Costco apple juice is back!

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Grunner

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Some may already know this but I was in Costco today and I always check to see if maybe they started selling the 100% Kirkland brand apple juice again. Well, it's back at least at my Costco. The first time I've seen it in 14 months. It's in a different shaped 1 gallon plastic bottle and has a price of $8.99 for 2 gallons over the previous price of $7.99.
It's SG is 1.050 right out of the bottle. So, I just pitched a new batch
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Just saw the same thing but it was Motts brand, not Kirkland. Is it the same? Just has as ascorbic acid in it
 
Aldi is around $2.25 for 64 oz of their organic apple juice so it's in the ballpark but hardly a bulk discount.
Is this the cosmic crisp or honeycrisp or pink lady? I may pay extra for that...quite honestly I don't prefer highly complex fermented ciders. Just "apply" sweet, fizzy and cold suits me just fine.
 
I don't believe Kroger's apple juice is "not from concentrate". At least, every bottle I have checked from Kroger is from concentrate.

the costco juice isn't from conc.? looks like it is...but if that's the case i'll check it out!

edit: doh, just went back and looked at the pic! :)
 
the costco juice isn't from conc.? looks like it is...but if that's the case i'll check it out!

edit: doh, just went back and looked at the pic! :)
Not from concentrate. I just kegged and started drinking a cider from it (4 gallon batch). My OG was closer to 1.055 and my fg was 1.000. let it sit 3 weeks in fermentation then a week in the keg. Tastes absolutely fantastic, at the rate we are going through it, the cider will be gone in a week lol. I went yesterday and got another 10 gallons and started it up yesterday.
 
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Walmart has unfiltered cider for $4.50. I don't have a Costco near me, but a side by side comparison of fermented Kirkland and Musselman's would be interesting.

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Musselman's Fresh Pressed 100% Apple Cider, 128 Fl. Oz. - Walmart.com

Mott's apple juice (from concentrate) is at my local supermarket for $3.99/gal, and that's a sale price, so $4.50 for Musselmans' or Kirkland is pretty reasonable.
I don't have a side by side but here is 4 gallons of the Musselman's (and a cup of corn sugar) fermented with Mangrove Jack M02 Cider Dry Yeast for 3 weeks. I just bought 6 gallons of the Kirkland brand Apple Juice and will be starting that this weekend after I bottle the Musselman's. If I remember, I'll try to come back and post that one too.
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I'm on batch #71. Been batching the Kirkland brand in a 1/2 barrel keg and putting out 15 gallons every month since I started.
The Costco Kirkland brand isn't from concentrate like most already know. I know some think it might be pricey but it's from what I've seen a more quality juice without the additives. You have to watch out for the other brands like Motts that have ascorbic acid the from what I've seen affect fermentation. You can still make cider with these but they don't always ferment all the sugars out affecting your ABV.

I've tried many different brands especially when Costco stopped for about 14 months offering their brand of pure apple juice. Walmart and such. They all add preservatives in them that affect and even sometimes won't allow fermentation. I've also found with fresh press clearing is more of a process. With the Kirkland brand after days my batches are starting to clear and when I rack them for another 60 days or so they become crystal clear without any clearing agents.

I pitch my batches with a pound of corn sugar per five gallons juice to get me to around 7.5 ABV after 30 days of fermentation. That's a sweet spot for me. I rack and then pitch another batch on the same yeast using it sometimes for as long as a 11 months. I don't add any preservatives, nutrients or sulfites. I just take care to sterilize everything when I'm pitching and I haven't had a bad batch yet.

The taste is very lightly sweet with a dryness which I prefer and the hints of apple. That genuine Apfelwein taste with the perfect ABV. So much so I can't keep it on tap.

Enjoy yours!
 
@CaptenMo don't forget to post a pic of it in a glass too! And, Welcome! :mug:
Here’s a glass I poured when bottling tonight. This is my first cider and it’s really tasty. I’ll update with the Kirkland in a couple weeks. Going to dry hop that with Mosaic but I’ll snap a shot before/after the hops go in.
 

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Here’s a glass I poured when bottling tonight. This is my first cider and it’s really tasty. I’ll update with the Kirkland in a couple weeks. Going to dry hop that with Mosaic but I’ll snap a shot before/after the hops go in.


LOL, "Garlic Cider Y'all" ;) a classic! glad it's good!

edit: doesn't look very bubbly though?
 
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