Any english folk help me out here!

[Cazamodo]

Does anyone know where i can buy apple juice in gallonms, or apple juice concentrate in the UK?

I see lots of threads and recipies that use concentrate or apple juice, but here i can only find commercial juice thats got potassium in, or fresh pressed which is way way too expensive for making cider.

If anyone has found any of these in the UK for reasonable prices, id be very very thankfull!!

 

[scuv]

I just got mine at tesco the own brand is 56p a carton. Not too bad for 5 gallons
As far as I can see it's just pure apple juice form concentrate

 

[Deebee]

You can also get it in LIDL or ALDI stores.

 

[Cazamodo]

Is that the own branded cheap carton stuff?

I cant believe i was so dumb there, that stuff didn't even cross my mind when i was searching for apple juice!

Thanks guys!

 

[Deebee]

Is that the own branded cheap carton stuff?

I cant believe i was so dumb there, that stuff didn't even cross my mind when i was searching for apple juice!

Thanks guys!

Yes the own brand ones are ok, but they will be made from concentrate and may be a little watery



I would suggest that you make a turbo cider for the first one.

My recipe was 40 grams brown sugar pr liter.

I will gladly share some experiences i had with my first as opposed to those that came after.

1 do not use juice from concentrate! it is waterdawn and the finished cider is likely to be weak. I would suggest you look for the stuff that is not from concentrate or a combination of the two.

2 TEA, this provides the tanins you need to dry the cider out. Too much tea will make the cider drier than a nuns crotch

In a 10 liter batch a bulk standard cuo ( not mug) of tea made with 2 tea bags brewed until cold is more than enough.

3 yeast. i would advise you opt for either champagne yeast, a specific cider yeast or a bulk standard beer yeast. I made my first with wine yeast and it was very winey ( at least til it mellowed)

4 pectase ( pectin enzyme) use this to make for a clear cider.


mine took 14 days to ferment , then i left it to stand for around 4 days before moving it to bottles primed with 20 ml apple juice pr 500ml.

Alternatively you could get a cider kit and doctor it by using hot juice as a way to melt the concentrate, and top up with water.

just some thoughts

 

[Cazamodo]

ok thanks, well i make them in 5 gallon batches, i have one batch made from fresh pressed apples, thats been in primary fermentation foir around 2 weeks now, although fermentation seemed to stop after around 3-4 days.

I plan to have another batch of much sweeter apple fresh pressed to blend with this batch, as it is quite tart.
Bu waiting for apples to ripen.

All i have done with these is squeezed teh juice, added campden tablets and pitched the yeats, nothing else

Id liek to try this turbo cider with juice, i have some cideer and chapagne yeast.

Would around 50/50 of juice/from concentrate work? or for best results go for just juice?

If i use normal juice, do i need 5 gallons, or could i water it down slightly. As im not sure where i can get cheap apple concetrate, and 5 gallons of apple juice may cost a bit.

 

[Deebee]

If you are going to water it down you might as well get the own brand stuff.
You can grate 3-5 cooking apples into it for the acid. This will float

 

[craynerd]

I`ve been searching this forum for this exact OP question, however I`m now confused!!

I thought ideally you were looking for a pure apple juice NOT from concentrate? All the own brand stuff seems to be from concentrate so will this do for a turbo cider? To make this easier, could someone a tried and tested UK purchased apple juice?

I`ve just brewed a gallon of Brendons Graff from my hand pressed garden apples and I want to brew a standard cider from shop bought AJ to compare.

Really appreciate any help - I`m utterly confused what juice I am looking for!!

 

[craynerd]

BUMP - can no-one help me out here?

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

craynerd - Freshly picked and pressed apple would always be preferred.
In my case I don't have access to inexpensive apples, and with the cost of shipping concentrate or standard AJ is all I got so I make do with it.
Make what is best and most convenient for yourself.

 

[craynerd]

Kauai Kahuna - thanks for the reply but I`ll be honest, I`m still confused. I also do not have a supply of cheap apples, just once a season and so I want to find a AJ brand that can be purchased in the UK from one of the superstores that has been tried and tested. I can only seem to find juice from concentrate but I am not sure whether this can be used?

Chris

 

[scuv]

My apfelwein has nearly finished. It will be about another week I guess. I made it using tesco own brand which is juice from concentrate. I really don't think it's going to make that much of a difference whether you use pure juice or from concentrate except price. I'll let you know how it tastes soon.
But if I were you I'd just go for it and experiment. What have you got to lose? Most of the brews I'm trying right now I'm just making up the recipes as I go along. They are either going to taste great or second rate which will be good to take to parties ;-)

 

[scuv]

Well I bottled up my apfelwein today and it tastes absolutely awesome! I'd definitely use the juice again from tesco which I bought at 56p a litre (from concentrate).
Obviously, I haven't tried not from concentrate but this stuff is great!

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

scuv, if you think it is good now, give it around 6-8 months.
I'm just hoping some more AJ without preservatives from any source goes on sale again soon.