Like many here, I'm a cider newbie, long time beer brewer. Only have a couple batches under my belt, but I thought I'd share my experience with using juices to flavor my ciders.
My first batch was a simple cider recipe I found here someplace. Used Kirkland Organic Cider as the base with London Ale yeast. I have a CO2 setup, so used Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate, then backsweetened with more Kirkland cider and force carbed. Well the recipe wasn't sweet enough for my target audience, so I needed to add more cider. Since I was going to add more cider anyway, I figured, why not try to flavor some too?
I tried several juices with varying results. I got a cherry concentrate and straight lemon juice from local high end grocery stores that were horrid. Wish I could remember the brands. The two that were really good were from Trader Joe's: Lemon/Ginger/Echinacea and Dixie Peach (a peach, apple and other juice blend). The lemon/ginger added a nice ginger note. And the peach was particularly refreshing.
The second batch was Graham's Cider recipe, using Yorkshire Square Ale yeast. Same basic process and this time I tried Trader Joe's 100% Blueberry Juice and 100% Red Tart Cherry Juice. Also two great flavors.
So, for those of you, like me, who might not want to mess with adjuncts in raw form (ginger, peaches, blueberries, cherries, etc.), I found these juices to be excellent choices for a quick and easy flavored cider.
Check out my brewing blog... http://www.sycamorecreekbrewing.com/
My first batch was a simple cider recipe I found here someplace. Used Kirkland Organic Cider as the base with London Ale yeast. I have a CO2 setup, so used Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate, then backsweetened with more Kirkland cider and force carbed. Well the recipe wasn't sweet enough for my target audience, so I needed to add more cider. Since I was going to add more cider anyway, I figured, why not try to flavor some too?
I tried several juices with varying results. I got a cherry concentrate and straight lemon juice from local high end grocery stores that were horrid. Wish I could remember the brands. The two that were really good were from Trader Joe's: Lemon/Ginger/Echinacea and Dixie Peach (a peach, apple and other juice blend). The lemon/ginger added a nice ginger note. And the peach was particularly refreshing.
The second batch was Graham's Cider recipe, using Yorkshire Square Ale yeast. Same basic process and this time I tried Trader Joe's 100% Blueberry Juice and 100% Red Tart Cherry Juice. Also two great flavors.
So, for those of you, like me, who might not want to mess with adjuncts in raw form (ginger, peaches, blueberries, cherries, etc.), I found these juices to be excellent choices for a quick and easy flavored cider.
Check out my brewing blog... http://www.sycamorecreekbrewing.com/
