Can This Be Saved?

[Linuxrunner]

I picked and juiced about 5 gallons of apple juice from our apple tree with the intent of making apple jack.

Juice tasted great and I put it in a fermentation bucket with a packet of champagne yeast and 2lb of sugar (recipe called for 5lb). Left in bucket for about 15 days until no more bubbles from the airlock then waited 3 more days to be sure before syphoning it out into 3 gal buckets and into the freezer. (Tasted good at this point also).

Instructions call for freezing and skimming ice from the top however it freezes all at once in a slush. Attempted to freeze for a few days and then upside down to drain off juice but the it's not wanting to separate from the ice.(all melts at the same time) Moved it to 2 leter bottles, froze and turned upside down to drain but it's the same problem.

I suspect maybe it's not high enough alcohol content. Possibly because I skimped on the amount of sugar? Is this ruined or is there a way to go back and up the alcohol so I don't have toss all this cider that took me so much work to get?

 

[BILTIT]

Are you trying to make apple jack? If so, what temp are you freezing at and for how long?

I put mine in 2L pop bottles, freeze at -23C for 5 days minimum and then let it drain upside down. It will work with low alc content but higher is easier and faster.

 

[BILTIT]

Let it melt and you will see the color starting to drain out of the ice. Chuck the ice when most of the color is gone.

The first melt takes awhile, keep freezing/melting cycles until it wont freeze anymore.

 

[Linuxrunner]

Are you trying to make apple jack? If so, what temp are you freezing at and for how long?

I put mine in 2L pop bottles, freeze at -23C for 5 days minimum and then let it drain upside down. It will work with low alc content but higher is easier and faster.

Aah okay just checked and my freezer is at -18c. I set it colder and will leave the bottles in for longer maybe it will work better.