Ok, I am now a believer

Frozen Apple juice concentrate.

Used it for the first time this past week. I have read about people who use it to boost flavor. I have been sceptical up to this point, thinking it would bring a falsely sweet taste. Or a taste that was too 'apply' as opposed to 'cidery'. Having used store bought jugs of apple juice as the base I thought to myself it would fit to use the FAJC to enhance the 'apple juice' aspect of this brew. I used it for both that and back sweetening the spur of the moment cider.

I am shocked at how well it worked. Flavor boosted significantly and a natural sweetness that didn't mar the cider into feeling like a kids juice box. I would reccomend this if your cider tastes thin or you want to naturally back sweeten but don't have more cider to do so.

Cheers!

Isn't it fermentable?

Absolutely if you buy one that contains no preservatives. I wasn't too worried about it because I had arrested the yeast with campden and potassium sorbate.

Ok i see, good idea how much per five gal just curious?

i use 2 cans of it and a cup of brown sugar to back sweeten a 5 gallon batch. it makes sense since the AJ concentrate is supposed to make apple juice so if you use it in the cider, it will taste more like apple and sweeten it. People love my cider, esp girls. i also filter mine with a .5 micron filter to get the yeast out.

Thanks for the tips!

When bottling a small batch I like to add enough FAJC to bring the SG up to 1.010. Then when the bottle pressure gets to 30 psi at room temp (about 2.5 vols of CO2) I toss em in the fridge. I get perfect carbonation and lots of apple flavor. Works for me.

Maylar said:

When bottling a small batch I like to add enough FAJC to bring the SG up to 1.010. Then when the bottle pressure gets to 30 psi at room temp (about 2.5 vols of CO2) I toss em in the fridge. I get perfect carbonation and lots of apple flavor. Works for me.

Click to expand...

That sounds great.
How do you know when you're at 30 psi per bottle?
I've only been doing 1 gallon batches so far and will give this a try on a next batch, thanks for posting.

Yeah, that was my question, how do you know its time to put in the fridge?
I'm going tom try this with 22oz bomber bottles, they seem a little heavier made than the reg 12 oz.

WilliamSlayer said:

Frozen Apple juice concentrate.

Used it for the first time this past week. I have read about people who use it to boost flavor. I have been sceptical up to this point, thinking it would bring a falsely sweet taste. Or a taste that was too 'apply' as opposed to 'cidery'. Having used store bought jugs of apple juice as the base I thought to myself it would fit to use the FAJC to enhance the 'apple juice' aspect of this brew. I used it for both that and back sweetening the spur of the moment cider.

I am shocked at how well it worked. Flavor boosted significantly and a natural sweetness that didn't mar the cider into feeling like a kids juice box. I would reccomend this if your cider tastes thin or you want to naturally back sweeten but don't have more cider to do so.

Cheers!

Click to expand...

I "juice up" the juice with every cider & graff I make. I've used as much as 4 cans of FAJC (frozen apple juice concentrate) in a 6 gallon batch. Something else you might want to try: Add crab apples to your cider. They add a nice flavor & some natural tannins that will give your cider a little "bite."
Regards, GF.

Timdogg said:

Ok i see, good idea how much per five gal just curious?

Click to expand...

I used 5 cans that were 6oz of sugar in each for a 5gal batch. My calculations told me this would bring my gravity back up between 1.010 - 1.015.

Timdogg said:

Ok i see, good idea how much per five gal just curious?

Click to expand...

I used 5 cans that were 6oz of sugar in each for a 5gal batch. My calculations told me this would bring my gravity back up between 1.010 - 1.015.

rekoob said:

That sounds great.
How do you know when you're at 30 psi per bottle?
I've only been doing 1 gallon batches so far and will give this a try on a next batch, thanks for posting.

Click to expand...

I made up a carbonation monitor, using a 60 psi gauge attached to a soda bottle cap.



One of the bottles gets the cap and gauge. Much more scientific than just squeezing the bottle for firmness.



The gage and adapter cost about $20 from McMaster-Carr

Maylar said:

I made up a carbonation monitor, using a 60 psi gauge attached to a soda bottle cap.

One of the bottles gets the cap and gauge. Much more scientific than just squeezing the bottle for firmness.

The gage and adapter cost about $20 from McMaster-Carr

Click to expand...

That right there is a homebrew instant classic! I love how we as a group cobble together the things we need for this hobby.

Cheers sir!

Maylar said:

I made up a carbonation monitor, using a 60 psi gauge attached to a soda bottle cap.

One of the bottles gets the cap and gauge. Much more scientific than just squeezing the bottle for firmness.

The gage and adapter cost about $20 from McMaster-Carr

Click to expand...

Wow. What is the adapter you mention? What holds it in place?

j1n said:

i use 2 cans of it and a cup of brown sugar to back sweeten a 5 gallon batch. it makes sense since the AJ concentrate is supposed to make apple juice so if you use it in the cider, it will taste more like apple and sweeten it. People love my cider, esp girls. i also filter mine with a .5 micron filter to get the yeast out.

Click to expand...

I'm planning on investing in a filter, but mostly making it (kegs, filter housing, hoses to connect it), so I'm curious about your process. Do you add the concentrate after filtering, or before? It seems like it would be easy enough to put the concentrate in the keg, then filter the finished cider on top of it, seal it up and carbonate?

That would also be a good time to add acid or tannins, too.

ericbw said:

Wow. What is the adapter you mention? What holds it in place?

Click to expand...

The parts come from McMaster-Carr.

2684K19 Miniature Stainless Steel Threaded Pipe Fitting, 1/8 Pipe X 10-32 Thread Size, Reducing Adapter

3847K71 Multipurpose Gauge, Plastic Case, 1-1/2" Dial, 1/8 NPT Bottom, 0-60 PSI

The gauge has a 1/8" pipe thread. It screws into an adapter that converts 1/8 NPT to a 10-32 screw thread. You drill a 3/16" hole through the plastic cap and attach the adapter with a stainless 10-32 nut and washer. The adapter comes with a sealing washer.

I use one on every batch of bottle carbed cider I make. When pressure gets to 30 psi @ 70°F there will be 2.5 volumes of CO2, and into the fridge they go.

Posted this set of recipe notes in another thread as well. Starting a 'no spices' batch today!

2/20/15 Spiced Cider

6 gal. Kirkland brand apple juice
3 lbs. Light brown sugar
1 tsp yeast nutrient.
1 pack BRY-97

Spice mixture:
5 oz vodka
3/4 Tbs. Ground nutmeg
3/4 Tbs. Ground cloves
1/2 Tbs. Ground cinnamon

2/23/15
Three days. No airlock activity. Opened and stirred. Pitched two old packets of K1- V1116. Hydrometer tested STILL @ 1.068.

2/25/15
Fermentation off and running!

3/14/15
Racked to secondary and added spices.

3/28/15
Racked to a 5gal. Carboy. Bottled the rest. Tasted "good" but not alot of apple taste. Spices are not 'hot'. Added Kmeta (campden tabs) and Sorbate.

4/10/15
Bottled with 5 cans of Old Orchard apple juice concentrate. Approximately 30 oz of sugar for the 5gal. Amazing taste. Added 2 more campden tabs and another tsp of sorbate.

4/20/15
Great taste. No carbination. Spices backed up by a 'bright' apple taste. I want try this recipe with out the spices.