Juice and Strain Method (AHA Article)

[eyousey]

I thought I might share my experiences on this idea since I just did it the other day. After reading the article on the AHA website about using a juicer, I picked up an older 850W juicer from a family friend that wasn't using it anymore. She had bought it with good intentions, used it for some amount of time, and didn't want it anymore. I got it for about $50. I also looked over Craigslist and eBay and almost got one there before things got over what I was willing to pay for an experiment. If/when this juicer dies, I plan to replace it with something more powerful since it worked reasonably well.

I got about 4.5 gallons juice from 1 bushel of apples. I was expecting about 2-3 gallons, so this was a happy surprise. The motor did get warm by the end, but I had to stop often because I was using the little container that came with it to put juice in. Next time I plan to juice straight to the bucket through a strainer. I also had to stop and clean the pulp shoot from time-to-time. This first time was just to see how it worked, and it worked perfectly. It is a little messy, but the process is sound. I've done the traditional grind and press method, and this is much easier. It can also be done in the kitchen vs. out back or in the garage. The foot print of this system is also pretty small compared to that of a apple grinder and press.

Total time from when I started to sanitize to last apple was about 1.5 hours. This would be cut down if I didn't have to stop every few minutes to empty the juice container and wait for the juicer to spin down and up. So, I think about 1 bushel per hour is not out of the question on my 850 watt juicer which is a Breville JE95XL (older model of current JE98XL) that can take whole unseeded fruit. Also, smaller apples will mean faster juicing since they won't require pre-processing (halving/quartering). There was also some clean up time after that, but I know that will vary per person.

I could have gotten more juice if I had also squeezed out my pulp, but it was pretty dry, and I might have only gotten about another quart or so. I figured that I can sacrifice it this time. It does make a lot of foam, and not all of the pulp makes it in the pulp bin. I was pouring the juice through a mesh strainer, and it would clog up with pulp after a while.

The resulting juice was about 1.052 gravity. I put in some potassium metabisulfite and I pitched the yeast 24 hours later.

I would do this again, and might before the fresh apple season is over. The juice tasted awesome and my wife was telling me during the process that she wasn't enjoying it at all. She was washing and helping to cut up the larger apples. In the end, after a taste of the product, she said it was "totally worth it."

The recipe:
1/3 bushel Fuji
1/3 bushel Jonagold
1/6 bushel Breaburn
1/6 bushel Winesap
potassium metabisulfite (dose according to instructions)
1/2 tsp yeast energizer
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 lb pilsen dry malt extract per 5 gals juice (body and some complexity)

Yield: ~4.5 gallons
OG: 1.052 (before DME)
FG: TBD
Yeast: Safale S-04
ABV: >5% (est.)

Instructions:
Juice apples by preferred method. Add potassium metabisulfite according to instructions for the volume of juice produced. For me, it was about 3/16 tsp. Mix in and allow to sit for 24 hours to do its thing. Dissolve 1lb/5gals of DME into 1 quart of warm cider and add back to main batch. This will bump the gravity and give the yeast some needed nutrients. Also add in the nutrient and energizer. Scale them accordingly for your juice yield. Pitch hydrated yeast and off you go. Rack and clarify once fermentation is complete. Bottle, keg, or whatever you want to do.

Theory of the DME:
The dextrins in the DME will leave some body and the slight amount of malty flavors add some complexity. I just did two 1 gallon batches of cider, one with DME and one without DME, and the with DME had a better all around taste and body. It was less tart/dry and some more subtle complexities. So, this is my scaled up version of the DME version.

Hope this helps those that are looking to try this method of making juice from apples. Overall... it works well. I'll refine my method in the future, but the principle is there and it works.

 

[hallerobin]

Awesome info, thanks so much for posting!

I've been stuck using storebought juice, and I'd really like to switch to whole apples, but the expense and necessary space of a grinder and press. Of course, I need a good apple source...

Thanks again, great stuff here!

 

[MindenMan]

I too used a home juicer last season. I kept some of the foam/pulp to add a little bit of tartness to the juice. I didn't add any sulphate, I just pitched the yeast, and let it go. I have learned from experience, the fermentation temperature control is crucial. My first batch was at room temperature, because that that was the info given. Right from the start, I got nail polish remover smell/taste. It eventually went away, but I could have prevented it. I will recommend doing a freeze concentration experiment with a small amount to make some really nice apple schnapps.

 

[LeBreton]

I use this method a lot, with approximately the same results. 1 hr, 1 bushel, about 5 gallons of juice. I strain it through a coarse filter bag for fewer solids too. Nothing better than having control over your apple blend!

 

[Yooper]

I never added DME to my cider. I just never thought about it!

My last batch of cider was 1.048, using a mix of tart and sweet apples. I used S04 in that batch.

Thanks for the write up on the juicer!

 

[Orerockon]

OK so I want to try something different, I can get ahold of some good cider apples that have been in storage a couple months. Just finished up 2 batches of cider so I'm looking to do an Apfelwein. And I don't see anyone saying this but Apfelwein is not the same thing as apple cider. I've been to England and Germany, had both (small commercial makers, not giant corporate swill), and they are definitely not the same beverage. The few Apfelwein recipes I can find calls for juice, not cider, and from what I picked up in Germany (using my crappy Tourist German) they do filter the cider, essentially producing juice with little or no solids. SO one question is, is that what these juicers do? Are they really making pure juice with essentially no solids? Like you would get out of making jelly with a cheesecloth? Is there a relatively easy way to filter what I get out of my grinder & cider press? I see lots of cockamamie ways to make juice online but none of them appeal to me or apply to a 5 gallon batch.

I'm still looking into what yeast the German makers would use, I'm guessing it's not a generic cider yeast, so any suggestions? I use the WLP 755 English dry cider yeast for my ciders, and the recipe calls for Motrachet, which I will not use (I hate that off-taste it gives everything I tried it with). The Apfelwein I had in Frankfurt tasted a lot like my dry English cider so I'm definitely not looking for a sweet finish, but a little sweeter would be acceptable if it's within the general style.

 

[bembel]

Commercial Frankfurter Apfelwein, (Possmann or Rapps, for example, you can even find it in the states) are filtered and clear, but it's nothing more than German apples pressed and fermented dry with a cultured yeast. Possmann actually ferments theirs in the hull of a repurposed WW2 U-boat, by the way. I took the tour[emoji12][emoji519] They do not Montrachet. Most use natural fermentation or an isolated strain from natural fermentation and a cultured yeast to finish. I find any cold tolerant wine yeast best for recreating apfelwein. VR21 is good. I also love BA11. Keeps the fruit aroma. There is also no added sugar unless the OG of the juice is so low that they need to bump it to 1050-1055. The 2 pounds per 5 gallon batch that most American recipes call for is just that, American. Adding that much sugar will get you a very different result with much less apple flavor and aroma and a thinner body. Now the apfelwein you would get at most of the Apfelwein lokals in Frankfurt is not filtered and has a touch of acetobacter in it, makes it quite sour, but again, this is just fermented apple juice. The first time I had a slight acetobacter infection in a batch I marvelled at how close it tasted to the Apfelwein from Wagner's in Sachsenhausen. They also rely on a local wild apple called a Speyerling which is a bit like a crab apple. Very tannic. In any case. If you press your own apples, use a tiny dose of k-meta to hinder the bad bugs ( partial kill) and let your juice take off with that. Then pitch some rehydrated wine yeast in a week later to finish things clean. Ferment as cold as you can 50F ideally. Your juice will be crystal clear after a second racking.

---Just dug into a few of the german website equivalents of HBT and see that many suggest using 'Steinberg' wine yeast from Red Star, which is not available here as far as I can tell, but White Labs has a variety of it called 727

https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp727-steinberg-geisenheim-wine-yeast

VERY SOUR INDEED!! I also read at least 3 German sites that recommend using Lactic acid (Mostmilchsäure) to bump up any juice that is below 8g/l in TA, this is much higher than the standard 5-6 g/l that most american cider makers shoot for, so that is also something to consider.

 

[bembel]

Clarification. The large commercial producers use a cultured or isolated yeast, so if you want to make a Possmann clone you can with any cider or wine yeast. The Affelwein lokals ( think of these as brewpubs ) that make their own just use natural fermentation

 

[madscientist451]

Thanks to the OP for the lowdown on using a juicer. I've seen some you tube videos that covered apple juicing but never tried it. I've got 200+ lbs or so of apples left over from fall 2015 and I don't want to drag out my grinder and press for another batch, so maybe I'll go on craigslist and see what I can find. I figured most used juicers that have any size to them have been "rode hard and put up wet" and might not be worth buying, but after reading your post I may reconsider that.