Cheap juice, best?

[bracconiere]

Well, i saved 5$ on a 10 gallon batch of cheap apple juice. bought it at walmart instead of Fry's. but i ended up with only 8%, with added sugar. 4lbs.

But when i get my juice at Fry's i get 9%.

I determined these both with a refrac/hrdometer calc for FG. (neat trick thought i'd mention it)

But the question is, anyone try any other ultra budget juices? i'm happy with 8%, but is something i could save the $5, AND get 9-or even 10%?

i've got a target, food city, fry's, walmart. safeway, but i have bad blood with them....i guess that means, anyone try food city juice, or target's?

 

[NTBeer]

Quick tip - read the label. Specifically, the nutrition information has calories per serving. More calories equals more sugar...

 

[bracconiere]

Quick tip - read the label. Specifically, the nutrition information has calories per serving. More calories equals more sugar...

yeah i think the kroger has 29g an 8oz glass of sugar. and walmart just 28g. that gives me a good idea to see how close fermented and unfermented calories are and maybe a quick percent i can figure in my head when looking....

Thanks, i just was looking at grams sugar, didn't think about the fact it's just soda pop.....

 

[madscientist451]

Why not just go really cheap?
Just skip the juice and go with sugar and water?

On a serious note, would it be cheaper to use frozen apple juice concentrate?

 

[bracconiere]

Why not just go really cheap?
Just skip the juice and go with sugar and water?

On a serious note, would it be cheaper to use frozen apple juice concentrate?

that's what i'm drinking now!

and yeah i've had the thought of concentrate, and thanks for the idea...now i want to see if maybe they make a powder version i can buy in bulk online....for times when i just don't feel like brewing.....feel behind on beer, and that why i'm drinking sugar water now, used two failed loaves of bread made out of lentil flour in the fermenter as nutes....but man EVEN I HAVE STANDARDS, and i feel low!

 

[bracconiere]

hmmm, wonder how much of this it would take for a batch?

https://www.bulksupplements.com/pro...5HZlAdPXcST0EytAZLLUPVKYcwHPXk6RoCSYoQAvD_BwE
sugar added of course.....


oh, and honestly my beer is cheaper then fermenting sugar water... (edit: never mind sugar beat me by $2)

anyway this isn't all about cheap, as it is lazy. somedays i go, damn i need to get a batch of beer in the fermenter, and just don't feel like brewing....if i can just run to the store and buy apple juice, problem solved! i just doing things as cheap as possible!

 

[NTBeer]

$48 a kilo? Don't know how much you'd need to mix to be palatable, but that doesn't seem cheap.

 

[bracconiere]

$48 a kilo? Don't know how much you'd need to mix to be palatable, but that doesn't seem cheap.

got to thinking the same thing...plus i'd have to add sugar to it for the 'kick'...

i think i'll just have to actually go into target and food city to see what they got.....

 

[MaxStout]

I've used the Walmart brand apple juice before, had good results. Checking my notes, I had measured the OG at 1.048.

I just made a 4-gallon batch of apple/black cherry with juice from Aldi. About 60/40%, respectively, I didn't add additional sugar. The apple measured 1.044, lower than the Walmart brand. The black cherry was 1.077! I measured it with the refrac 3 times, just to make sure it wasn't an error.

Pitched S-04. We'll see how that goes.

 

[madscientist451]

Walmart sells the concentrate for $1.18. dump that into some cheap juice and youre good to go.

 

[bracconiere]

The black cherry was 1.077!

good tip! maybe a couple gallon of cherry juice would be a good idea!

 

[bracconiere]

Walmart sells the concentrate for $1.18. dump that into some cheap juice and youre good to go.

not a bad idea either, just dope it with a can of FAJC. this is also a calorie thing, and i need consistency for my record keeping....kinda makes it a chore to keep track, was that a 8 or 9% cider...same with beer...

 

[MaxStout]

good tip! maybe a couple gallon of cherry juice would be a good idea!

1 liter jars at Aldi for around 3 bucks.

 

[bracconiere]

1 liter jars at Aldi for around 3 bucks.

maybe i can buy it pre mixed...? i see cherry apple blends....

or take madscientists advice and make cherry coke, now with alcohol!

 

[Jayjay1976]

OMFG, we just got a Woodman's near us and they have honey crisp apple cider, not from concentrate and with ZERO preservatives for $1.99/ gallon, and I'm going to dump my 401k this weekend to buy a pile of juice to make brandy. F@&k yeah!!

 

[MaxStout]

OMFG, we just got a Woodman's near us and they have honey crisp apple cider, not from concentrate and with ZERO preservatives for $1.99/ gallon, and I'm going to dump my 401k this weekend to buy a pile of juice to make brandy. F@&k yeah!!

Honeycrisp cider, no preservatives, 1.99/gallon? Better raid your kid's piggy bank, too, while you're at it. Buy the whole friggin stock at that store.

Honeycrisp brandy sounds awesome.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Honeycrisp cider, no preservatives, 1.99/gallon? Better raid your kid's piggy bank, too, while you're at it. Buy the whole friggin stock at that store.

Honeycrisp brandy sounds awesome.

I picked up 6 gallons of the Treetop honeycrisp cider today, I know I said previously they were $1.99/gallon but my wife pointed out today that they are 2/$3, so even cheaper at $1.50 a gallon... I have enough to ferment a 6 gallon batch for $9.00, which is almost as cheap as using white sugar. I haven't decided whether I want to ferment a small batch or stockpile more until I have enough to fill a 30 gallon drum. Doing a test batch first probably makes more sense, I'm going to measure and adjust the pH, add nutrients and ferment it with EC1118 and run it. If that works out I'll scale it up.

In the meantime I'm going to stockpile more cider in case it is a seasonal item.

 

[Transamguy77]

So since I really haven’t been brewing I’ve been making cider and skeeter pee because it’s quick and not much to clean up, I have tried using cheap juice and honestly Motts has the best flavor so while I’m all about saving a buck I also want to enjoy what I make so I’m all done with super cheap juice. The last batch of each cost me a little over $45 for 10 gallons of delicious liquid to drink.

 

[Jayjay1976]

So since I really haven’t been brewing I’ve been making cider and skeeter pee because it’s quick and not much to clean up, I have tried using cheap juice and honestly Motts has the best flavor so while I’m all about saving a buck I also want to enjoy what I make so I’m all done with super cheap juice. The last batch of each cost me a little over $45 for 10 gallons of delicious liquid to drink.

Agree with you 100%, but this is the "best cheap juice" thread, and $4.50/gallon ain't exactly cheap.

 

[Transamguy77]

Agree with you 100%, but this is the "best cheap juice" thread, and $4.50/gallon ain't exactly cheap.

You are correct, I kinda wrote my reply over some time and I think I had a another direction I was going and didn’t, anyway I guess my point at this time is I don’t use cheap juice and I’ll see what others of you post and maybe I’ll try some of that.

 

[NTBeer]

I picked up 6 gallons of the Treetop honeycrisp cider today, I know I said previously they were $1.99/gallon but my wife pointed out today that they are 2/$3, so even cheaper at $1.50 a gallon... I have enough to ferment a 6 gallon batch for $9.00, which is almost as cheap as using white sugar. I haven't decided whether I want to ferment a small batch or stockpile more until I have enough to fill a 30 gallon drum. Doing a test batch first probably makes more sense, I'm going to measure and adjust the pH, add nutrients and ferment it with EC1118 and run it. If that works out I'll scale it up.

In the meantime I'm going to stockpile more cider in case it is a seasonal item.

Is it relatively clear? I was looking at some cosmic crisp cider for 2.99 a gallon at another Woodman's location, but it has a LOT of suspended solids in it.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Is it relatively clear? I was looking at some cosmic crisp cider for 2.99 a gallon at another Woodman's location, but it has a LOT of suspended solids in it.

It is super cloudy, is that a bad sign? To my eyes, it looks more apple-y!

Pectin?

 

[NTBeer]

Probably doesn't make a difference. Just seems like I'm buying a gallon of trub, lol.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I have read that pectin ferments into methanol, not sure if that applies here but...

Edit: apparently that is true but nowhere near levels that are concerning.

 

[bracconiere]

OMFG, we just got a Woodman's near us and they have honey crisp apple cider, not from concentrate and with ZERO preservatives for $1.99/ gallon, and I'm going to dump my 401k this weekend to buy a pile of juice to make brandy. F@&k yeah!!

Sounds awesome! i'd personaly drink it straight after fermenting, and not worry about striping the flavor out!

 

[Maylar]

Pectic enzyme will clear cloudy juice.

 

[bracconiere]

Pectic enzyme will clear cloudy juice.

if yeast turn it to methanol, what's the enzyme turn it to?

 

[Maylar]

if yeast turn it to methanol, what's the enzyme turn it to?

The enzyme binds to it and causes it to drop out of solution as part of the lees. Consider that the "farmhouse" ciders available commercially don't clear the pectins and are sold as cloudy on purpose, like ciders from old. They're certainly not concerned with methanol.

 

[bracconiere]

They're certainly not concerned with methanol.

i'm not either, but enzymes typically perform reactions. that sounds more like a fining agent?

well i broke down and googled it....aparently pectinases are like my gluco for fruit juice? hmmm, wonder if i could get even drier cider? could solve that 1% problem, lol

edit: only $14 for a pound of pectinase. ordered some for my next batch. i'll try to remember to post back with my FG when i use it!

 

[Maylar]

i'm not either, but enzymes typically perform reactions. that sounds more like a fining agent?

well i broke down and googled it....aparently pectinases are like my gluco for fruit juice? hmmm, wonder if i could get even drier cider? could solve that 1% problem, lol

edit: only $14 for a pound of pectinase. ordered some for my next batch. i'll try to remember to post back with my FG when i use it!

Yes, it's a fining agent. I've been using pectic enzyme in every batch of cider I've made in the last 10 years. Add it at pitch. It works well.