Three Brands of Juice for Cider Bases

[ejcrist]

I used Trader Joe's unfiltered honeycrisp cider w/S-04 for my first attempt at cider, and Musselman's unfiltered 100% juice cider and Nottingham for my second batch. I'm planning on making my third batch using Tree Top honeycrisp 100% juice which I'm assuming will end up similar to the Trader Joe's since it's the same apple, but I haven't decided on a yeast yet which of course will probably make a difference. Has anyone used any of these three juices as a base and if so, how'd your cider turn out? I'd also like to give Tree Top 3 Apple Juice Blend which is made with Granny Smith, Golden and Red Delicious a try - I'm speculating this would be a good choice since you may only need to add a little acid if any to get a good balance. If anyone has used this one I'd be interested in the results as well.

 

[wilson42203]

I haven't tried the three you mentioned, but I frequently use the Tree Top 3-apple blend. I use 3 gallons of that with a gallon of the darker Tree Top Cider, and I top it off with a gallon of whatever store brand is the cheapest (or name brand if it's on sale). I always use rehydrated Nottingham yeast, and this combo seems to be the best blend if I am using store-bought juice. Of course, this time of year is fresh cider time, which is always the best time!

I like my cider with a little less bite, and this is what works for me.

 

[dmtaylor]

See if you can find Simply Apple brand. That's real juice, not from concentrate.

Notty is a good choice for cider, but I like US-05 and Cote des Blancs even better.

 

[ejcrist]

Thanks much for the info. Gosh I wish I had fresh cider nearby - everything "fresh" I saw at the local grocers all had preservatives in it and there ain't any apple orchards nearby. I'll definitely pick up some of the 3 apple blend and I'll look for the Simply Apple while I'm over there. Thanks again.