Carbonating unfermented juice with yeast.

[MedicMang]

I'm making little gifts of ciders that I have made for some family. These family members have young children and I was wanting to bottle condition some unfermented apple juice so that they can feel like they are participating in the enjoyment of homemade beverages of sorts. Is it as easy as it seems in my head?

I have some cider that needs bottled anyways, so I will be doing this tomorrow and pasteurizing when I have the carbonation level where I want it. I will be bottling 1 gal of regular store bought apple juice. Any suggestions on how much sugar and yeast to add to the juice before bottling? Just add the same amount of priming sugar as I would for 1 gallon of beer and just estimate on some yeast? Is it this easy?

 

[Yooper]

It's just like making soda. You don't have to add sugar, as there is sugar in apple juice already, but you can if you want. I don't pasteurize anything, but instead just stick the bottles in the fridge when they get hard. I never would use glass bottles for soda or non alcoholic cider, as in a plastic bottle you can gauge carbonation and stick them in the fridge when they are hard (and avoid bottle bombs), or I would force carbonate if using glass bottles. Bottle bombs are no joke, especially for kids' drinks.

 

[MedicMang]

Ya for sure. I am very "crazy" about bottle bombs. That is why I wanted to pasteurize. I will try them daily until it is where I want and then pasteurize everything. I do like the idea of plastic but I am also shipping these to Florida and North Carolina. So I figured a finished product would be best, just in case. Also the stigma of cracking a bottle of "cider" with the parents alcoholic cider might be fun for them. I just don't know how much yeast to add. I think I am just going to do a couple granules of champagne yeast and carbonation tabs to each bottle and see what happens. I'll throw the experiment on here when it is done.

Unless anyone has more to say before I do this tomorrow...

 

[rocketsan22]

Won't need carb tabs...