Can cider be made entirely from concentrate?

[JulietKilo]

Trying to come up with an easy first cider to make. Using just concentrate and water, and adjusting to desired O.G. sounds like a nice simple way to go? Right??

And if so what's my ideal O.G. range?

Thanks!

 

[Kerryon]

You most certainly can make a good cider from frozen concentrate! I use Tree Top frozen apple juice concentrate (FAJC)... 100% USA apples and in my opinion has better apple flavor. FAJC is made from "sweet" apples, which aren't the traditional sharper, more acidic, "cider" apples. Some good info at http://howtomakehardcider.com/making-your-cider/:

"You'll want to malic acid ( the natural acid that is in apples) or tannic acid (from grapes or tea bags). This gives the cider a bit more “complexity.” Traditional hard cider was made from apples that are so tart they are unfit for eating–think crab-apples. The sweet cider at the mill or store is usually just juice from sweet apples, so adding tannin or acids can give you more bite and old-fashioned cider flavor. I like to use this Acid Blend ($6)
of both malic and tannic acid, or try whatever USP tannic acid, wine acid or grape tannin can be purchased from your brew store."

 

[JulietKilo]

You most certainly can make a good cider from frozen concentrate! I use Tree Top frozen apple juice concentrate (FAJC)... 100% USA apples and in my opinion has better apple flavor. FAJC is made from "sweet" apples, which aren't the traditional sharper, more acidic, "cider" apples. Some good info at http://howtomakehardcider.com/making-your-cider/:

"You'll want to malic acid ( the natural acid that is in apples) or tannic acid (from grapes or tea bags). This gives the cider a bit more “complexity.” Traditional hard cider was made from apples that are so tart they are unfit for eating–think crab-apples. The sweet cider at the mill or store is usually just juice from sweet apples, so adding tannin or acids can give you more bite and old-fashioned cider flavor. I like to use this Acid Blend ($6)
of both malic and tannic acid, or try whatever USP tannic acid, wine acid or grape tannin can be purchased from your brew store."

Thanks! Just the kind of info I need to know right now.

 

[phendog]

If the Malic, Tannic or Acid Blend added prior to fermentation or added to taste prior to packaging.

 

[ericbw]

Probably better to add before packaging. I have added grape tannin, and that can be before or after. I think the acid and tannins will give the most complexity, but your cider WILL NOT be sweet. Unless you ferment it strong enough to kill the yeast.

 

[Kerryon]

Probably better to add before packaging. I have added grape tannin, and that can be before or after. I think the acid and tannins will give the most complexity, but your cider WILL NOT be sweet. Unless you ferment it strong enough to kill the yeast.

Not sure what you mean... one can get a residual sweetness in one's cider without hitting high alcohol by either cold crashing/storage, pasteurizing, or killing the yeast and force carbonating once it reaches an FG of 1.005 or above (depending on how sweet one wants). I use all these methods as I like my cider a teensy bit sweet.

 

[CKuhns]

FAJC works relatively well. As mentioned above, acid blend helps, I usually add acid to taste just before kegging.

5 Gallon batch + - a bit to target OG 1.065 roughly 7% ABV.
Black tea 10 - 12 tea bags in a gallon or so of mixed apple juice steeped for 15 minutes. Use in primary.

Adjust the amount of water and FAJC to achieve a 1.065 OG and use Safeale SO4 if fermenting between 60 and 64 it stop at 1.006 + - a bit almost everytime leaving a little sweetness. 18 cans or so and water to near 5 gallons, depends on the sugar content of the FAJC.

1 oz medium toast oak chips in secondary, 3 or 4 cinnamon sticks 2 cloves and 3 vanilla beans or 2 oz vanilla extract remove after 5 - 8 days.

Clarify, Keg and carb. If no keg works well still or bottle conditioned.

 

[JulietKilo]

Black tea 10 - 12 tea bags in a gallon or so of mixed apple juice steeped for 15 minutes. Use in primary.

What's the tea for?

 

[SHAIV]

Or you can use juice made from concentrate. I feel thats easier because you know its shelf stable when you buy it. Otherwise you might want to buy your water in gallon bottles. Anyway i use walmart juice from concentrate. Its my go to for apfelwein and i got one fermenting now with s04 yeast and no added sugar. It was right about 1.050 maybe 1.049. Im gonna hop it once it finishes. I made a one recently with montrachet but i just backsweetened it with juice in the keg after coldcrashing that way it stays cold and theres little to no yeast to ferment it out. I used half gallon strawberry kiwi juice and i had 4.5 gallons fermented apple juice. Turned out good but kinda a girly drink. I love hopped apfelwein everyone likes it who’s tried it.

 

[bmd2k1]

FAJC works relatively well. As mentioned above, acid blend helps, I usually add acid to taste just before kegging.

5 Gallon batch + - a bit to target OG 1.065 roughly 7% ABV.
Black tea 10 - 12 tea bags in a gallon or so of mixed apple juice steeped for 15 minutes. Use in primary.

Adjust the amount of water and FAJC to achieve a 1.065 OG and use Safeale SO4 if fermenting between 60 and 64 it stop at 1.006 + - a bit almost everytime leaving a little sweetness. 18 cans or so and water to near 5 gallons, depends on the sugar content of the FAJC.

1 oz medium toast oak chips in secondary, 3 or 4 cinnamon sticks 2 cloves and 3 vanilla beans or 2 oz vanilla extract remove after 5 - 8 days.

Clarify, Keg and carb. If no keg works well still or bottle conditioned.

With those SGs....aren't ya looking at closer to 7.75% ABV....

 

[MarkKF]

In my area I’m lucky, I can get fresh pressed from Sept. thru Dec. I also can get heirloom or cider blend fresh pressed a few times a year. So I use that for my dry cider. I back sweeten the fresh pressed with more juice or honey. I use store bought or FAJC for cranberry or cherry flavored.

 

[CKuhns]

Tea is for Tannen and mouth feel. Many would argue against the tea or not prefer it as it does bring some flavor as well. My thinking is because FAJC has a relatively mild apple flavor compared to fresh pressed in my opinion you need something to help with the mouth feel up front and putting it in primary along with oak and acid in secondary is my personal preference.

Yes you are correct - if 1.065 OG - an estimated 1.005 FG = 0.060 Gravity and 0.060 * 131.25 = 7.87 ABV. (I did not do the math when posting - Sorry.)

It also should be noted I do not inhibit the yeast or sweeten after fermenting as I react to the chemicals that inhibit the yeast and as such have found this to be the only way to get a semi sweet cider without adding other non-fermentables.

 

[JulietKilo]

Tea is for Tannen and mouth feel

Is that for the same reason people add various acids(malic, citric, tartaric, tannic, etc)?

 

[SHAIV]

Unless you are an experienced wine maker id just use apple juice and montrachet yeast add some corn sugar if you want. Then let it go for 4 weeks and you are good to go. Keep it simple for the first batch so you have a baseline, no need to go out and buy a bunch of stuff you may not even like. I added some tannin to a wine once and it was horrible. Now i have a container full of useless tannin. Check out the thread called “man i love apfelwein” Its good stuff and its sooo easy

 

[JulietKilo]

Unless you are an experienced wine maker id just use apple juice and montrachet yeast add some corn sugar if you want. Then let it go for 4 weeks and you are good to go. Keep it simple for the first batch so you have a baseline, no need to go out and buy a bunch of stuff you may not even like. I added some tannin to a wine once and it was horrible. Now i have a container full of useless tannin. Check out the thread called “man i love apfelwein” Its good stuff and its sooo easy

Gotcha, this : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/man-i-love-apfelwein.14860/

Simple sounds good right now. I've got a couple packets of Fermentis Safcider, hopefully they'll be good.

 

[BrewbieVet3]

I know a guy who uses Mott’s apple juice because it doesn’t contain any preservatives. The product is ok, but fresh pressed is the best IMO.