applejack procedures

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Unferth

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I've read enough about the history, etc. of Applejack that I've got to give it a shot with a small batch. I live in an apartment, with a pretty small freezer. Anyone have any suggestions on how to efficiently freeze separate the cider?

I was thinking about bottling into a used (clean) milk jug and throwing it into the freezer, then cutting off the jug and setting the ice block in a colander over a bowl in the freezer.

Please, PLEASE, don't hijack this thread with legal issues or the effects of fusel alcohols. I'm really just looking for procedural advice--not legal or medical. Though I'd also be interested to hear any tried and true pre-seperation recipes and thoughts on aging the apple jack.
 
While I've never done it myself i have seen a youtube video and the guy used 2 litre bottles. Turn your freezer as low as possible if you can. The alcohol should separate towards the bottom. Then turn them upside down over a clean bowl.

I've had applejack before and found it to be rather tasty.
 
I would think the milk jug would be the best method also. Your method sounds pretty solid.

I guess I need to stop buying discount meat out of the back of trucks in the walmart parking lot. My freezer is always too full to try this!
 
I have made applejack.... Very easy and very fun!

Make some heavy duty high alcohol by volume cider.... I added tons of brown sugar to mind to get the alcohol level way up... After fermenting Iraq it into plastic 2 L bottles But only about 4/5 full...
Freeze it right side up, Then once it's frozen solid Take it out of the freezer and put it on your kitchen counter top for about 45 minutes to an hour and you will see it starting to melt...
Once you see at least 2 inches of liquid flip it upside down into a vessel, Let it melt down a little more but don't let it go too much because after a while you will start to get a lot more water with the alcohol...
I think I got less than about 25% of what I put into each bottle liquid wise...
It was great by the way! A good amount of alcohol burn but also a very very heavy Apple flavor which was very nice...

(Keep in mind I no expert and am pretty new at this but I had a very successful applejack run)
:mug:
 
Funny video, thanks rstanavech. I would definitely trust that man with both my brew and my food.

BadgerBrigade (or any one else who has done this): did you age it post separation at all? I wonder how this would do on some oak for a few months.
 
Unferth said:
Funny video, thanks rstanavech. I would definitely trust that man with both my brew and my food.

BadgerBrigade (or any one else who has done this): did you age it post separation at all? I wonder how this would do on some oak for a few months.

No I did not but oak could probably be an okay choice for the applejack... I don't like oak cider because of is a little too heavy for a regular cider so I'm going to make a batch with cedar wood, But the jack has a lot more alcohol and flavor so I think a little oak could be okay..
Do it and PM me how it came out :)
 
I have frozen cider before in a milk jug. Just flip the frozen jug over and let it drain back through the ice. Leave it in the freezer at least at first.
 
I think I'm going to create as stable and clean a cider as I can to start with. . probably Apple juice and AJ concentrate to 1.060, make a 2 liter starter with EC-1118, and ferment at about 60 F. That should get it to around 9% ABV with plenty of apple flavor to pull out. Hopefully it won't create any 'off' flavors from the yeast having to convert sugars and deal with a high OG.
 
Unferth said:
I think I'm going to create as stable and clean a cider as I can to start with. . probably Apple juice and AJ concentrate to 1.060, make a 2 liter starter with EC-1118, and ferment at about 60 F. That should get it to around 9% ABV with plenty of apple flavor to pull out. Hopefully it won't create any 'off' flavors from the yeast having to convert sugars and deal with a high OG.
Now you are thinking.
Unferth said:
nice to know it will work. Thanks

Yeah, the ice freezes real flakey and layered. You can watch the color drain away. When it's almost pure white, or as long as you can stand to wait it's done.
 
Look through the BYO back issues. Maybe winter of last year? There was an article on jacking cider. They were freezing better bottles.
 
I would ask that someone non-partial admin read this thread and decide if it was appropriate or not...

I have gone against no HB talk guidelines...

Nothing was wrong with your post, but you quoted a deleted post from another member. No use in deleting that member's posts if they get reposted in your quotes. You seem to be under the impression that you have been scolded and I don't think that's the case. No harm, no foul.

Pappers


Thank you pappers :)
 
Hopefully it won't create any 'off' flavors from the yeast having to convert sugars and deal with a high OG.

I don't think 1.060 is a high OG. To me high is anything that puts your final ABV at around 10%. That would be something like 1.080.

I think you'll get a really clean final product with a starter and temps at 60ºF. Let us know how it goes. I've always wanted to try this.

BTW...I try to stay on topic in threads, but I always think some humor makes them for better reading ;)
 
Pickled_Pepper said:
BTW...I try to stay on topic in threads, but I always think some humor makes them for better reading ;)

I agree, humor is medicine for all of our sicknesses and wounds
:mug:
 
I've been saving clean plastic milk jugs with screw tops just for this purpose. I have s few 5 gal carboys in the basement ready to experiment. Now just waiting for the weather. A week of sub-freezing temps and I'm gonna freeze and pass thru a strainer daily til it won't freeze then bottle.
 
I've been saving clean plastic milk jugs with screw tops just for this purpose. I have s few 5 gal carboys in the basement ready to experiment. Now just waiting for the weather. A week of sub-freezing temps and I'm gonna freeze and pass thru a strainer daily til it won't freeze then bottle.

That's a good idea, and it is similar to the historical production of Applejack, when it was overwintered in oak barrels then drained. A lot of it in your neck of the woods, I do believe.

Not possible for me though, its only getting slightly below freezing at night here and not for long enough to separate.
 
So I've heard up to 2/3 of the volume is discarded at ice. Is that what you've experienced? Of the alcoholic beverage remaining do you think the apple flavor is more concentrated, the same or less than the original alcoholic cider? Starting with 5 gal. this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
MarkKF said:
So I've heard up to 2/3 of the volume is discarded at ice. Is that what you've experienced? Of the alcoholic beverage remaining do you think the apple flavor is more concentrated, the same or less than the original alcoholic cider? Starting with 5 gal. this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I've not measure final product before. I've only tried it once or twice. Think about this. You are freezing the water of a 6-10% alcohol solution. Not all of the water will be removed but its also likely that some alcohol will remain trapped in the ice.

The flavor gets...concentrated. Sweeter, more apple, warming alcohol.
 
Not all of the water will be removed but its also likely that some alcohol will remain trapped in the ice.

The flavor gets...concentrated. Sweeter, more apple, warming alcohol.

And that's why you should freeze it until it won't freeze anymore. ;)
 
It will always freeze. You just need a colder freezer....or dry ice.

I knew, in theory, you were correct so I was curious. I found these numbers. (I haven't verified them though) This might at least give you an idea of what proof you are getting from the temps in your freezer.

So if you know the temp in your freezer and you are still getting a frozen product...

24 proof liquor freezes at -6.7°C (20°F)
64 proof liquor freezes at -23.33°C (-10°F)
84 proof liquor freezes at -34.44°C (-30°F)
 
I knew, in theory, you were correct so I was curious. I found these numbers. (I haven't verified them though) This might at least give you an idea of what proof you are getting from the temps in your freezer.

So if you know the temp in your freezer and you are still getting a frozen product...

24 proof liquor freezes at -6.7°C (20°F)
64 proof liquor freezes at -23.33°C (-10°F)
84 proof liquor freezes at -34.44°C (-30°F)

Is there a home freezer out there that will freeze to -10F? Jeez!
 
So I started a base for a batch of Applejack a week ago. about a gallon and change of organic apple juice and concentrate to an OG of 1.075. I pitched Vintner's Harvest CY17, which I've never used before, but the guy at LHBS was keen on it.

It is still fermenting away now, so I'm going to leave it alone. but I was curious as to whether I should wait for it to clear before freezing it? Will it filter when it freezes too?

I guess if its cloudy I could put it through a coffee filter or something...
 
It will clear up as you jack it as you are actually hard cold crashing.
 
It will clear up as you jack it as you are actually hard cold crashing.

ah, but things clear up when you 'soft' cold crash because the molecules are vibrating less and thus drop out of suspension (to the bottom), right? They are still there, just at the bottom.

I guess my question is 'do the molecules stay in the ice or do they come with the concentrated cider?' I'm going to age it on oak, so I don't want it sitting on dead lees for months.
 
As you say they settle out to the bottom as they are dropping as the temperature drops, but may not freeze solid there entirely. Just be careful when you pour off the applejack to another container. You may want several freezing containers and decant the clearest jack off each then consolidate the remaining amounts to settle and decant again. You can repeat the process until you get where you wish to be. I believe this is what you are asking.
 
I've jacked cider before using a milk jug. I started wry a 1.120 gravity hard cider and after freezing I collected 1/2 of the original volume of liquid. Turned out great!
 
Cool. Will do. and if it is still cloudy, I'll filter it. Hell it's only going to be like a liter anyway.

This may prove to be a bigger problem if I like it and decide to do bigger batches. :)
 
I've jacked cider before using a milk jug. I started wry a 1.120 gravity hard cider and after freezing I collected 1/2 of the original volume of liquid. Turned out great!

wow. that's a high gravity cider if it fermented all the way down. what was your FG?
 
mcwilcr said:
I've jacked cider before using a milk jug. I started wry a 1.120 gravity hard cider and after freezing I collected 1/2 of the original volume of liquid. Turned out great!

Added white sugar? Apple juice concentrate?
 
mcwilcr said:
Dark brown sugar and concentrate to treetop something like 3 apple blend not from concentrate.

Cool. To my last Apfelwein I added several cans of frozen concentrate. I think I took it up to 1.090.
 
New England weather ready to cooperate. Sub freezing for at least 5 days. 5 gal. going outside to freeze.

image-2586675539.jpg
 
nice! Whats the ABV on that? We might be able to calculate what sort of yield one might get, and potentially a rough estimate for post-separation ABV.
 
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