Apple Cider vs Apple Juice What's the Diff?

[Scooter68]

This isn't a question so much as a comment on what I've learned in turning my home grown Apples into....... Apple Cider.

Apparently the difference between the two is not all that clear, at least in most states. And apparently the Feds don't care either and that's fine with me.

In the state of Massachusetts - They have established a legal definition between the two and amazingly a government body appears to have made a sensible decision. According to their laws it comes down to this:
Fresh [Apple] Cider is raw apple juice that has not undergone a filtration process to remove coarse particles of pulp or sediment .... Apple juice is juice that has been filtered to remove solids and pasteurized so that it will stay fresh longer."

Note that they include pasteurization in the legalese so for some folks who make natural wines, that might cause them to think twice before using apple juice. that fits that legal description.

Honestly I think it's a bit surprising that only one state has apparently made any judgement on this but that's what I have found so far. Anyone with different info please feel free to chime in.

Also - Apparently in Europe the term Apple Cider refers to what we call Hard Apple Cider - fermented Apple Juice/Cider.

On a related topic the technical difference between Hard Apple Cider and Apple wine is that Hard Apple Cider normally does not have any additional sugar added and may or may not be filtered clear. Apple Wine is normally made with additional sugar and filtered/clarified. So Typically the ABV of Hard Cider is well under 10% and Wine will normally be over 10%. Guess that would also depend on the sugar content of the apples used.
Again on this if you have some different information please respond.

So "How do you like them Apples?"


(Source for the Juice/Cider definition: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-apple-cider-apple-juice-word-of-mouth-178470 )

 

[Johny99]

From the "Apple Capital of the Word", that's what the sign says when you enter town, that is what I find. We have lots of cold pressed cider at the farm stands, non-alcoholic. Lots of juice as well. I suspect "cider" is a marketing thing. Not regulated that I know of. Of course we also have 5 local ciderys that make good hard cider. They also call what they make from cherries and pears cider. My Scottish roots rebell at that.

 

[Scooter68]

From the "Apple Capital of the Word", that's what the sign says when you enter town, that is what I find. We have lots of cold pressed cider at the farm stands, non-alcoholic. Lots of juice as well. I suspect "cider" is a marketing thing. Not regulated that I know of. Of course we also have 5 local ciderys that make good hard cider. They also call what they make from cherries and pears cider. My Scottish roots rebell at that.

I understand your 'rebellion' - Interesting that any definition source from Europe calls "Cider" an alcoholic drink. Even Wikipedia without any specific source citation does that. AND a couple of definitions mention the use of other fruits pressed and calls them 'cider.'

To me that's sort of the reason I started making my own wine. I went looking for blueberry wine and found a bottle labeled "Blueberry Wine" but when I read the contents (Listed on order of content) It read Grape Juice, Apple Juice, Blueberry Juice etc. I stood there quietly steaming at their foisting that off as Blueberry wine. Then I got a little extra cash and found a "Fruit Wine" Starter kit. And off I went to make my own. So far I've kept my wines pure (100% the fruit on the label) except for a little sweetening with White Grape juice in three of my 20 plus batches of wine. (About 2 oz per gallon) My only other deviation will be making a Peach Vanilla wine with 1/8 of a vanilla bean in a gallon of pure peach wine.

I started this thread because over the past 2 years I seen a variety of postings - Some saying the were using Apple Cider but the bottle pictured was of a clear liquid, others said they were using Apple Juice but the bottle image was of a cloudy liquid. All from apples I presume but then you never know.
I've also seen some sellers advertising "Blackberry Fruit Wine Base" but their ingredient list read: High Fructose Corn Syrup; Apple, Pear, Blackberry & Grape Juice Concentrates; Water; Citric Acid; Natural Flavors. That's nothing more than a Blackberry 'flavored' liquid.

 

[knifemaker]

It's pure marketing, I've seen clear filtered apple juice in bottles some were labeled apple juice, and some were labeled apple cider, same thing side by side. Apple juice is apple juice, whether filtered or cloudy, it's still apple juice. I've always thought that cider is fermented apple juice, pure and simple, but here it's obviously "HARD APPLE CIDER", so who the hell knows, call it what you want because it seems everyone else does! Dale.