$6 organic cider, already in carboy, whole foods

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Dustwing

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I noticed in whole foods a while back that they are selling store brand apple juice/apple cider at whole foods in 1g glass carboys! There aren't any preservatives that would stop fermentation, and thus far my 3 piece airlock and standard issue rubber plug fit snugly into the tops of 'em :) If you've been wanting to experiment with cider recipes, I'd suggest grabbing a couple of these- I'm already reusing my first little carboy for mead and it's working great!
 
I thought that their price was a little steep, but I may have to resort to that, as I can't find any apple juice in gallon glass jugs anywhere else. At our WF, the gallon is $6.99 -- I check every time I go in, hoping that they'll put it on sale.

Anyone else have any experience w/ the Whole Foods apple juice/cider?
 
yeah seen this, but i like to ferment in larger ammount, say buy 5 gallons and transfer into a 5 gallon carboy and use the one gallon glass jugs for mead, or small batches of whatever... there closer to 8$ around here... i wish we had a whole food outlet around at here... but hey at least we got what we got.

I've used about 10 gallons of it so far this fall/winter and it works great. Is it the apple cider that is _VERY_ dark brown and full of particles?

My cider turned a very nice golden color with excellent apple flavor.
Here's my thread on it: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/didnt-go-waaay-too-fast-85931/

-Tyler

Yup thats the stuff

Cheers
 
This stuff isnt toooo dark, it's sorta bunt sienna colored. Glad to hear though! I'm excited about the next one, previously I'd been using montrachet yeast left over from my apfelwine order, but there's some safale s-o4 en route that I'm waiting on
 
I just used this in a cyser recipe. I actually wasn't very impressed with the un-fermented apple juice, but hopefully it'll taste a lot better after the yeast does its work.

Also, what size stoppers do you use on these? Got some #8 stoppers, but they're too big.
 
I just used this in a cyser recipe. I actually wasn't very impressed with the un-fermented apple juice, but hopefully it'll taste a lot better after the yeast does its work.

Also, what size stoppers do you use on these? Got some #8 stoppers, but they're too big.

I use size 5.5 or 6 for stoppers on this size. I've got a gallon of this very cider going right now with some WLP005.
 
i seen this last week and bought 2 bottles. havent started a batch yet as i plan on using the glass for test batchs. for the price and the bottle i think it was fair price.
 
I've used about 10 gallons of it so far this fall/winter and it works great. Is it the apple cider that is _VERY_ dark brown and full of particles?

Tyler,

I always thought that it looked too light... more like bright muddy water, rather than darker like cider. That's another reason I held off.

Who knows... if it's on sale Tuesday or so, I may pick up a gallon to try. Trying it can't hurt (although, "on sale") always helps. Heh.
 
1 gal AJ for $2.99 at Fairway...or is it Fareway? :ban:
i think the intrest is in the glass jug it comes in. so a gallon of organic cider and glass jug. ahs sales thier 1 gallon jugs for 6 bucks. so in this case you get a gallon of apple juice and the jug and you save shipping.
 
Trader Joes used to have Apple Cider in glass gallon containers...

I hit Trader Joe's first off, thinking that they would have good stuff. Maybe good, but no glass. :(

I did notice that they have several varieties of apple juice instead of the generic "apple juice", but I haven't tried them. Between the Gala Apple Juice, the Granny Smith Apple Juice, and the others, I am impressed.

I may have to break down and pay the $7 for the glass jug at Whole Foods. :( I'll tell myself that it's apple juice at $4 and $3 for a one gallon glass carboy. :)
 
I just bought one gallon at Whole Foods.
And I may be crazy but I am going to try to harvest yeast from NB's Abbey and see how it turns out.
CvilleKevin used several English ale yeasts and Hefe yeasts.
I am open for suggestion/correction.
 
I hit Trader Joe's first off, thinking that they would have good stuff. Maybe good, but no glass. :(

I did notice that they have several varieties of apple juice instead of the generic "apple juice", but I haven't tried them. Between the Gala Apple Juice, the Granny Smith Apple Juice, and the others, I am impressed.

My trader Joe's has Gravenstein, McIntosh, Gala, and Granny Smith Juices. After a bit of internet research I came to the conclusion that the former two are the best for cider. I have yet to try the McIntosh, but the Gravenstein cider (unfiltered) made great hard cider.
 
i work at whole foods, so i get to throw in my 20% discount woo :rockin:

if you were to simply toss yeast in to the jug and seal it back up, would you still use the same amount as a 5 gal batch?
 
how much yeast for a one gallon jug?
You could use less, I suppose, but what are you going to do with the rest of the yeast in the packet?

If these are going on sale again, I think I might need to make a trip to Whole Foods. I like the gravenstein juice, so hopefully the cider will be good. And it's a better way to get 1 gallon jugs than crappy wine, since I can ferment the juice into cider and drink that instead of crappy wine!
 
so pasteurized cider will still ferment without any problems. as long as there are no preservatives then it is ok? please clarify this for me.
 
Wow this thread has got me sold on this cider thing. No Whole Foods up where I live but we have a New Frontiers here... basically the same sort of deal. Really wish I had a Trader Joes in this little town
 
I just picked up 3 gal's of the glass carboy kind ($6.99) and a 32oz jar of 100% pure cranberry juice ($8.99)...now to figure out what to do with it :)
 
I just picked up 3 gal's of the glass carboy kind ($6.99) and a 32oz jar of 100% pure cranberry juice ($8.99)...now to figure out what to do with it :)

They also have quarts of blueberry and pomgranite juice... all would make interesting flavorings for cider.

I have yet to bite the bullet... I went there tonight and walked around the store carrying the one gallon jug, debating. I put it down and headed up the street to Walmart in search of the $2/gallon sale posted elsewhere. And didn't find it. Sigh. I hate being cheap.

Now if I could find a way to get one of the 3-gallon water bottles to use as a carboy, without having to pay $12++ on the deposit...

And to think I threw out an old 5 gallon jug last year (long before I was interested in cider). Oh well. I can stick w/ plastic gallon and 3/4 gallon containers for now.
 
Be caeful with those plastic water cooler bottles. Most of them are not impervious to oxygen. I've lost cider that I've left in them for long periods of time. They should have a 1 in the recycle triangle.
 
use them for a second batch? if we use half a pack we can use the other half for a second gallon i suppose...atleast thats what i think i'm going to do.
That would almost certainly work. You could run it through the pitching rate calculator to be sure, but one packet of dry yeast is enough for 5 gallons of apple juice, so I think half a pack would be sufficient for one gallon.

So, I picked up two jugs of cider and then discovered that my universal stopper doesn't seem to fit. Everything I'm reading online says they should as the universal stopper is supposed to work in an opening down to an 1" and these are about 1" 1/8 ID. Not sure what to do!
 
So, I picked up two jugs of cider and then discovered that my universal stopper doesn't seem to fit. Everything I'm reading online says they should as the universal stopper is supposed to work in an opening down to an 1" and these are about 1" 1/8 ID. Not sure what to do!

Well, I can see three alternatives:
1) email me one of the jugs, I think I have a stopper that would work :)D)
2) stretch the mouth of the jug
3) bypass the stopper/bubbler and go low-tech... pin-pricked balloon or saran wrap w/ rubber band

Seeing as you go the glass jugs, you'll probably want to find smaller stoppers. LHBS near there?

OT: Visited the local LHBS and noticed that they have a two-liter beer kit... a two-liter bottle filled w/ (... mash? must?) and a second cap w/ the pricked-plastic air-lock, and a yeast "pill". $9. It looks like an excellent present to get someone interested in brewing. Getting a glass jug, stopper, air lock, and a packet of yeast looks like it would be the same solution for the cider set. Such a neat idea.
 
Seeing as you go the glass jugs, you'll probably want to find smaller stoppers. LHBS near there?
Yeah, I'll just have to make a trip up there sometime I guess. I'm gonna try the rest of my universal stoppers and just see if maybe the one I had in my hand at the time was just big or something.
 
I just bought 3 gallons of that Whole Foods unfiltered juice in the glass jugs and it was totally worth it. I can't get 1 gallon carboys at the LHBS for under $5 so $7 for a gallon of high quality juice plus a carboy is a deal. I bought a 3 gallon better bottle and emptied all three gallons into it w/ 1/2lb of extra light DME and champagne yeast, a little weaker than Apfelwein but should be along the same lines. I also bought 3 lbs of clover honey and now have a gallon of mead going in one of the glass jugs along w/ the 3 gallons of cider. Now its all waiting. I'll prob split the cider into the other 2 gallon jugs so I can experiment w/ additives too.
 
Any ideas on where to get a stopper for these from somewhere other than a mail order or LHBS? Home Depot?
 
Any ideas on where to get a stopper for these from somewhere other than a mail order or LHBS? Home Depot?

So I'm thinking like a 3/4 - 1 inch OD tube might just fit right into the neck and use it as a blow off tube?
 
dunno about the metro area but there's a whole foods on South Street in the touristy area that should carry it :)

There's also a whole foods at 20th St & Pennsylvania Ave, up near the Parkway. I've got 5 gallons of this juice making the transformation into Apfelwein right now!
 
I used this for a batch of Apfelwine started in November, and it is still cloudy. Not like it was new, but certainly not anywhere near clear. I don't really mind since I generally make apfelwine for personal consumption and not for sharing, but I was considering using some sparkaloid to help clear it. Any thoughts?
 
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