YC57
Member
I've seen others talk about experimenting with cranberry juice, but my head is spinning trying to find posts with results!
I am bottling a batch of Ed's original recipe Apfelwein today and was looking around the store so that I can refill my empty carboy when I found that I am SOL for ingredients - No dextrose and short of apple juice (No, I didn't think it was possible either - someone else locally must be making apfelwein...)
I found three gallons of Tree Top 100% Apple Juice and thought about adding two gallons of Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail (Ingredients: Filtered Water, Cranberry Juice (Cranberry Juice from Concentrate and Cranberry Juice), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C). What am I missing here? In the thousands of gallons of Apfelwein made I know I am not the first one to think of this. Does cranberry juice provide off flavors? How does the High Fructose Corn Syrup affect fermentation/flavor?
In addition, I am about two hours from my LHBS and even my impatience won't allow me to drive that far for two pounds of dextrose. So, I realize that I am left with the option of table sugar, brown sugar, or how about fructose? I recognize the very basic design of different sugars and that fructose is derived from fruit and can give beer a fruity flavor. What I am curious about is 1) is fructose fermentable to the extent other sugars are and 2) does it really matter if there is a fruity flavor byproduct in a cran-apfelwein? Since Fructose is sweeter than table sugar, would the ratio be the same?
I am still learning so those with a stronger chemistry background, please chime in! I am all for experimentation, however, I would hope to at least start out knowing that I am not just mixing juice, sweetening it, and letting it sit for six weeks!
Opinions?
I am bottling a batch of Ed's original recipe Apfelwein today and was looking around the store so that I can refill my empty carboy when I found that I am SOL for ingredients - No dextrose and short of apple juice (No, I didn't think it was possible either - someone else locally must be making apfelwein...)
I found three gallons of Tree Top 100% Apple Juice and thought about adding two gallons of Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail (Ingredients: Filtered Water, Cranberry Juice (Cranberry Juice from Concentrate and Cranberry Juice), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C). What am I missing here? In the thousands of gallons of Apfelwein made I know I am not the first one to think of this. Does cranberry juice provide off flavors? How does the High Fructose Corn Syrup affect fermentation/flavor?
In addition, I am about two hours from my LHBS and even my impatience won't allow me to drive that far for two pounds of dextrose. So, I realize that I am left with the option of table sugar, brown sugar, or how about fructose? I recognize the very basic design of different sugars and that fructose is derived from fruit and can give beer a fruity flavor. What I am curious about is 1) is fructose fermentable to the extent other sugars are and 2) does it really matter if there is a fruity flavor byproduct in a cran-apfelwein? Since Fructose is sweeter than table sugar, would the ratio be the same?
I am still learning so those with a stronger chemistry background, please chime in! I am all for experimentation, however, I would hope to at least start out knowing that I am not just mixing juice, sweetening it, and letting it sit for six weeks!
Opinions?