semibreve42
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2014
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 3
Hello all, I've been lurking here for a while but I think it's time for a post...
There have been several posts about ice cider here, both about making it the traditional way (freezing apple cider to concentrate) and a few posts asking if you could skip the freezing bit and just make it with apple juice concentrate from the supermarket.
A few months ago I decided to try making some the supermarket way, here was my method and (partial) result.
I made a one gallon batch, using Shurfine apple juice concentrate (most if not all apple juice concentrates are the same, they're mostly made in South America, and then they slap different labels on for different companies). If you were not aware, apple juice concentrate is commercially made basically the same way it's made for "pure" ice cider, by freezing the juice and removing the water. They just do it on a much larger scale.
Anyway, the apple juice concentrate as it comes in the can is much too sugary, my hygrometer doesn't have a scale anywhere near where it was floating. I cut it down with water until I had an O.G. of ~1.130 (my hygrometer didn't go above 1.15, so I was estimating. I bought one with a more appropriate scale for next time). I added pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient and Cotes des Blanc yeast, and it fermented for about 8 days, at which point the gravity reading was 1.040. I added potassium sulfate and cold crashed it, and racked it off the lees.
Then I set it in my cellar (I'm lucky enough to own a 19th century farmhouse with a stone cellar that keeps between 55-60F throughout the year) and left it alone for a month, before bottling in some 375 and 750ml bottles I had, before leaving it some more.
It's been over two months now, and we've had two of the bottles. It's still just a bit young tasting, but the flavor is excellent. It has a very slightly thicker consistency then your regular wine or cider, and the sweetness is set off by the acidity. It's definitely a dessert drink though, more for sipping then throwing back.
The results came out tasting similar enough to professional ice ciders (especially Eden Ice from Vermont) that I think I will continue using concentrated apple juice rather than the hassle of manually freezing. If there's a difference, it's subtle enough not to matter. Plus, seeing how Eden Ice goes for ~25$ for 375ml, and I can get enough concentrated apple juice to make a gallon for $15-20 bucks, I can make $300 dollars of ice cider for $20!
My only change next time will be to wait another month before bottling, with one extra rack in between. The cider cleared nicely after a month in the bottle, but left a bunch of sediment. Better to leave that in the carboy.
There have been several posts about ice cider here, both about making it the traditional way (freezing apple cider to concentrate) and a few posts asking if you could skip the freezing bit and just make it with apple juice concentrate from the supermarket.
A few months ago I decided to try making some the supermarket way, here was my method and (partial) result.
I made a one gallon batch, using Shurfine apple juice concentrate (most if not all apple juice concentrates are the same, they're mostly made in South America, and then they slap different labels on for different companies). If you were not aware, apple juice concentrate is commercially made basically the same way it's made for "pure" ice cider, by freezing the juice and removing the water. They just do it on a much larger scale.
Anyway, the apple juice concentrate as it comes in the can is much too sugary, my hygrometer doesn't have a scale anywhere near where it was floating. I cut it down with water until I had an O.G. of ~1.130 (my hygrometer didn't go above 1.15, so I was estimating. I bought one with a more appropriate scale for next time). I added pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient and Cotes des Blanc yeast, and it fermented for about 8 days, at which point the gravity reading was 1.040. I added potassium sulfate and cold crashed it, and racked it off the lees.
Then I set it in my cellar (I'm lucky enough to own a 19th century farmhouse with a stone cellar that keeps between 55-60F throughout the year) and left it alone for a month, before bottling in some 375 and 750ml bottles I had, before leaving it some more.
It's been over two months now, and we've had two of the bottles. It's still just a bit young tasting, but the flavor is excellent. It has a very slightly thicker consistency then your regular wine or cider, and the sweetness is set off by the acidity. It's definitely a dessert drink though, more for sipping then throwing back.
The results came out tasting similar enough to professional ice ciders (especially Eden Ice from Vermont) that I think I will continue using concentrated apple juice rather than the hassle of manually freezing. If there's a difference, it's subtle enough not to matter. Plus, seeing how Eden Ice goes for ~25$ for 375ml, and I can get enough concentrated apple juice to make a gallon for $15-20 bucks, I can make $300 dollars of ice cider for $20!
My only change next time will be to wait another month before bottling, with one extra rack in between. The cider cleared nicely after a month in the bottle, but left a bunch of sediment. Better to leave that in the carboy.