What do you pay for cider?

[SenorPepe]

This is the first fall harvest I'm really in the swing of things and I'd like to do some ciders. As much as possible I'd like to use real, local cider. I just have no idea what I should be paying. At local grocery store, the craftsy, more local stuff is about 6.50 a gallon and so is the stuff my LHBS has now, evidently blended for hard cider making.

From their email:HARD CIDER - We expect to have a larger supply of our great cider, which is especially formulated for making flavorful hard cider than we had last fall. Our special blend of British, Normandy, and native American apples from Albion Prairie orchards is on hand now at the Shop. It sells for 6.50/gallon, ready to drink fresh or ferment into delicious hard cider. If you want some of the best hard cider you've ever tasted, this is an opportunity too good to pass up.

Now, knowing that I won't be able to purchase in bulk maybe (5 gallons or so tops), is this a decent price? Is it worth it to go for this kind of cider over, say, Mott's or am I just romanticizing it? Is it kosher to cut some of the nice stuff with the cheap stuff? TIA and sorry if some of this has been covered but Google search isn't helping me much.

 

[david_42]

I've made cider using local, fresh juice all the way to concentrate. The main advantage of local juices is you MIGHT be able to find out what apples were used. Commercial juices tend to be made for direct consumption and use sweet eating apples mostly. But tart, baking apples make better cider. $5-7/gallon is typical for fresh.

 

[SenorPepe]

OK, good info. Thanks david. When they say "British, Normandy and Native American apples", are these general geographic terms or the specific kind of apples?

 

[dinnerstick]

apples are only native to part of kazahkstan and nearby regions of china. everything comes from there originally, these is no native american nor european apple. apple genetic variation is enormous, that's why seeds from any variety don't breed true even when pollinated with the same variety. there are lots of sweet, bitter, sour etc varieties that have been fortuitously found, and these are then referred to by the region where they were first found; australian, english, etc. and some of these are then crossed with others, and among the spectrum of apple types in the progeny, new interesting varieties inevitably emerge. what would be great for your cider making is if they had included some of the heirloom british or french cider varieties... maybe they can enlighten you further in the varieties used? living in a nearly cider-free land, i would jump at the opportunity to at least knock up a small batch and see what it's like

 

[emjay]

But tart, baking apples make better cider.

Interesting... when browsing apple juices the other day, I saw a variety from a very cheap but very popular brand (probably the most popular for apple juice here) that is made from McIntosh apples... maybe I'll give that a shot.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

$6.50 seems like a great price for the brown, cloudy stuff; last year pure macintosh "cider" (the brown, cloudy stuff) was $9.50/gal here in MT. I'm hoping it's not so expensive this year. Regards, GF.

 

[runningweird]

I just started pressing my own, so not counting the time put into building the press they only cost me my time. If I had to buy gallons from a local orchard I can get it for 4 dollars a gallon. Maybe less if I bought in bulk.

 

[RobWalker]

My theory - if its half the price of what you'd pay for the finished pint in a pub, bang on!

 

[roadymi]

Local orchard charges me $4.25/ gal in my 5 gallon pails.