Apple Cider - Costco

[richmke]

I was at Costco (Menomonee Falls, WI) last night, and they had Apple Cider with no preservatives (refrigerated case). The juice was pasteurized. $3.99/gallon.

I'm going to try and make hard cider with it. I have an extra pack of RC-212 yeast I will use.

 

[bkisel]

I've only used non pasteurized apple cider which I got from a local cider mill. Will pasteurized work?

I've been cautioned here on this site about RC 212, which I also have an extra packet of, being geared towards fermentation of red wines. I used EC 1118 for last years batch of apple wine from cider (it came out great) and plan on using Red Star Cote des Blancs this time around.

This chart does not recommend RC 212 for anything but red... http://www.piwine.com/media/pdf/yeast-selection-chart.pdf

 

[BernardSmith]

Pasteurized will ferment without problems but I am not sure that it always clears well. Moreover, cooked apple juice does not taste quite the same as UV light pasteurization. But I agree freshly pressed juice from a cider orchard (balanced for pH and tannins and sugar content) in the late fall makes incomparable cider.

 

[Mismost]

This is neither here nor there, but I made two 5 gallon batches of Apple Cider...a dry English apple cider...second batch right on top of the lees of the first batch. No problems at all, cleared great, finished dry as a popcorn fart...really pretty product. Some English friends drank it and declared it "spot on" in their snooty English accents!

Ten gallons! Guess what? I found out I don't like cider! At least not dry cider. Just not a fan. Going to try it warmed and spice mulled when the weather cools off.

Be careful what you make....you may have to drink it!

 

[richmke]

Ok. I picked up a packet of EC-1118. I was by the store anyway.

I made hard cider once last year. I fermented it to dry. Pretty harsh stuff when dry. So I sorbated, and added unfermented juice to sweeten. Kind of like an apple wine cooler.

 

[bkisel]

Ok. I picked up a packet of EC-1118. I was by the store anyway.

I made hard cider once last year. I fermented it to dry. Pretty harsh stuff when dry. So I sorbated, and added unfermented juice to sweeten. Kind of like an apple wine cooler.

FYI... For my 6 gallon batch last year I back sweetened with two cups brown sugar, one cup honey and 2 cans of frozen apple juice concentrate. I think a cinnamon stick added during bulk aging would be a nice little tweak. [last year I had mine in secondary and didn't notice that it changed anything.]

 

[Mismost]

FYI... For my 6 gallon batch last year I back sweetened with two cups brown sugar, one cup honey and 2 cans of frozen apple juice concentrate. I think a cinnamon stick added during bulk aging would be a nice little tweak. [last year I had mine in secondary and didn't notice that it changed anything.]

I used cinnamon sticks in mine too...it may add something, but I can't taste it in the cider...used two sticks about 3 inches long. If I ever do it again, I'll drop about a dozen in.

I actually drank a couple of bottles last night...bottled last Jan. It seem better, smoother, and with a big glass and a Splenda sweetner package it was not bad at all. The sweet brought up the apple flavor a little bit and I think I am liking dry better as time goes on.

 

[Arne]

Use the cinnamon sticks. Tried powder, it works to add flavor. Cider completely clear, aged close to a year in the carboy. Bottled and a few months later some of the cinnamon powder falls out. Cinnamon flavor also gets stronger as time goes on with the powder. Lesson learned. Arne.

 

[Scooter68]

THOUGHT THIS WAS A FRUIT WINE FORUM DOGGONE IT! WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT CIDER???




(just kidding the purist in me has to be put back in his cage once in a while.) ::

 

[bkisel]

THOUGHT THIS WAS A FRUIT WINE FORUM DOGGONE IT! WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT CIDER???




(just kidding the purist in me has to be put back in his cage once in a while.) ::

Because we don't have a Country Vegetable Winemaking forum?