Why Can't a person use straight peach juice for cider?

[mtnman68]

I have been looking for a recipe for making hard cider from pure peach juice.but I have only found recipes that combines apple or some other juice with peach to make cider. Is there a special reason for not making cider with pure peach juice? I think I would like a hard peach cider.

mtnman68

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Possibly because the word "cider" is indicative of apple juice.

You may have better results if you search instead for Peach wine but limit the fermentables to keep it to an ABV more inline with hard cider.

 

[dmtaylor]

Personally I've found that fermented peaches tend to taste like acetone more than anything else -- icky. Don't know if that's a general rule or just my own experience though.

 

[sashurlow]

Tannins... Grapes and apples have them, most other fruit juices don't. That is my limited knowledge of the topic.

 

[Yooper]

"Cider" means apples. That's why you won't find a peach 'cider', while pear 'cider' is called "perry".

Peach wine is very nice! The thing is, peaches have very little body so something is usually added, like raisins or bananas, for body.
Here is my favorite peach wine recipe:
from http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques26.asp

If you want lower alcohol, like a wine cooler instead of wine, you can leave out much of the sugar added. Target an SG of 1.050-1.060, and that would be a wine-cooler type of alcohol, while 1.085-1.100 would be a more traditional wine.


•3 lbs ripe peaches
•1/2 cup chopped raisins
•1-3/4 lbs granulated sugar
•1 large lemon
•1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
•1 qt boiling water
•1 crushed Campden tablet
•1 tsp yeast nutrient
•Sauterne wine yeast

Wash peaches in cool water. Do not peel. Slice thinly into primary, discarding stones. Mash the peaches and add chopped raisins and half the sugar. Pour in the boiling water and stir to dissolve sugar. Cover primary with sterile cloth and set aside until reaching room temperature, then add cool water to equal one gallon. Add juice of large lemon and crushed Campden tablet. Recover and set aside 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme and set aside another 12 hours. Stir in yeast nutrient and sprinkle yeast on top of must. Allow to ferment 5 days, stirring twice daily. Strain through nylon straining bag, squeezing firmly to extract juice. Add remainder of sugar, stir well to dissolve, then pour into secondary without topping up and fit airlock. Top up when fermentation dies down. Rack every three weeks until wine clears and fermented to bone dryness. Allow another two weeks, rack final time and bottle. Can drink right away, but will mellow considerably in six months. [Adapted from Dorothy Alatorre's Home Wines of North America]

 

[madscientist451]

Peach flavor consists of both tartness and sweetness. When you ferment something, the sweetness is used up by the yeast and whatever is left over is the predominant flavor. So a peach cider will be somewhat tart, without much actual peach flavor. If you want a peach (flavored) cider, a good method is to make a dry, somewhat neutral flavored apple cider and then use peach juice as a flavor additive.

 

[mtnman68]

Peach flavor consists of both tartness and sweetness. When you ferment something, the sweetness is used up by the yeast and whatever is left over is the predominant flavor. So a peach cider will be somewhat tart, without much actual peach flavor. If you want a peach (flavored) cider, a good method is to make a dry, somewhat neutral flavored apple cider and then use peach juice as a flavor additive.

Since I can't use pure peach juice for cider, I am assuming that I will have to use either grape or apple juice and then add a flavoring to get a good peach flavor. So if I were to use peach extract to acquire the peach flavor how much extract would I need to add to get a good peach flavor?

mtnman68

 

[madscientist451]

if I were to use peach extract to acquire the peach flavor how much extract would I need to add to get a good peach flavor?

mtnman68

When your base cider is finished, pour out some 4 oz samples and start adding drops of extracts or use a pipette to measure ML added.
It will take some trial and error to find the flavor profile you are looking for.
Then do the math and figure how much to add to your batch size.
Note that all extracts are not the same, some have can have a chemical aftertaste, some are pretty good. Everyone's tastes are different so experiment and see what works for you.

 

[bernardsmith]

Since I can't use pure peach juice for cider, I am assuming that I will have to use either grape or apple juice and then add a flavoring to get a good peach flavor. So if I were to use peach extract to acquire the peach flavor how much extract would I need to add to get a good peach flavor?

mtnman68

Why can't you use "pure peach juice"? Peach wine ferments well. The issue is that peach flavor is not very intense. You can increase the intensity of the flavor by concentrating the juice through freezing and then allowing the frozen juice to slowly thaw, catching the "first runnings" of the thawed juice. Those first runnings (about 1/3 of the volume you freeze will contain about half the total sugar and flavor( and so boosting the sugar content and flavor since 2/3 of the remainder is now more or less water). Alternatively, you can look for concentrated peach juice and simply not add the recommended amount of water to dilute that juice.
Personally, I would avoid extracts if your intention was to use the extract as the sole or major source of the flavor of your wine.