Crystal Clear Cider like White Lightning

[ThunderPanda]

I searched the forums and the internet and had trouble finding the answer to this...

How do you make a completely clear batch of cider? I don't mean like... Very transparent with a slight yellow tint... I mean clear as water or vodka. I have no problem getting my ciders transparent, but I am curious how you can get rid of the color completely.

The brand white lightning accomplishes this. I don't know how they do it... Is there some chemical that goes beyond pectic enzyme and bleaches the color right out? Or is white lightning not even a legitimate cider? Does anyone know for sure?

Of course from what I hear, white lightning tastes and smells like chemicals, and that probably explains it.. But I don't know if there is a legitimate way to do it or not.

 

[oldmate]

Mine comes out EXTREMELY light. The key is probably to start off with the lightest cider you can find. The ferment will remove a lot of the colour but maybe if you use a high ABV yeast (turbo) it might strip some colour out as well, and maybe use some finings? I don't really know! Just throwing some ideas around!

 

[KevinM]

I'd go with finings and yeast selection. Just on yeast selection I've had two ciders, one was definately a lighter color than others. Also, the apple selection since that seemed to make a difference for mine too. (Not colorless clear though.)

You could possibly filter the cider, or use apple juice instead. Increase the amount of plain white, refined, cane sugar (boosting the alcohol content as well.)

Chances are, that white cider was mostly fermented cane sugar or corn, with the addition of some cider. Especially since (I know it's only from wiki, but...)Since September 2010, HM Revenue and Customs has decreed that to be called cider a drink must contain at least 35% apple or pear juice and must have a pre-fermentation gravity of at least 1033 degrees.[34] The legislation was introduced to stop cheap high alcohol content drinks being called cider, thus taking advantage of the lower duty rates applied to cider.[35]

 

[phillipk]

google: gelatin clarification

 

[RobWalker]

I'm quite certain white cider is blended. IE made out of the cheapest sugar they can find, then apple flavour added in. Hence why it tastes so damn awful.

 

[weissbierdrinker]

May I ask why you want to do this?

 

[ThunderPanda]

hah i'm not sure why this thread popped up again, but I will answer nonetheless. I don't remember my exact situation, though I think it was a combination of having my ciders come out very dark and wondering what the extreme other end is and how to achieve it, and just an interest in making a completely clear cider which I just think would be interesting. Plus then you could make fun other colors for events and stuff.

Also, in my research I believed I discovered also that white lightning is not even clear. The blueish bottles make it appear that way but I believe (and I could be wrong) that the cider itself is still a little bit golden like normal cider.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I searched the forums and the internet and had trouble finding the answer to this...

How do you make a completely clear batch of cider? I don't mean like... Very transparent with a slight yellow tint... I mean clear as water or vodka. I have no problem getting my ciders transparent, but I am curious how you can get rid of the color completely.

The brand white lightning accomplishes this. I don't know how they do it... Is there some chemical that goes beyond pectic enzyme and bleaches the color right out? Or is white lightning not even a legitimate cider? Does anyone know for sure?

Of course from what I hear, white lightning tastes and smells like chemicals, and that probably explains it.. But I don't know if there is a legitimate way to do it or not.

Sulfites will sometimes cause a loss of color in some red wines, and excessive filtering through a sterile filter could also strip some color, tho I think it'll also strip a significant amount of flavour too. I've never heard of the brand of cider you mentioned, to me, "White Lightning" is moonshine. Regards, GF.