An idea based on faux ice cider.

[Blacksmith1]

Picked up some Welch's "Refreshingly Simple" peach mango which contains, in order, filtered water, cane sugar, apple and grape concentrates, citric acid, natural flavor, mango and peach concentrates, beta carotene for color. Freeze concentrating a gallon for pre ferment addition to boost both flavor and SG in the must. No idea what the SG of the plain juice is yet, I have a gallon to use as the base.
I figure if fajc works for ciders this should work also. Also thinking about fresh peach and mango in the secondary.
Opinions? I am doing it anyway, just wondering what you guys think about it.

 

[bernardsmith]

Concentrates the sugars and the flavors wonderfully. You want to gently thaw the frozen juice so that you can collect "the first runnings", as it were. You should be able to double the sugar content if you allow the first 1/3 of the juice to thaw. The downside is that if you begin with 3 gallons of juice you end up with 1.. so it can be an expensive way to up the sugar /flavor content

 

[Blacksmith1]

I froze both half gallons three times and wound up with about 3/4 of a half gallon. I'm waiting on a cider to get out of my 2 gallon fermenter, then I start this one. I'm planing on using K1V-1116.

 

[bernardsmith]

Curious: what gravity did you manage to get your juice to hit? I'm thinking about 1.090?

 

[Blacksmith1]

haven't checked yet. I froze it again to make sure it keeps. I assume you mean the concentrate and not the blended juice/concentrate?
I'll have to check the original SG also. a few days and my fermenter will be ready again.

 

[Blacksmith1]

Plain juice SG 1.042 a bit under apple juice.
Concentrate SG 1.130 +/-
Must OG 1.060 ISH could be off by a couple points or so due to temp. I figure about 8% abv.

 

[Blacksmith1]

Bottled today. 4) .750 bottles plus a couple glasses to taste.
Thinking SWMBO would like this I gave her one..... This wil not get to age.
The peach and mango are out in front and still there at the finish. I backsweetened with sugar and added one cap full of reallemon. Next time I will do a peach passion favored black tea for tannin in the primary as well as some golden raisins for body. It's a hair thin. It also tastes a bit stronger than 8%.