Brews you can Use

Aaaaaargh!

I tried to get an early start to the cider making this fall. Cub Foods sells Wescott Orchards cider for a reasonable per-gallon price, which was what I made my first batch of cider out of a couple years ago. That batch turned out pretty good, so I was pleased to see the same stuff in my local Cub on Saturday. I bought 6 gallons of it (5 for fermenting, 1 for drinking/mulling), and pitched yesterday afternoon.

Just a bit ago, I checked on it again. Not fermenting. Uh-oh. I took a closer look at one of the empty jugs. "Ingredients: Apple Juice with up to 1% potassium sorbate added to preserve freshness." And, apparently, to frustrate my cidermaking plans. Crap. It's not even good for vinegar, and since I added yeast and left it unrefrigerated for over a day, it's neither tasty nor safe to drink.

And all because I couldn't wait 2-3 weeks for some bulk unpasteurized, preservative-free juice from a homebrew club pressing and/or bulk buy. Damned impatience.