Poorboy’s Apple Wine (This can be done with any 100% fruit juice. I just use apple juice because it’s cheapest and I don’t mind the taste)
6 - 64 fl oz bottles of apple juice (100% juice or juice from concentrate - no preservatives, corn syrup or HFCS - added ascorbic or citric acid is ok because they’re naturally found in fruits)
1 clean, empty 64 fl oz bottle
Pour off from each bottle as much as you can fit into a 1 cup glass/Pyrex measuring cup(approx 9.1 fl oz and pour into the empty bottle
This will give you 7 bottles with about the same head space 9.1x6=54.6 poured into empty | 64-9.1=54.9 is how much is left in new bottles after pouring off 9.1.
Add 1 cup sugar to each bottle, cap it and shake until sugar is dissolved. Usually requires a second shaking.
Add 1/2 tsp of Fleischmann’s Active Yeast(red packet or jar) - cap it and give it a quick shake
Store in cool dark place for a minimum of two weeks WITH CAPS LOOSENED. The caps should be just loose enough to wiggle them a little and/or squeeze air out of the bottle. If the cap is too tight, pressure will build up and the cap will blow off violently and spew juice/wine everywhere. I always check the bottles in a few hours to make sure they’re not bulging and I’ll check them again a few hours after that, especially if I had to loosen any caps.
The pouring off of approx 9.1 fl oz and ending up with the same head space in all 7 bottles is a practice makes perfect thing. I get pretty close these days. There’s a little ridge on most of the rim on the inside of my Pyrex measuring cup and if I fill it until it’s just at the bottom of the ridge, it’s perfect.
Solids/sludge will settle to the bottom so careful movements and careful pouring are required. You’ll end up with 3/4 inch remaining in the bottle to avoid the sludge. That stuff can be tossed.
Once a bottle is in the fridge and cold, the cap can be tightened. The fridge is also how you “cold crash” it to stop fermentation which is useful to prevent it from getting stronger or stopping it when the taste is right for you.
Dollar General sells their store brand of apple juice for $2.95 per 64 fl oz bottle. You end up with 3.5 gallons of wine with an ABV of 10-11% for around $20.
3.5 gallons is 448 fl oz for $20
A 30 pack of Natural Light is around $20, is 360 fl oz and 1/3 of the ABV
Cheap beer is 3-4 times the price of the wine by ABV per fl oz. In layman’s terms, it’s a cheap buzz.
Since the wine is fairly strong, it can be mixed with any clear carbonated drink to make DIY wine coolers. You could also mix it with caffeine containing sodas to make your own alcohol zoom zoom drink. A poor man’s Red Bull type drink.
I just pour some in a half pint canning jar that’s jammed into a coozie and drink both beer and wine at the same time, alternating sips.
How could you do that with cherry juice? So the end wine was sweet not dry?