cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/71064085

My first alcoholic ferment in 1.5 years. When 100% juice is on sale, I get a couple of bottles for a gallon of cider. (yes they’re ciders, they’re all apple juice based despite the tropical label.)

1 gal juice, half packet of US05, 1tsp nutrient, see ya in 2 weeks.

  • mangaskahn@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    7 days ago

    I’ve had trouble with the preservatives in bottled juice killing my yeast. How do you avoid that?

    • MuteDog@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      7 days ago

      I’m not OP but the best way to deal with things like sulfite or benzoate in juice is to oxygenate the heck out of the juice. Either with an oxygen set up or just stirring a LOT of air into it before you pitch your yeast and then keep on stirring the heck out of it when you have a chance for the first few days of fermentation.

      Oxygen will help neutralize the preservatives and the yeast also use it to reproduce.

      • mangaskahn@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        7 days ago

        Sweet, thanks. I’ll have to try that next time apple cider is on sale. I want to make an apple brandy, but store cider is like 1/5 the cost of good cider mill cider

    • GrayBackgroundMusic@lemmy.zipOPEnglish
      2·
      7 days ago

      There are no preservatives in this brand. Honestly it’s very rare for me to find them in the 100% juice. I see them in the soda or fake juices (sunny d type).

    • GrayBackgroundMusic@lemmy.zipOPEnglish
      3·
      7 days ago

      Wait for juice to go on sale. Make sure it has no preservatives. Empty into sanitized bucket. Add yeast and nutrient. Stir. Wait.

        • sandwichsaregood@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          6 days ago

          It’s easier than you are probably thinking, most that are labeled as 100% juice are preservative free. Look in the juice aisle next time and you’ll see it’s many or perhaps even most of them if they’re actually sold as juice and not some kind of flavored soft drink. The ingredients and label will make it pretty clear, if it doesn’t have any ingredients listed other than juice and maybe sometimes water you should be good to go.

          In my experience you also need to do some extra things to get good cider though. You need to use cider-specific yeast and add yeast nutrient, and it needs to ferment cool. Stabilizing the end product (which will usually be bone dry) so you can add a bit of sugar (I recommend dark) also makes for a better, more apple-y flavor. All that said, you can make something drinkable even with a lot less care than that. Cider is fairly forgiving.