# Welch's frozen concentrate grape juice discontinued



## laketrout

Couldnt find it anywhere finally made some calls and had a big grocery store order it went to pick it up along with are regular order and they said it has been discontinued !! Anybody know where i can get it


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## JWPalmer

Even the non-frozen concentrate in soda style cans is out of stock. Weird. Looks like the regular strength 100% grape juice in a jar is still available. How many quarts to make five gallons of wine?


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## laketrout

Yeah , would you need 5gals. of juice or 20 qts ?


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## Knisely

Google “grape juice concentrate”.


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## JWPalmer

I tried Googling specifically for Welch's frozen grape juice concentrate and only got two hits, both sold out.

I found my sweet wine recipe from 45 years ago. 1-12 oz can of concentrate, 4 cups of sugar, 1 tsp wine yeast, (I used bread yeast back in the day and it worked fine), and then water to fill a one gallon jug.
Since a can made 48 fl. oz., I guess 5 of the 48oz jars would do the trick for a 5 gallon batch. 28 days and siphon into secondary, 7 days later bottle or drink up.


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## crofter

We used to make a crude wine with some brand of bottled juice and then suddenly it quit working. I think they started putting a fermentation inhibitor in it. That was some 50 years ago so cant remember the brand. Is there a difference between the frozen concentrate and the bottled reconstituted product?


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## Knisely

crofter said:


> We used to make a crude wine with some brand of bottled juice and then suddenly it quit working. I think they started putting a fermentation inhibitor in it. That was some 50 years ago so cant remember the brand. Is there a difference between the frozen concentrate and the bottled reconstituted product?


Here's a link to preservative-free juice concentrates. I believe they are also available on Amazon.

https://www.brownwoodacres.com/fruit-juice-concentrates/


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## laketrout

I see the brown wood acres juice is flash pasteurized could this be a problem , I know of someone that tried to make hard cider with store bought pasteurized cider and it didnt work , or would the real welchs regular juice be a better bet


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## JWPalmer

I think the key is to look at the ingredients. Pasturization should not cause a problem but any sulfites would. I am going to check out the offerings at my local Wallyworld this weekend.


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## laketrout

JW did you find anything at wally world , I see the welchs 100 % pure grape juice has sulfites in it


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## crofter

Is there any method of squelching the sulphite fermentation inhibitors?


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## JWPalmer

Laketrout, I ended up working this weekend and did not get by Wallyworld. Soon though.

As far as getting rid of the sulfites, both sodium and potassium metabisulfite are used to remove chlorine. Perhaps a small amount of bleach would remove the sulfites, and then the bleach can be destroyed by heating. Just a WAG but it might be worth a try. Anyone out there have a degree in chemistry?


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## Gray Goose

So if we want Wine , as it seems the goal. Why not use Grapes? No juice today is chem free
Just sayin, I have made wine in my youth, never with Juice, I used crushed grapes. Could give that a try.
GG


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## crofter

Making a simple wine with those concentrates used to be a very simple operation. Not the most sophisticated wine perhaps, but I was not a very discerning consumer then either.

I have looked in on the process where you start with a case of grapes; believe me, it is a lot more involved, with more avenues for things to go bad.


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## Gray Goose

crofter said:


> Making a simple wine with those concentrates used to be a very simple operation. Not the most sophisticated wine perhaps, but I was not a very discerning consumer then either.
> 
> I have looked in on the process where you start with a case of grapes; believe me, it is a lot more involved, with more avenues for things to go bad.


Understood
good luck finding the grape Juice Concentrate then.
GG


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## Gray Goose

Hey one more idea, My buddy makes wine and he goes to a "brewing Store" they have "Kits" starter culture, and such. Same deal he likes to make it and wants a consistent product. Maybe google "wine making kits" I see Woodys has a few https://woodyshomebrew.com/collections/brewing-winemaking-starter-kits Maybe have it in time for the Holidays to brew it up on your time off
GG


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## JWPalmer

My home brew store sells many varieties of wine making kits that include the juice, yeast, and nutrients if needed. Not that inexpensive if one wishes to make 5 gallons at a time. The Welch's made a drinkable wine for pennies a glass. But, one must work with what is available.


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## laketrout

My Giant food store does have there own label of frozen concentrated grape juice I'm waiting to check the label and see if it contains sulfites but i would think it would be very similar to the welch's brand but the private is alot cheaper hopefully thats just paying for the name and not something else like a different grape


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## crofter

Warm it up and throw in a bit of yeast and see if it ferments. That will tell the important tale.


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## laketrout

are you suggesting just a little bit of juice and yeast in a small glass as a test


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## NY14804

I doubt the amount of sulfite found in store bought grape juice or concentrate is higher than what winemakers put in the grape "must" to kill any wild yeast & bacteria before adding their desired yeast. Just make it with the store bought juice or concentrate and it'll likely work just fine. I've done it in the past without any problems.


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## JWPalmer

I went to Food Lion today and looked at the Old Orchard brand grape juice concentrate. Grape juice, citric acid, and ascorbic acid. No sulfites. $2.49 per12 oz can. Bought 5. This does not say 100% Concorde Grape like the Welch's did IIRC, so it may be a blend. Need to get yeast and will see how it works.


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## Oldironman

Hey there, my experience with Old Orchard was the yeast would not start because of the acid content. Thought I lost 5 gallons. Rather than trashing it, I sprinkled some baking soda into it to neutralize the acid. No science to my method, only desperation. I don't remember how much added. It wasn't much, as I was worried about the flavor. It took off like mad. Prior to that it had set 2 months without fermenting. I know the wine stores make a acid modifier, but I used what I had on hand. I want to say like a teaspoon per gallon, or a couple of tablespoons for the batch. Turned out well.


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## crofter

Oldironman said:


> Hey there, my experience with Old Orchard was the yeast would not start because of the acid content. Thought I lost 5 gallons. Rather than trashing it, I sprinkled some baking soda into it to neutralize the acid. No science to my method, only desperation. I don't remember how much added. It wasn't much, as I was worried about the flavor. It took off like mad. Prior to that it had set 2 months without fermenting. I know the wine stores make a acid modifier, but I used what I had on hand. I want to say like a teaspoon per gallon, or a couple of tablespoons for the batch. Turned out well.


Baking soda is actually on the list of food grade ph adjusting products. The acidity may indeed be the fermentation killer in the juices.
Here is one list of ph adjusters https://compoundingtoday.com/pHAdjust/


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## laketrout

what would make these other juice's have more acid content than the welch's is it just a different blend of grapes or are they adding something


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## JWPalmer

Lake, the Old Orchard lists the citric and ascorbic acids as added ingredients. Had not thought about pH, but it makes sense, just like adding lemon juice when I can tomatoes. Sodium bicarbonate to increase the alkalinity sounds like a plan. I wonder if the home brew store sells pH strips?


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## JWPalmer

Update: The brew store does sell the pH strips and the grape juice I mixed up is actually higher than the scale which only reads up to 4.4, I am guessing it is closer to neutral. So, I mixed up 6 cans of the Old Orchard, 10# of sugar, 1/2 tsp. of yeast nutrients, 1 tsp. of DAP, one packet of Lalvin D47, and water to make six gallons. Approx 24 hours later and she is cooking right along at 30 BPM. Three weeks to go.


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## laketrout

Let us know how it turns out , I have a raspberry Merlot just about done but so far it isnt clearing up going to wait a few more days , did you do the welch's recipe to compare to your present batch


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## JWPalmer

I did not know that there were recipes on the web for this. I looked over a few and noted that the recipe I have uses less juice and more sugar than the others. Also does not require tannic acid. I wonder if will taste as good as I remember. After all, what does a then 15 year old know about wine other than that MD 20/20 was good if you wanted to get your date drunk? 

Did you try cold crashing the merlot to see if it would clear? I had about two fifths of the metheglyn tied up in the dregs. I have been clarifying it and am now down to just a pint of cloudy material.


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## Fivej

Don't your brew stores sell grape juice too? There are none around here anymore, but back when I was making wine and beer, the "brew store" sold the juice too as well as wine making equipment. Might be worth asking if they can get it for you. J


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## laketrout

JW , I was talking about the recipe that flower planter posted It's not a wine or a mead it's a cross between them. Combines the best properties of each. It's a full bodied wine rich in flavor with the smoothness and mouth feel of mead.

For those that don't like mead you will want to try this.

12 cans Welch’s 100% grape (I don’t like their white grape)
3 cups white sugar
4 cups wild flower honey
cotes de blanc yeast

SG 1.090

I have made several batches and the SG was right on each time.

Mix all contents in 5 gal carboy at the same time. Rack as needed about 3 times.
After the last of th


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## JWPalmer

I am willing to give that one a try next go round. Was even considering back sweetening the juice I have fermenting now with a bit of honey but I like a tried and true recipe better.
Thanks.


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## JWPalmer

Laketrout, did your merlot ever clear up?

Two and a half weeks in on the grape juice wine and I am down to about 4 BPM. I plan on racking it to the secondary this coming Sunday if the SG is around 1.005 or so and bubbles are less than 2 BPM.


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## laketrout

it cleared up a little bit but not all the way BUT its really good so i dont think its going to be a problem !!! Just finishing up a really good fat tire clone hate to see the last bottle it was the best beer I've brewed so far


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## Jbthompson

laketrout said:


> My Giant food store does have there own label of frozen concentrated grape juice I'm waiting to check the label and see if it contains sulfites but i would think it would be very similar to the welch's brand but the private is alot cheaper hopefully thats just paying for the name and not something else like a different grape


*All of you looking for Welch's concentrated 100% grape juice....it's still available. It's now in a non frozen can, shelf stable. I've spoken to Welch's twice in the last 4-6 weeks. There's no shortage ot backlog. My local grocery manager (in NE Texas) also talked to Welch's. If you can find a store that can/will order straight from Welch's and not their supplier/distributor, you can get it.*


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## laketrout

looks like it has been pasteurized isnt that a problem , I know we cant make hard cider from pasteurized cider


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## Fivej

laketrout said:


> looks like it has been pasteurized isnt that a problem , I know we cant make hard cider from pasteurized cider


I make hard cider from pasteurized cider. Not sure what the issue would be unless you are not adding yeast and relying on the wild yeast. J


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## laketrout

Fivej said:


> I make hard cider from pasteurized cider. Not sure what the issue would be unless you are not adding yeast and relying on the wild yeast. J


I tried three batchs one year , one with a wine yeast one with a beer yeast and one catching a wild yeast and by far the wild yeast was 100% better than the other two so from then on I dont use yeast


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## crofter

laketrout said:


> I tried three batchs one year , one with a wine yeast one with a beer yeast and one catching a wild yeast and by far the wild yeast was 100% better than the other two so from then on I dont use yeast


Pasteurization only destroys the natural yeasts, which wont matter if you add your own choice of yeast. There can be a problem though if they also add sulphites at a fairly high level which would also prevent your chosen yeast from taking off.
Is there not a treatment you can do to knock out the added sulphites?


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## JWPalmer

The batch I made used bread yeast. Can't say that it was all that flavorful as a wine, but the alcohol content got up high enough that a few glasses, OK a quart, got the buzz on.


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## Fivej

JWPalmer said:


> The batch I made used bread yeast. Can't say that it was all that flavorful as a wine, but the alcohol content got up high enough that a few glasses, OK a quart, got the buzz on.


Being frugal, I usually go with a champagne yeast which will convert all those sugars to alcohol, then back sweeten if necessary. Just recently bought a few packets of low potential alcohol yeast to try to fully ferment while leaving some residual sugar. J


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