finding fresh cider in the Chicago area

[microbiology]

Hello everyone,

First off I want to say the amount of information and contributions on this site are awesome. I just completed my first fermentation (3 gallon, store bought pasteurized cider) using what I learned on this site and it went wonderfully. Well actually... I tried to drink it one week into the ferment but it hadn't really stopped yet and tasted pretty yeasty so I let it go another week. Great learning experience and I am ready for round 2.

I am new to the Chicago area and was wondering if anyone here knows where I could get some unpasteurized cider around these parts? A drive to southern Wisconsin or southern Michigan isn't out of the question.

You guys are awesome.

CHeers!

 

[mlakota]

http://www.orangepippin.com/orchards/united-states/illinois

Cant give a specific recommendation, but you could try to find an orchard new you and give them a try.

 

[Maylar]

Honestly, pasteurized orchard cider with no preservatives is probably the best juice to use (other than squeezing your own apples for free). The stuff I get locally has SG of 1.050 right from the bottle. No need for extra sugar, no need for campden tablets.

 

[FourSeasonAngler]

Jollay Orchard in MI has excellent cider. I bring a few gallons home from there every fall when we go pick apples. http://www.jollayorchards.com/

It's about a 3 hour drive from the western burbs.

They also have an outpost close to the highway - http://www.grandpascidermill.com/

 

[microbiology]

Thanks guys. The website that maps all the orchards is quite useful and im beginning to understand that Michigan is the dominant state in apple production around here not Illinois or Wisconsin. I just saw that whole foods has some stuff from a farm in Michigan and is selling it for $6 a gallon. I am going to pick some up today and blast out a 5 gallon batch using pectic enzyme this time to get rid of the cloudiness.