The problem is that it's nearly impossible to get non-pasturized apple cider these days.
Apples naturally have a certain amount of yeast on them so they ferment quite nicely on their own. However, the pasturization kills that yeast, and the bread yeast isn't quite right. I understand that champagne yeast is better, but I don't have any.
The reason cider is always pasturized, of course, is worries about e-coli infection, especially when using "drops" -- apples that fell to the ground on their own. Those ferment the best, but also can pick up bacteria. The thing is -- the bacteria they pick up tend to be very susceptible to alcohol, so taking non-pasturized cider and fermenting it is perfectly safe. It's just non-pasturized SWEET cider (also known as "apple juice") that's a problem.
I don't know of a place to reliably get unpasturized unfiltered apple juice with its natural yeasts intact.
But I did find out, from this really cool book that Lis got me, that "jacking" is the process of concentrating alcohol by allowing your beer or wine or whatever to freeze, then removing the water ice, and that "applejack" was originally jacked cider.
I am going to have to try this at some point, making my own alcoholic cider, then jacking it.
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Date: 2008-06-10 04:51 pm (UTC)Apples naturally have a certain amount of yeast on them so they ferment quite nicely on their own. However, the pasturization kills that yeast, and the bread yeast isn't quite right. I understand that champagne yeast is better, but I don't have any.
The reason cider is always pasturized, of course, is worries about e-coli infection, especially when using "drops" -- apples that fell to the ground on their own. Those ferment the best, but also can pick up bacteria. The thing is -- the bacteria they pick up tend to be very susceptible to alcohol, so taking non-pasturized cider and fermenting it is perfectly safe. It's just non-pasturized SWEET cider (also known as "apple juice") that's a problem.
I don't know of a place to reliably get unpasturized unfiltered apple juice with its natural yeasts intact.
But I did find out, from this really cool book that Lis got me, that "jacking" is the process of concentrating alcohol by allowing your beer or wine or whatever to freeze, then removing the water ice, and that "applejack" was originally jacked cider.
I am going to have to try this at some point, making my own alcoholic cider, then jacking it.