Apple Cider Concentrate for Brewing
The uses for apples are numerous. As such, in the beer and cider worlds, which are often closely linked, it is worth taking a close look at how apple cider is made, how beer is made, and whether it is advisable to use alternate sources like apple cider concentrate for brewing. Furthermore, if we do make that decision, what effect will the apple cider concentrate have on the brew?
How Is Apple Cider Made?
To begin, apple cider is made traditionally by pressing fresh apples and mixing it with spices and a bit of citrus. Typically, you’ll take freshly pressed apple juice and heat it in a large pot with cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, cloves, and a few slices of orange.
Today, of course, many people make cider by boiling apples with those spices and some orange, which is effectively more like tea than cider as the actual apple is not consumed. Rather, the fruits and spices are simmered and steeped.
In any event, to form a concentrate, it is better to use the actual fruit by pressing it or boiling, blending, and straining the liquid out.
Cider, if we want it to be the base of anything, should include fresh apples within the liquid.
The Difference Between Apple Juice and Apple Cider
Many people get confused between apple juice and apple cider. What’s the difference?
Again, traditionally, apple juice is a shelf stable beverage that can be stored for months or years. It is liquid made from fresh, pressed apples that is then boiled and pasteurized to ensure it is clear of all potential toxins, can be shipped, and can be stored.
Cider, on the other hand, is raw pressed juice that must be stored in a refrigerator and will typically go bad within five days.
As a result, we often find apple juice to be much sweeter and smoother, with cider being a bit less sweet, richer, and thicker with the pulp from the juice. These observations are, of course, generalizations to help with differentiation.
What Is Apple Cider Concentrate?
Apple cider concentrate, then, is made by boiling down and evaporating the cider until it forms a much thicker, syrupy liquid that can be then used as a syrup or can be stored for later use. Apple cider concentrate can last up to two years on the shelf and then brought down to be used to make juice, cider, or hard cider.
If you’re wondering where to buy apple cider concentrate, you can often find it sold by cider companies and in many markets and home goods stores.
However, it is also usually seasonal and easiest to find during the autumn months. If you are looking for apple cider concentrate at other times of the year, you are better off searching local cider companies. They will likely have plenty stored up, as it lasts for so long.
Can You Use Apple Cider Concentrate for Brewing?
Now comes the important question: can you use apple cider concentrate for brewing.
The answer is, of course, yes you can.
Remember, apple cider is merely a boiled down, syrupy version of apple cider. So, adding water, warming it up, and mixing it well will bring cider back to its former glory.
Still, you want to be careful to use an apple cider concentrate from a reputable company that produces high quality cider. If you plan to serve your cider to others, you want to deliver a delicious beverage and not something inferior they won’t remember. Or worse, something they will not enjoy.
Further, if you plan to begin brewing cider in larger quantities, you will also want to think about producing your own apple juice and cider to have in house. That way, your product is yours alone and not the byproduct of what can be seen as a competitor.
Now, if you’re exploring your options for apple cider concentrate because you have an abundance of apples and you want to store them, creating a concentrate is a great idea. You can use the harvest you have each year to produce the apple cider your customers demand now, and then make concentrate for later production, either seasonally, for holidays, or just in smaller quantities throughout the year.
Another option is to brew hard cider that can age for months or even years.
What Is Hard Cider?
Once upon a time, apple cider referred to alcoholic cider, now called hard cider, and apple juice was simply the pressed juice with no alcohol.
Fermenting is a classic way to preserve foods and beverages, and apple farmers or those with an abundance of apples could ferment their apple juice to make cider that would then last much longer.
To brew cider, you can work with either apple, apple cider, or apple cider concentrate.
How to Use Apple Cider Concentrate for Brewing
However you decide to brew hard cider, the fermentation process could not be simpler.
If you are using apples, simply press them into juice.
If you are using apple cider, you are ready to begin.
And, finally, you are using apple cider concentrate, follow the instructions on the package in terms of how much water to add to bring it back to its natural cider state.
From there, mix any additional spices or citrus you would like to the cider and simmer it for about an hour.
Once the cider cools, you can either add yeast or allow local, wild yeasts to attract to your sweet juice.
Once fermentation begins, it is a good idea to keep the cider in an airtight container, so you don’t over-oxygenate the beverage. You also want to avoid any additional bacteria from joining in.
(You can tell fermentation has begun when the bubbling and fizzing begins.)
If you’re making cider in smaller quantities, you can use bottles with stoppers. Just be sure to leave enough room for the carbon dioxide to make bubbles and not explode your bottles.
If you are using a fermentation vessel or a carboy, follow this same advice.
You can tell the fermentation is complete once the bubbling and fizzing dies down and the yeast collects at the top of your beverage to be collected.
Summing It All Up
In the end, of course you can use apple cider concentrate for brewing hard cider. Just be mindful to add the water back in so you don’t end up with a hard liqueur that is highly syrupy and alcoholic. Unless, of course, that is your goal.
Cheers!
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