Walmart Cider

[bwible]

I discovered that Walmart has their brand
apple juice in 96 oz jugs. Here its $3.08.
No preservatives - the ingredient list has
apple juice, water, and ascorbic acid. I’ve
been wanting to see if I could make a passable cider out of this.

So my test kit came and I tested the Walmart
apple juice for ph and acidity. In the first
picture you can see its not even in the 2.8
to 4.4 range for the wine ph papers. I had
to go to the universal papers, where it looks
like its between 4 and 6. I called it 5 which
is too high for cider.

It was really hard to get a picture of the acid
titration test but it looks low, also around 5.
So 5 grams per liter. I’m not a chemist and am completely new to this - if someone knows better please let me know.

I wanted to make 3 gallons (96 oz jug x 4, plus extra to account for losses, see recipe
at the end).

I asked AI how to adjust the ph from 5 to 3.4
with malic acid. It said about 30 grams. I’m
an American so I had to ask Google how much that was. Its slightly over an ounce.

Then I asked AI how to adjust titrateable acidity from 5 to 6.5 with malic acid. It said 45 grams. Again I’m an American. Google says this is 1.58 oz.

I added 1.5 oz of malic acid. The ph is still in
range (photo) and this should make the acidity right. The adjusted juice even tasted better. Recipe is at the end if anyone wants to join in my endeavor. I welcome comments if you do.

Bill’s Cheap Walmart Cider
(Joe has an ancient orange mead so why not?)

OG: 1.056
FG: 1.000
ABV: 7.35%

3 gallons Walmart apple juice (4 x 96 oz)
2 tubes Walmart frozen apple juice concentrate
1.5 qt distilled water

3 tsp yeast nutrient
1.5 tsp pectic enzyme (I have powder)
1.5 oz malic acid

Mangrove Jack M02 Cider yeast (what I had)

 

[Skeeter686]

LOL! I just made a couple ciders and didn't realize that pH of the apple juice was a big deal. I just followed the recipe for the hopped cider, and then made a slight modification for the other. They seem to have turned out OK, so apparently I got lucky this time!

Also, I think I must be bored this morning, because I keep trying to turn "Bill’s Cheap Walmart Cider" into some kind of pronounceable acronym / abbreviation.

BCWC as "bickwick", or...
BiCWaC
BiChWaC
BiChWalC

I think I'll go make some more coffee now.

 

[fluketamer]

you will want to take 3-4 decaf black tea bags . and steep them in 1.5 cups of 180 degrees water for 10 mins and lift them up and down a few times to get the tannins out. then pour that in. otherwise it wont be bitter enough.

cider apples are more bitter and acidic then eating apples.

this will definitely make better than a passable drink.

unfortunately i have noticed that the taste of the base juice is the most important factor in store bought juice ciders.

i have tried a lot of different apple juice.

motts is the best for juice cider
then apple and eve,
the rest are all bland.

imo you only need half that much nutrient and enzyme
i have had better luck with us05 at 64 - 68 degrees than m02 at any temp

it will still blow sulfer for a few days.

ferment dry and backsweeten to bring all the flavors out. even if you want a dry cider a little sugar is barely noticeable but really makes it more flavorful not necessarily sweet.


you could also get away without the concentrate and water and just make it 4 gallons of juice

good luck

 

[Kickass]

WM apple juice is my standard. I never adjust ph before fermentation. I wait until it’s done then acidify to taste.

I used to add powdered wine tannins after fermentation but I don’t like how hard it is to incorporate and how harsh it is. So now, if I’m going to add tannins, it’s before pitching the yeast. A little wine tannin goes a long way.

 

[bwible]

LOL! I just made a couple ciders and didn't realize that pH of the apple juice was a big deal. I just followed the recipe for the hopped cider, and then made a slight modification for the other. They seem to have turned out OK, so apparently I got lucky this time!

Also, I think I must be bored this morning, because I keep trying to turn "Bill’s Cheap Walmart Cider" into some kind of pronounceable acronym / abbreviation.

BCWC as "bickwick", or...
BiCWaC
BiChWaC
BiChWalC

I think I'll go make some more coffee now.

I know I made cider with this Walmart juice
before and I know the finished cider was
definitely lacking. Guys have that word
flabby for cider and mead that doesn’t have
enough acid, complexity or whatever.

If you had a proper cider blend with crab
apples and other more acidic apples that go
into those blends it makes sense there would be
more acidity and the flavor will be different. I don’t have that kind of blend available. I’m starting with Walmart apple juice thats not blended for cider and I’m trying to get something better out of it.

The measurements tell you what you have to work with. I don’t think the people at Angry Orchard or other places making cider are doing anything by guesswork or trial and error.

 

[bwible]

Here’s the thing I’m caught up in. Its not just ph. There are different ways to measure acidity. I’m trying to get both in line. This is a winemaking article but I’m applying it to cider.

https://blog.homebrewing.org/difference-between-ph-and-titratable-acidity-in-wine/#:~:text=While acids do bring a,correct can be a challenge.

 

[bwible]

you will want to take 3-4 decaf black tea bags . and steep them in 1.5 cups of 180 degrees water for 10 mins and lift them up and down a few times to get the tannins out. then pour that in. otherwise it wont be bitter enough.

cider apples are more bitter and acidic then eating apples.

this will definitely make better than a passable drink.

unfortunately i have noticed that the taste of the base juice is the most important factor in store bought juice ciders.

i have tried a lot of different apple juice.

motts is the best for juice cider
then apple and eve,
the rest are all bland.

imo you only need half that much nutrient and enzyme
i have had better luck with us05 at 64 - 68 degrees than m02 at any temp

it will still blow sulfer for a few days.

ferment dry and backsweeten to bring all the flavors out. even if you want a dry cider a little sugar is barely noticeable but really makes it more flavorful not necessarily sweet.


you could also get away without the concentrate and water and just make it 4 gallons of juice

good luck

I’m really interested in the tannin part of your comment. I was talking about this with other people. I’m doing a 3 gallon batch. Is 3-4 decaf teabags what you use for 5 gallons or are you saying thats what I should use for my 3 gallons? And are you saying to put in the tea that makes after 10 min or put in the used teabags after that? Thanks

 

[SkyPilot]

I’m really interested in the tannin part of your comment. I was talking about this with other people. I’m doing a 3 gallon batch. Is 3-4 decaf teabags what you use for 5 gallons or are you saying thats what I should use for my 3 gallons? And are you saying to put in the tea that makes after 10 min or put in the used teabags after that? Thanks

Jumping on to your questions does it have to be decaf?

 

[mac_1103]

Depends. Do you want caffeinated cider?

 

[SkyPilot]

Depends. Do you want caffeinated cider?

Oh given the amount of caffeine across 5 gallons I don’t see an issue. I was more wondering if there was some chemical reaction or something that I was missing. Besides I drink Barry’s and King Cole caffeinated tea and wasn’t really looking to buy a box of decaf for a couple of bags if I didn't need to.

 

[fluketamer]

i have used fruit teas with very good results also.

this one adds great aroma and color. and tannin. i still add 1 or two black tea bags when i add this.


adding tea tannin to store bought wines was detailed well in this thread:

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/supermarket-juice-wine-how-to-guide-and-recipes.49462/


"1 tsp Tannin or a mug of very strong black tea. (3 bags stirred every couple of minutes as you put the rest of the ingredients together)"


you want to take about a cup of 170 deg water and place 3-4 tea bags in the cup for 10 mins lifting them up and down a few times. then pour the liquid into the must and throw out the tea bags. ( or make a cup of weak tea to dip some scone in)
good luck

this will help unflab your cider.

other things that help a flabby cider :
tea tannin wine tannin walnut tannin
citric acid
malic acid
lemon juice
lime juice
backwatering with sugar
glycerin can also add body
co2
apple peels
oak chips

there are prolly others

 

[jdubdvdt]

I buy the 64oz ones from Walmart when the Motts is not on sale.
It will be a perfectly fine cider. I have made about (20) 5 gallon batches of cider with Walmart apple juice specifically.

I use Nottingham and ferment around 65-68 and get great results. Medium finish, not too sweet, not too dry. Good apple flavor for using a beer yeast. It does have a slight bready taste that subsides with a month or so of aging.

 

[SkyPilot]

i have used fruit teas with very good results also.
View attachment 870554
this one adds great aroma and color. and tannin. i still add 1 or two black tea bags when i add this.


adding tea tannin to store bought wines was detailed well in this thread:

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/supermarket-juice-wine-how-to-guide-and-recipes.49462/


"1 tsp Tannin or a mug of very strong black tea. (3 bags stirred every couple of minutes as you put the rest of the ingredients together)"


you want to take about a cup of 170 deg water and place 3-4 tea bags in the cup for 10 mins lifting them up and down a few times. then pour the liquid into the must and throw out the tea bags. ( or make a cup of weak tea to dip some scone in)
good luck

this will help unflab your cider.

other things that help a flabby cider :
tea tannin wine tannin walnut tannin
citric acid
malic acid
lemon juice
lime juice
backwatering with sugar
glycerin can also add body
co2
apple peels
oak chips

there are prolly others

Great idea. I sometimes drink these as iced teas. There are a couple of local cider folks near our summer home that have made some good flavored ciders. And I am a sucker for peach tea so I may try it with cider attempt. Thanks!

 

[teddyearp]

I discovered that Walmart has their brand
apple juice in 96 oz jugs. Here its $3.08.
No preservatives - the ingredient list has
apple juice, water, and ascorbic acid. I’ve
been wanting to see if I could make a passable cider out of this.

View attachment 870378

So my test kit came and I tested the Walmart
apple juice for ph and acidity. In the first
picture you can see its not even in the 2.8
to 4.4 range for the wine ph papers. I had
to go to the universal papers, where it looks
like its between 4 and 6. I called it 5 which
is too high for cider.

View attachment 870373

It was really hard to get a picture of the acid
titration test but it looks low, also around 5.
So 5 grams per liter. I’m not a chemist and am completely new to this - if someone knows better please let me know.

I wanted to make 3 gallons (96 oz jug x 4, plus extra to account for losses, see recipe
at the end).

I asked AI how to adjust the ph from 5 to 3.4
with malic acid. It said about 30 grams. I’m
an American so I had to ask Google how much that was. Its slightly over an ounce.

Then I asked AI how to adjust titrateable acidity from 5 to 6.5 with malic acid. It said 45 grams. Again I’m an American. Google says this is 1.58 oz.

I added 1.5 oz of malic acid. The ph is still in
range (photo) and this should make the acidity right. The adjusted juice even tasted better. Recipe is at the end if anyone wants to join in my endeavor. I welcome comments if you do.

View attachment 870376

View attachment 870374
View attachment 870375
View attachment 870377

Bill’s Cheap Walmart Cider
(Joe has an ancient orange mead so why not?)

OG: 1.056
FG: 1.000
ABV: 7.35%

3 gallons Walmart apple juice (4 x 96 oz)
2 tubes Walmart frozen apple juice concentrate
1.5 qt distilled water

3 tsp yeast nutrient
1.5 tsp pectic enzyme (I have powder)
1.5 oz malic acid

Mangrove Jack M02 Cider yeast (what I had)

Wow, hehe. I've been doing three gallons a week from this exact same juice, in the exact same size container for 2-3 years or so now.

My scientific research/experience leans much more towards damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, and then taste and try the end product. I'm a drinker, and toss a gallon here and there during the year with special yeast and more aging.

Otherwise, it's glass gallon jugs, juice, Abt 1-1/3 cup white sugar, 1.4 gr EC-1118 in each with proper headroom, two weeks, backsweet for natural carb and bottle, one more week, cold crash and drink. Rotate, repeat, rinse, drink.

im a drunk, alcoholics go to meetings