BeerBorg

Well, when I went to Kroger today, half gallons of apple juice were on sale for $1 each!

Since I walked there and was taking uber back to my apartment, I only bought 5 half gallons--enough for a Mr. Beer-sized batch of stupid easy cider!

I plan to cold crash my ferementing beer soon--I'll then bottle it from the fridge. and at that point, I'll make some cider.

However, I drank a glass of AJ, and started the rest of the half gallon fermenting with a pack of Vintner's Harvest VR21. The pack was a little old, so I figured it was a good idea to make a starter. I'll let it ferment for a bit, but I'll probably put it in the fridge at the same time I cold crash the beer.

Once I bottle the beer, I'll put it and 3 more bottles of AJ in the LBK. Once it ferments out, I'll cold crash it. Then I'll add the last bottle of AJ to the fermentor (still in the fridge if I can manage it), stir, let it settle for a little bit and finally bottle it. I'll bottle it in plastic Mr. Beer bottles, checking on the carb level daily. Once the bottles are firm, I'll shove 'em in the back of the fridge.

Should make for some damn fine semi-sweet/off-dry cider!

Good deal, Jon! If I found good apple juice for cider at that price, I would be scheming how to get back for more. Maybe that's already in your plans. Best of luck with your results!

Ha, the main problem is a lack of transport...our car is still in NYC with Thorn (my wife), and so when I go grocery shopping (once a week), I've been walking or bussing it to the grocery store, then taking uber back home.

The Uber trip is like $6-12, depending how surge-y it is...so if I were going back JUST for apple juice, I'd have to go in the morning, before work (which isn't that bad, I'm salaried and work until 9:30 most nights, so I usually don't go in until 12 or 1)...then, I'd also have to lug all the apple juice from the Uber to my apartment (again, not *that* bad...there's an elevator, and I wouldn't have to walk super far) I'd probably want to pick up at least 5.5 gallons, so 11 bottles...so that would bring the price up to about $1.55...hmm, that's still a really good price. But 5.5 gallons of juice is over 30 lbs, and that's not counting the plastic bottles or the bags to carry the juice.

But I can probably carry 30-40 lbs in each hand for the distances neccessary to get the juice home, even with the straps of the plastic bags trying to cut my hands off at the wrists. I'd probably want to put 3-4 bottles, double bagged, in each bag. So that's 5-7 bags, or 3-4 in each hand, max.

Shit, I need to see when Kroger's sales end and start--since I was there on Friday, I'm guessing that sale is over...and I'm kind of glad I didn't do the math earlier, or I'd have a whole lot of apple juice in the house!

Backpack or cart.

I did not go back for more cider.

I did add 2 cups (should be about 1 lb) of granulated sugar to the 2 gallons of fermenting juice.

Once it ferments out, I'll add another half gallon of juice, gently stir and bottle...unless I've unearthed my co2 tanks by then, in which case I might just get some more juice so I can turn it into a 5 gallon batch and keg it.