Apple Jack

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chips7297

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Anybody have a good, detailed recipe for apple jack? I have found many different threads on other sites, but no real detail.
Thanks
 
Apple Jack or apple brandy (as it is sometimes called) is the distilled form of hard cider. Basically (and for information purposes only) you would freeze your hard cider and let the alcohol seperate from the water.

Also for information purposes, you should know that the Government considers freezing a form of distillation. It is therefore against the law to make apple jack unless you have a license (and pay the appropriate taxes). I know, you are only freezing it. However, they make no distinction between a still and the freezing process.

As for your question, it can be made from any hard cider. I would guess most people just start with a recipe they like as cider.

Missing
 
I made apple jack in college and it really doesn't take anything more than freezing hard cider and pouring off the concentrated liquid. We would take gallon jugs of fresh juice, drain off a pint and add a pound of sugar. Typically, the cider took two months to ferment, then we put the jugs in the shed (winter in Ithaca, NY) over-night. In the morning, we would bring the jugs in and invert them over quart jars, letting them thaw until the jar was full. The results were probably around 50-60% ABV.
 
Ahahah, excellent, I was under the impression that the 'jack would just be sitting atop the frozen cider, ready to be consumed. (That explains why putting it in the freezer didn't really do too much... hypothetically).

I will, by the way, exhort all of you to drop by The Dobbin House in Gettysburg, PA- not only is it a way-old and way-interesting home/inn, they have a cellar-area bar where their special (in winter) is a hot glass of spiced cider, liberally spiked with apple jack, and served with a cinnamon stick for stirring! The best thing to warm yourself on a cold January night!

One note of warning: As I discovered, the 'jack tends to rise right to the top of the hot cider, so my first, cavalier swig was nearly all liquor. I think I almost died, but I coughed my heart back into service. :cross: USE THE CINAMMON! STIR WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT!
 
You can make cider but you can't freeze it? Now that's just silly. I highly doubt any self-respecting law enforcement officer would care unless you were selling it.
 
Well, you're right about that, but i suppose it's good to know the legal parameters anyhow, yes?
 
What I want to know is, if you aren't distributing your apple jack, how would the feds know if you were freezing it in the first place? Unlike stills, everyone with a fridge has a freezer, I'm assuming, and noone's going to notice the electrical fluctuation it takes when you add a gallon of cider to the freezer.
Shtupid law. Just like not being allowed to fire a gun off during a moment of passion with your lady in Wisconsin.
 
I made pear-jack last year out of a particularly bad batch of pear wine. The wine was around 8%ABV. I froze 5 gal. down to 2 liters of pinkish liquid. Finally froze that down to 1 liter when I couldn't get it to freeze anymore.
I haven't been able to drink enough to get an estimate of its strength. It is so citrusy and acidic that I can't stand to drink it.

My guess is that it's pretty strong, but I'll never know for sure.


Maybe it'd work as paint stripper?:confused:
 
Keln said:
I highly doubt any self-respecting law enforcement officer would care unless you were selling it.
Not all LEOs are self-respecting. Some are thinking ahead to a career in politcs and might just 'crack down' on someone in the name of some polictically popular 'zero tolerance' policy after they stumble across your little operation as they pull you over for speeding or responding to a burglary call or coming to the door selling tickets to the Police and Fire Association Dance/Fair/Dinner/whatever.

Knowing how closely you're riding the edge of legality is the first step in discrete behavior.
 
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got a quick sort of off topic but in the same line topic kinda question . . .

Lets say you made a BIG beer, lets say 13% and it's unhoped . . . .

Now lets say you freeze that beer and suck off the liquid like you were making applejack . . . .

Anyone see where I am going here?
 
Um... beer-flavored hooch?

Um?

Kinda gross-ish, I think, unless it's just lots and lots of grains. I can't wrap my mind around hops taste in a likka. Guh... it'd be like... fortified Mad Dog...

You'd have to poor one out on the curb for your dead homey.
 
Lets say you made a BIG beer, lets say 13% and it's unhoped . . . .

Whiskey is basicly just a unhopped beer but distiled

Mash your barley, let it ferment, then distill it . . . and you got whiskey

The whole reason I got into brewing (besides loving beer) was to learn how to mash . . .
You can figure out the rest:drunk:
 
Yeah, I think I missed the Unhopped part.

Yeah, you can do lovely things with fermented grains. mmmm, fermented grains.
 
yes, but then, what about fusel alcohols and whatnot. Surely you concentrate those if you freeze stuff. The only way to get rid of the main ingredients in rot-gut shine is a decent still isn't it?
 
The goverment's defination of distilling is any method of concentrating alcohol. In their eyes freezing it is the same as operating a still.

To them moonshine is moonshine, no matter how you make it.
On top of that it is one of the most highly enforced laws in the country. If you sell distilation equipment (eve for the purpose of distilling water), you have to report all sales to the feds.

Believe it or not, just posting on an online forum that you are making applejack is enough for the ATF to get a warrant to search your house.
 
wow...where do you get your information?
 
I thought there was a legal limit to the amount each person over 21 can "distill" for personal use -- just like beer...
 
Hmmm, sounds like a lot work. For $19, I can go to Costco and get a 1/2 gallon of Wiser's Canadian (Tastes like Crown Royal at half the price).

Pretty nice sipping whiskey at that price.
 
I read about water distillers. Can't you just use one of those? Freezing sounds a little too complicated. I'd much rather pour some hard cider in a water distiller and have apple jack instantly. Don't know if that's actually possible though.
 
Trean72 said:
I read about water distillers. Can't you just use one of those? Freezing sounds a little too complicated. I'd much rather pour some hard cider in a water distiller and have apple jack instantly. Don't know if that's actually possible though.

I'm sorry but this made me laugh. What's complicated about freezing, and then slowly thawing? I think even the simplest still would be harder to put together than that. Maybe you're being sarcastic. I guess freezing is slower though. In theory I've freeze distilled wine and also theorizing was not so pleased with the results.
Also, Eisbock is made by semi-freezing beer to up the alcohol. Lastly, you can "freeze distill" juice legally to up the sugar, in say apple juice, and then ferment with a high-alcohol tolerant yeast. I made apple wine this way that was wonderful at ~18% alcohol - and legal - and no sugar added, but you need alot of volume.
 
Pumbaa said:
got a quick sort of off topic but in the same line topic kinda question . . .

Lets say you made a BIG beer, lets say 13% and it's unhoped . . . .

Now lets say you freeze that beer and suck off the liquid like you were making applejack . . . .

Anyone see where I am going here?

I think it's called Bud Ice and it's gross.
 
kornkob said:
or coming to the door selling tickets to the Police and Fire Association Dance/Fair/Dinner/whatever.
O come on we all know they just call ya on the phone while your eating dinner to beg for $$$..LOL
JJ
 
OdinOneEye said:
Shtupid law. Just like not being allowed to fire a gun off during a moment of passion with your lady in Wisconsin.


That's Funny!!! Iowa has that same law. Darn Government!!! Always taking the fun out of everything.... LOL
 
landhoney said:
What's complicated about freezing, and then slowly thawing?

Is that really all there is to it? could I just throw a gallon of cider in the freezer and pour out the alcohol? I don't think that will work. Slowly thawing it sounds okay, but at what point am I pouring apple jack and what point am I just pouring thawed cider?
 
Trean72 said:
Is that really all there is to it? could I just throw a gallon of cider in the freezer and pour out the alcohol? I don't think that will work. Slowly thawing it sounds okay, but at what point am I pouring apple jack and what point am I just pouring thawed cider?

The idea of putting your cider in the freezer is that the water will freeze and the alcohol (which has a lower freezing point) will stay liquid. Once all the water freezes you'd be able to pour off the alcohol. You probably wouldn't be able to freeze it into a brick, but more likely a a big slushy, filtering out the ice.
 
the first thing I ever brewed was a sh itty cider....man was it bad! probubly the bread yeast i used though...(hey I was 19!)

I froze it down a gallon at a time and now I've got 1 liter bottle of it left (probubly could have yeilded more but I left a lot of "jack" in with the ice bc I didn't care that much and it was just an experiment...plus I spilled some)

Anyway, it's still in the freezer and it's not THAT bad but it's still pretty bad. No idea on the ABV but it won't freeze... A month or so ago a friend and I got blasted and took some shots of it. It was kind of syrupy and didn't have that much of an alchoholic burn.

anyway thats my experience with it. I would like to make a better batch at some point bc it's an interesting idea.

I'd also really like to try landhoney's "apple ice wine" some time...thats a really good idea..
 
Trean72 said:
Is that really all there is to it? could I just throw a gallon of cider in the freezer and pour out the alcohol? I don't think that will work. Slowly thawing it sounds okay, but at what point am I pouring apple jack and what point am I just pouring thawed cider?

Just taste it as it melts. If its ~7% alcohol cider it should freeze fairly solid, but you may see liquid moving around inside ice 'pockets'. In theory, the first 7% melted off would be all the alcohol, but that doesn't really work that way. I'd say melt off a 1/3rd and you've got all the alcohol you'll get but I don't really know. I've only "theorized" about doing this once, freeze distilled wine - collected the runnings and then repeat until it doesn't freeze anymore - when it doesn't freeze at all I think you'd have some high alcohol. But I like freeze concentrating the unfermented juice, getting the sugar and flavor up and then fermenting with wine yeast. Not as high alcohol but I don't want 80 proof stuff. Its legal, and besides it tastes better.
 
The traditional way to make it is to partially bury a keg of cider in october and unearth it in late February/early March. Just freezing the cider tends to make a cider slushy, you can still pour off liquid but you lose a lot in the ice. Repeated freezing and thawing the liquid causes it to separate. Eventually you get a hunk of solid ice at top, liquor goodness in the middle, solids/heavier liquids at the bottom. At this point you can chip out the ice and pour off the middle layer, or drill a hole through the ice and siphon out the liquor. It tends to run 50% alcohol, though I imagine that number varies wildly.
Be very aware, all fermentation produces methanol to some degree. While this concentration of methanol would never blind or kill you, it will produce some of the nastiest hangovers imaginable.
 
LouT said:
I thought there was a legal limit to the amount each person over 21 can "distill" for personal use -- just like beer...

Unfortunately not. Distillation of alcohol for any purpose is illegal without a license or permit from the TTB (not ATF). If you are a researcher and distill alcohol as part or your work or you are a school child using distillation to demonstration something for a science fair...you need permission from the TTB.

Only the production of wine and beer is permitted by the TTB.
 
OK, I'll bite......what is the TTB? Some type of taxation authority?
How hard/expensive is it to get a distillation permit? I see that micro-distilleries are coming on strong lately, maybe not much barrier to entry...
 
The TTB is the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

From the TTB FAQ:
You cannot produce spirits for beverage purposes without paying taxes and without prior approval of paperwork to operate a distilled spirits plant. [See 26 U.S.C. 5601 & 5602 for some of the criminal penalties.] There are numerous requirements that must be met that make it impractical to produce spirits for personal or beverage use. Some of these requirements are paying excise tax, filing an extensive application, filing a bond, providing adequate equipment to measure spirits, providing suitable tanks and pipelines, providing a separate building (other than a dwelling) and maintaining detailed records, and filing reports. All of these requirements are listed in 27 CFR Part 19.

As an example: In Michigan, a license to distill whisky is $10,000 per year. A bond needs to be paid, fairly extensive equipment investments made, and lest we forget, you also need a building to put everything in.

Needless to say, there aren't a lot of small whisky distillers in Michigan.

However, things are looking up; what we are starting to have is a lot of small brandy distillers. A new license allowing winemakers to distill brandy was introduced, and is only $100 per year.
 
Unless you are a terrorist, or engaged in terrorist-like activities (I believe jaywalking qualifies these days), you have to deal with the TTB and not the ATF.
 
Wow, everytime I read posts about Apple jack and distilling it makes me so happy that I live in New Zealand, where I a 17 year old can brew whatever I want and then distill that however much I want. I tried making some apple jack with my last batch of cider after reading about some posts on this forum, and I didn't really realise how much of a ***** it is to do... I mean it took me about 4 days of waiting and checking the freezer every 5 hours or something, although I dont think I did it right, cos what I ended up with didn't taste all that alchoholic, nor was there that much made. I think I'll just end up buying myself a still and make some good ol' Calvados, once I get a nice French style cider recipe.
 
I have a question. I remeber doing and experiment in elementary school in which we froze water in a mason jar and, because it is a polar molecule, it expanded and broke the glass. I was wondering if I would run into the same problem in this case, and if so how do I avoid it?
 
I still have some applejack from an elderberry-pear cider from 5 years ago. Started off tasting like gasoline but is smooth and fruity now. Im about to start a new batch to freeze this winter in Vermont. I just rack into multiple 3 liter bottles-only 2 liters each, to allow for expansion. Have often considered using a fractional distillation column to collect only the ethanol but then why don't I just by some everclear....:drunk: :drunk: :drunk: :drunk:
 
This may be slightly off topic, but not really
I've had this on again/off again discussion with my dad regarding vodka/everclear/what have you- would it be illegal to distill the excess water from that, thereby increasing its alcohol percent? There would obviously be no danger of any nasty alcohols/bad oils, since the liquor company already handled that back in the initial production...

What say you?
 
JohnBarleycornATL said:
I have a question. I remeber doing and experiment in elementary school in which we froze water in a mason jar and, because it is a polar molecule, it expanded and broke the glass. I was wondering if I would run into the same problem in this case, and if so how do I avoid it?

Don't fill the container too much and leave room for expansion.
 
OdinOneEye said:
What I want to know is, if you aren't distributing your apple jack, how would the feds know if you were freezing it in the first place? Unlike stills, everyone with a fridge has a freezer, I'm assuming, and noone's going to notice the electrical fluctuation it takes when you add a gallon of cider to the freezer.
Shtupid law. Just like not being allowed to fire a gun off during a moment of passion with your lady in Wisconsin.

I grew up with a guy who often said, "It ain't illegal if you don't get caught." He's in prison for growing pot in his attic. He got caught because someone else got pinched and ratted him out. If a person sets up a still, grow lights in the attic, or freeze distills apple cider, he/she will eventually want to share the experience with someone, and the people that turn others in for these kind of shenanigans are always the people you thought of as friends. After all, whenever I talk to fellow homebrewers about distilling, the answer is almost invariably that my fellow brewer has thought about doing it just to say he did it, which is also my answer. Why else would we want to make apple jack when we can buy cheap apple brandy that would probably be a far better quality than what we could make.

I agree that we have some stupid laws, and, aside from concentrating fusels and making rot-gut. freeze distilling is not as dangerous as traditional moonshining. The problem is that moonshine in general can be dangerous if made improperly, like if the shiner uses a car radiator for a condenser, which likely contains lead solder. Alcohol, being an incredible solvent, is probably one of the most efficient ways to get lead posioning from a car radiator. The next problem is that if they made a exception in the law for freeze distilling, anyone caught with moonshine would argue that the gov't had to prove it wasn't freeze distilled. They said the hell with that when they wrote the law, particularly since freeze distilled products contain concentrated fusel alcohols anyway. I still want to make apple jack just to see what it's like and to say I did it, but it's just not worth the risk to me.
 
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