![]() Cider in a glass jug will cost you more than cider in a plastic jug, but because the juice was pasteurized in the jug, you can just add your yeast and go! And you get a “free” glass jug to add to your brew equipment arsenal.īottom line: Look for cloudy cider/juice. Some “apple juices” I have found at health food stores like Whole Foods, is nice and cloudy and qualifies for cider in my book. The liquid at the top of the jug may be clearer than the bottom, but if you give it a good shake, the cider should become very cloudy. You are looking for cloudy, brown sweet cider/apple juice with a nice bunch of sediment in the bottom of the jug. This will make a very bland, watery cider. Don’t be tempted to use the crystal clear “apple juice” sitting in the Mott’s jugs in the juice section. In other words, you CANNOT make hard cider from juice with chemical preservatives in it! In some places, it might not be possible to find cider at the store without chemicals in it. So why do most grocery store ciders have preservatives? These chemicals, like potassium sulfate and sodium benzoate, prevent bacteria, mold and yes, even your wonderful cider yeast from growing in the juice. All you have to do is make sure that there are no chemical preservatives. It’s true! Perfectly yummy hard cider can be made from the sweet cider you buy at the grocery store! If you are buying cider from a retail source, like a grocery, it will say “pasteurized” on the label. ![]() This orchard uses Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and is harkening back to some of my favorite clasic cultivars–including several veritals I had never heard of! They are partnering with some local brewers to create some killer brew. The one exception I have found to this is A&A Orchards who sell their scruptious ciders (both Jonathan and Honeycrisp) at the Fayetteville, AR and Rogers, AR farmers markets. You get the safety for the pasteurization, but you also get the full fruit taste, and the satisfaction of shopping locally! Sadly, most of the orchards who sell cider locally here in the Ozarks are now adding chemical preservatives, which makes the cider useless for making hard cider. Honestly, pasteurized cider from an orchard is the best of both worlds. Even better, tell the orchard folks you are making hard cider, and I bet they will have some wonderful tips! Just ask if the juice has any chemical preservatives in it. Fortunately, any type of ‘pasteurization’ will not prevent your yeast from producing hard cider. ![]() Orchards can either ‘traditionally’ pasteurize their juice (long, gentle heat it to kill microbes) ‘cold pasteurize’ it with UV light. Many orchards now pasteurize all of their cider because of the liability of folks getting sick. ![]() Is it worth the risk? Not to me, but hey, you are a grown-up, so decide for yourself! Since 1986 it has been illegal for cider resellers to sell unpasteurized cider to anyone but direct consumers. These critters leave their droppings along the apple production line, and what they leave, can make humans very, very sick. This means mice, deer, raccoons, opossums and every other critter with a sweet-tooth comes running when the apples are ripe. The problem with apples is that they are so darn yummy-every mammal and bird around wants to come for a nibble. Now, it is illegal to use these “drops” or process them into cider that will be sold, but there is never a guarantee that the apples that were squeezed into your cider did not come in contact with the ground or other contaminated harvesting equipment. Back in the “good old days” when cider was made from “drops” (the apples that had fallen off the tree to the ground), the risk was much greater. Is there a real risk in drinking or brewing with non-pasteurized cider? Sadly, yes.
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