Using a juicer

[Goofynewfie]

Does anybody know if there are any drawbacks to using a juicer instead of freezing the fruit and adding hot water to extract the juice?

 

[yeastluvr]

I did a batch of blackberry wine with the berries in the fermenter and one batch i juiced the berries then fermented. I used a sieve to juice them. I did notice the juiced berry wine was slightly smoother from removing the seeds prior to fermentation and it was easier to figure out how much liquid I actually was fermenting. I dont know if all the effort was really worth it in the end though.

It also depends on if you want the skins of the fruit in the wine. Sometimes the skins can influence the taste of wine for the better so I guess it depends what your making.

 

[JimBrewer]

I think as long as you ferment properly you should have no problems using fresh juice from a juicer. I've heard many people say that they prefer using the skins of the fruit so you should have no problem but yes as listed above this will affect the taste.

In some wines I've heard of using concentrated juice, but A. I'm not sure if there is such a think as blackberry concentrate and B. I've heard that fresh juice also works.

Let me know how it turns out as one of my main questions lies in which type of juice is preferable.

Good luck!

 

[Goofynewfie]

I used it last year for apple wine and it came out really good.
I was just curious how it would work for carrots or rhubarb or any other really hard for vegetable or fruit

 

[BrewandWineSupply]

for some fruits a jucier is fine, apples, pears etc. Don't use a jucier on strawberrys or black berries. The seeds are small and will break open and give some off taste to your wine. If you can remove the seeds, use the jucier, if not, don't.

 

[stujol]

I use a juicer for some fruits like pears and I have done blueberries that way also. I do use the pulp also tho. I put it all in a mesh bag. It is a lot of work tho. probably adds a hour to a batch of wine. I core all the friut (if I can) first.

 

[KevinM]

Depends on what you're using.

If you're using small soft fruits, I'd probably use a food processor (or blender) to mash it up enough and add. That's what I did with cranberries.
For harder items, use a juicer.

At least one drawback is that you have to work at juicing/processing the fruit and then having to deal with cleanup and possible splatters after you're finished. (Compared to freeze and hot water where you have less cleanup)

 

[JimBrewer]

Yeah, the key to using a juicer for your brew is to make sure you are careful in leaving excess out of your brew. Most people use juice from concentrate which is free of skins, peels, seeds, etc., A juicer can leave a lot of these elements in the juice which may mess with the process.

That said, fresh juice makes a great tasting wine or sparkling beverage. Harder fruits should probably be avoided simply because of the density of the finished product. It may be hard to separate the juice.