple juice is fine if you want to make a very watery apple jam or jelly. If you are looking for cider, you might want to keep all the flavors and aromas that heat treating will destroy..

bernardsmith said:

I guess I can disconfirm that. My experience is that cider will keep as well as any fruit wine that has an ABV of about 6 %. You are not going to keep cider for more than a year, are you? Two at the very most. The next year's harvest demands to be pressed and fermented.

Why would "pasteurization" shorten the shelf life of a cider? But that said, UV pasteurization is what you should be looking for. Cooking the apple juice is fine if you want to make a very watery apple jam or jelly. If you are looking for cider, you might want to keep all the flavors and aromas that heat treating will destroy..

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I don't know, was a bit surprised too. Anyway, it's true that my brew usually don't hang around long enough to overage.

KIC-8462852 said:

I read on thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=83060 that cider from pasteurised juice doesn't keep well... can anyone confirm that?

Click to expand...

False. The alcohol produced in fermentation will act as a preservative. I take care to ensure that the minimum original gravity of my juice is at least about 1.045, adding a little sugar if necessary to ensure sufficient alcohol. In the past I had a cider that tasted funny after about a year in the bottle, but the OG was only like 1.042 for that one, so it was pretty weak. My ciders starting at 1.045-1.047 have not had that problem. The amount of alcohol can also depend on the yeast you use. If using a poor attenuating yeast, start with a higher gravity. Most yeasts however will continue fermentation about 1.000 or less if you allow enough time for them to finish (at least ~6 weeks), which will make a cider of 6% ABV or more, which is enough to preserve it for a long time.

Cheers.