Apple Pie is the most one of the most American deserts in the country, then Applejack is one of the most American spirits in the country. Applejack, a spirit made from distilled apples, was once foun
So your voice sounds SO much like Rick from "Trailer Park Boys" it's kinda freaky! And awesome. This is something he would do if he was as smart as you haha.
Couple of points on this. You CAN use apple juice with preservatives. Second, you do not need an air lock, a balloon with a hole poked in the top works just fine. Any kind of yeast will work. No cooking is absolutely necessary when preparing everything. All of these steps are sort of recommended rather than absolutely necessary. You don't HAVE to activate the yeast separately. You can dump it right into the juice.
Technically you’re correct, BUT… preservatives are designed to prevent your juice from going bad…ie FERMENTING… so your yeast won’t work as efficiently. A balloon might work as an airlock, but the chemicals they use inside the balloon to prevent it from sticking to itself will run down into your cider, affecting both the flavour AND the efficiency of the yeast. As for the yeast, yes you can use any yeast but some will give you less alcohol and different flavours. Also, while some yeasts (instant or fast-rise, for instance) don’t need to be activated, some yeast does. There are lots of ways to make cider, and they may all WORK, but some work better than others.
This past fall when the new batches of local cider hit the market I bought some to make hard cider. I grabbed it off the shelf without inspection assuming it was all natural. After several days in the carboy there was no activity. I looked at the gallon jug label and it had potassium metabisulfite. a stabilizer and preservative. I think I might have used Lalvin D-47 or Safale SO-4. I don't remember. I dumped the whole thing. One of the functions of potassium metabisulfite is to keep the juice from fermenting in the jug preventing it from exploding. Twice I made the mistake of using juice with preservatives.The other time the batch stalled very early making it too sweet to drink.
My grandfather used to make Applejack like this- with the addition of a few handfuls of raisins to the mix. When it was fully fermented he would strain it, place it in a wooden barrel and set it outside in the winter to freeze. The alcohol would not freeze, but would rise to the top as a layer...where it could be drained off and consumed.
I watched both of your applejack videos and thought: Just Do It! So I just sit a 2 gal. version in my fermentation closet. I'll probably keep one gal. for cider & freeze one for jack. If I like the results, I'll step up to the 5 gal. next time. Thanks for the easy to understand videos.
I know this is years later but I’ve finally gathered everything I need to try this. Was curious on if this really gives off the dreaded apple palsey like some say Apple jack does.
IMPORTANT SAFETY CONCERN: When you heat distill you MUST throw out the 1st 50ml because it is acetone and methanol. I read somewhere that you can heat your freeze distillate to just below 172F. Result would be to keep the entire run except heads - ie. acetone and methanol would boil off first. However, at 40 proof the concentration may not be high enough to be dangerous. Certainly, concentrations in wine and beer aren't an issue. Still, I'd "boil" off 5-10% to be safe, keeping in mind mixture could be flamable.
+Richo Williams Yes, they bind with each other and you pee it out. Hospitals use it for suicide attempts, people drinking copier fluid (contains methanol) ect.
i got mine started, i followed your video and would pause it, added it all together and then you say, oh i forgot to mention you have to start the yeast... well i poured a little out the jug added the yeast it wouldnt start so i ran hot water on the side of the cup and 10 mins it started poured it in my jug and nothing... the next day it did start and now its bubbling at a good rate
Fermentation usually takes about 2 weeks or longer. You know when it's done when your air lock stops bubbling. Temperatures should be around 70-75 degrees.
i heard you should let the mash sit for 4-6 hours before putting the stopper on. the reason being the yeast is growing and also eating up the oxygen in the mash. and can kill of the yeast sooner. plus stirring the mash every other day to stir up sugers from the bottom giving new food and places for the yeast. it's a great way to maximize the mashes alcohol production
You DO sound just like Ricky from the show trailer park boys! Could you be a little more specific about the fermentation time? You said it took longer than expected? GREAT VIDEO!
fermentation time depends on a couple things. temperature has a lot to do with how long it takes to finish, the colder it is the longer it takes. sugars in the juice the more sugar the longer it takes. normally it can take a week to over a month. so there is a number of things that could effect the time it takes to finish fermenting. I like to use a heating pad with a blanket wrapped around my bottles to keep the temperature warm on cold nights. It normally takes about 2 weeks for my batch to finish fermenting.
Don't come to N. Ga. (Gilmer & Fannin County) trying to sale that shit, you will be run out of town and used for target practice! Applejack is made in a still, like moonshine!
where'd you buy that stopper??! I've been looking for that exact one for as long as I can remember! I need one because I'm fermenting in the same container.
i ran across this when researching applejack recipes. although i cannot see your face, your voice sounds identical to a character in one of my favorite shows ( Ricky - from Trailer Park Boys ). anyhow i'm gonna try your method using a frozen triple distill & see how it comes out :)
What's the ambient temperature range that's needed to allow for proper fermentation? Just leave it in your basement and you'll be fine or should it be in a climate controlled area (around 72 or so degrees)?
If you don't add rehydration nutrient, pitching into the must is exactly the same as pitching into the jug. Do you have any particular reason for adding your yeast to a starter?
Ok I followed this recipe to the “T” ....out of 5 gallons I yielded 1 big mason jar ,, but I also freeze filtered it 3 times until finally I was down to one bottle to freeze and I left that thing in the freezer for 3 days ,, no freeze, , soooo I will say I got some really REALLY good tasting applejack-with a high alcohol content,, but remember,, 5 gallons equaled about 1 big mason jar,,,
Bread yeast will only give you between 5 to 8% abv where the 1117 will give you 18 to 20% abv. And it is CO2 gas not air that is produced by the yeast..
Hey Mike, my stuff is still churning after 8 days.. how will I know when it's time to siphon it off for freezing?.. Its still cloudy and nothing has collected at the bottom of the bottle yet.
Sorry my man , but it so hard to follow your direction, like how the one way valve works , when you add the yeast and you don't account for other country's that don't have the brands that you buy in the good Ol USA ..nice try am genuinely interested
Hey Mike quick question. If I were to add another pound of brown sugar will the yeast eat that too or will it deactivate prior to using all the sugar leaving me with a sweeter product? I don't want it to be too dry.
Hey Noah I've been making this for years.i even share it with my friends. And never had any problems. If you follow the video you will be fine. This is nothing new it's been done this way for hundreds of years.
@@travvycrackshirtthe3rd155 No, still here..just made a new batch of Jack..I did three freeze's and came out with approx 1 1/2 gallons of applejack brandy.... Damn it's good!!
i just finished my version of this and i am just about fully plowed now it's very close to your's i don't rack it i freeze it and concentrate it but i have to back sweeten it or it burns
Hey David I did add the yeast off camera. The yeast you seen in the video was for another batch I was starting. If you watch the video again you will notice the first cup of yeast was a dark color and the next time you see it, its a lighter color. I was trying something different with the second batch to see if it would work.
Mike - So I have followed all the tasks that you speak to in the video, and I have a question for you. Now after two days my yeast is no longer foaming and frothing although I still have what appears to be fermentation going on - My airlock continues to rise and release gas. Is this suppose to be happening? I used 1 package of the Lavlin EC1118 yeast you suggested, and everything looked good for the first 24 hrs.
Ryan this is normal. As long as you are getting bubbles in your airlock your in good shape. Try wrapping a blanket or a heavy towel or better yet a electric blanket on its lowest setting around your bottle. Your temperature maybe a little cold.
Mike Walker, I want to make one gallon. To make this I will use one gallon juice, one pound brown sugar and one packet of yeast? Correct? Have you ever used pears for this receipe, I have a whole tree full of pears and want to try it? Same receipe? Thanks, Tim
Hi Tim If you want to do a small batch it's one pound sugar per gallon and a yeast pack. I haven't tried pears but it would work with the same recipe. Let me know how it turns out.
I had never heard of applejack (im a yankee) and recently became aware of it after having watched an episode of Hillbilly Blood. I watched a couple other "how to" youtbue video in this regard and I got to say your's is the best. You kept everything very simple and in layman terms. I purchased a carboy fermenting kit and all the other necessities today. I'm excited to try it out. Will you consider making a "cleaning and sanitizing" video? I reckon i'm just going to wash everything with warm soap water (oxy clean) and then sanitize with Star San. Some of the stuff just seems like it might be a bit awkard to effectivley clean and sanitize, i.e. siphon tubing and the carboy is a large container with a small opening. I'd like to see how you do it. Thanks for a great video. You explained it in a way that motivated me to try it.
Hey Mike, just wondering if there is a foamy blowoff stage like beer. I put my airlock on my beer right after pitching the yeast and it blew it clean off. After 24 hours of overflow I put the airlock back on. Will the same happen with this?
I have had it foam over before but never blew the airlock off. It usually happens in the first 24 hours. It happens because my temp was about 85 degrees and it super charged the yeast converting those sugars. If you let your cider cool down to room temp before adding yeast you won't have that problem.
What is happening when you see little bits of fuzzy stuff floating in the applejack? Also, one bottle is not coming is as clear as the first bottle, do you know why that is?
